An annual highlight in Modra (Modern), sometimes called the “jewel” of the Small Carpathians, is the September grape harvest festival. The oldest of its five churches is the Catholic Church of St John the Baptist  (sv. Ján Krstitel), from the beginning of the 14th century. Buried in its cemetery is one of the heroes of the Slovak national movement, L’udovít Štúr (1815–56), whose life is illustrated by an exhibition in the local Štúr Museum , in the former town hall. His statue also dominates the main square. Modra is renowned for its majolica pottery.