Located at the end of the northern nave of St. James’s Church, the altar of Our Lady of the Snows is a memento of the Jagiellonian dynastic convention held in Levoča in 1494. The altar was initially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary but was later renamed the Altar of the Thirteen Spiš Towns. This was a reference to the pledge of Spiš in 1412, when Sigismund of Luxembourg handed over Stará Ľubovňa, Podolinec, Gniazda and thirteen other Spiš towns to King Władysław Jagiełło as a pledge, which Władysław Jagiellończyk undertook to redeem upon ascending the Hungarian throne in 1490. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the altar acquired the name it bears today. The congress in Levoča took place from 17 April to 7 May 1494. It was attended by Władysław, then King of Hungary and Bohemia, King Jan Olbracht of Poland, Prince Zygmunt, and Cardinal Fryderyk Jagiellończyk, who was also Archbishop of Gniezno and Bishop of Krakow at the time. Alexander, who ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, did not attend the convention. However, the husband of Sophia Jagiellonka (daughter of Casimir Jagiellon and Elizabeth Rakuszanka), Margrave Frederick Hohenzollern of Brandenburg, was present. The brothers’ political deliberations were held in great secrecy, which means that today we can only speculate what the decisions were made at that time. The deliberations were accompanied by lavish feasts. Jan Olbracht wanted to show his brother Władysław the splendour of his court, as well as his great generosity, which he demonstrated by giving gifts to the Hungarian monarch’s musicians and jesters. Later sources indicate that during the meeting, the possibility of the Jagiellonian dynasty going to war with Turkey was debated. However, the Polish ruler’s proposal to place Prince Sigismund on the Moldavian throne was met with opposition from King Władysław. Despite its secretive and somewhat enigmatic nature, the meeting certainly contributed to improving relation between the Jagiellonian brothers. A memento of this event is the altar itself. On the predella a relief of Christ is visible, and on either side of it two coats of arms: that of Levoča (a double-armed cross on a triple hill supported by two crowned lions) and the Polish eagle, whose head is turned heraldically to the left. This stylisation of the eagle was uncommon, but it did appear occasionally, for example on the corbel of the southern arcade of the Ogrojcowa Chapel in St. Barbara’s Church in Krakow. The altar of Our Lady of the Snows was produced in Levoča, in a workshop associated with other elements of the furnishings of St. James’s Church (the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul, the senators’ bench). The date 1496, the year of completion of the altarpiece, is inscribed on the back of the canopy. There is no doubt that those who took part in the convention jointly contributed to the costs of its creation.