CURCHES IN RIBNICA WITH RICH INTERIOR DECORATION
Glavna ribniška cerkev sv. Štefana ter nekatere druge podeželske cerkvice z razgledi in čudovito ohranjenimi freskami izpred stoletij, so lahko cilj vašega nedeljskega sprehoda.
The Parish Church of St. Stephen with Plečnik’s Bell Towers
The Parish Church of St. Stephen is located in the very centre of Ribnica. It is dedicated to Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church.
Historical sources suggest that the Parish of Ribnica was founded before the year 1000, it is, however, not possible to claim this with absolute certainty. Numerous fires and earthquakes were the reason the church was repeatedly renovated and extended. The last major fire to damage the church took place in the 18th century. However, it took the parishioners a mere two years to rebuild the church on the foundations of the old one in the second half of the 19th century (in 1866). After this, the church remained more or less unchanged up until World War II, when it was badly damaged – among other things, both bell towers were completely destroyed. The towers underwent a complete renovation in 1960 – their reconstruction was carried out under the watchful eye of the famed Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik and a student of his, Erna Tomšič. The two Plečnik’s bell towers adorn the top of the parish church even today.
The church, which measures 50 metres in length, is one of the largest churches within the Archdiocese of Ljubljana and in Slovenia. The most important work of art inside the church is the altarpiece of St. Stephen, created by the famed Slovenian impressionist Ivan Grohar in 1901.
CERKEV SV. ANE IN STENE SVETE ANE NA MALI GORI
Cerkev sv. Ane je bila zgrajena v 16. stoletju. Stoji na čudoviti razgledni točki ob robu gozda in je del gorskega grebena Male gore. Leta 1989 je bila obnovljena notranjščina cerkve. Notranjost krasijo številne freske ter slika 14. postaj križevega pota in oltar iz hrastovine grafika in kiparja Staneta Jarma.
Nekaj deset metrov višje, natančneje na nadmorski višini 964 m, se dviga najvišja točka Male gore – Stene svete Ane. Da se ne boste izgubili, vas do cerkve sv. Ane vodi tudi vodnik oziroma Knjižica s pohodniškimi potmi.
***Cerkev je iz varnostnih razlogov zaklenjena.
The Church of St Ulrich with Rare Frescoes from the 16th Century
The Church of St. Ulrich boasts various architectural, historical and art-historical motifs.
The church’s special feature is frescoes with rarely seen motifs of saints from the early 16th century, painted by the Croatian painter Tomaž from Senj (Tomas od Segnia). The frescoes on the left side of the central church part show the caravan of the Three Wise Men. The area at the altar (the presbytery) features saintly figures, while the sun and the moon are painted in the pointed Gothic-style arched church window. This suggests that other arches used to be painted back in the day as well.
In the window arch, a fresco depicting a pilgrim fox with a cardinal’s hat on its head is best known to the general public. The fox is holding a papal ferula and has a small sack over its shoulder with a chicken’s head peeking from it – this means that the fox is carrying a stolen chicken. The fresco represents a critique of the then church and Christianity. This is a remnant of the times when it was still being decided whether Slovenia would end up a Protestant or a Catholic country.
The church has three Baroque altars from the 18th century. There is a large Late-Baroque altar of St. Ulrich, a wooden statue of St. Ulrich, and two wooden side statues; St. Nicholas is on the left side and a saint holding a heart in his right hand and a book in his left is on the right side; on pedestals by the north nave wall, there are statues of the Sacred Heart and the Heart of Mary.
***The church is locked for security reasons. If you would like to see the inside of the church, please email turizem@rokodelskicenter-ribnica.si at least 2 days before your visit.
The Church of St. Thomas – One of the Oldest Churches in the Area of Ribnica
The Church of St. Thomas in Velike Poljane is one of the oldest churches in the Ribnica deanery. The church interior boasts two side-altars brought from the Church of St. George above Ortnek, which was built in the 17th century.
***The church is locked for security reasons. If you would like to see the inside of the church, please email turizem@rokodelskicenter-ribnica.si at least 2 days before your visit.
Cerkev sv. Jožefa na Velikih poljanah
Cerkev iz 19. stoletja, zgrajena po vzorcu cerkve Srca Jezusovega v Ljubljani. Cerkev je najbolj znana po svoji notranjosti. Krasita jo namreč čudovita stranska oltarja iz cerkve sv. Jurija nad Ortnekom, ki je bila zgrajena v 17. stoletju. Čeprav je slednja danes v zelo slabem stanju, še vedno velja za primer ohranjene celostne umetnine iz prehodnega obdobja med gotiko in barokom na Slovenskem.
***Cerkev je iz varnostnih razlogov zaklenjena. Za ogled njene notranjosti prosimo
pišite na e-mail turizem@rokodelskicenter-ribnica.si vsaj 2 dni pred obiskom.
NOVA ŠTIFTA – A POPULAR PILGRIMAGE CHURCH
The pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary, also called Nova Štifta, is built in the shape of a regular octagon and belongs to the Parish of Sodražica. Most information about the church’s early beginnings is found in oral tradition and in historical sources.
Legend has it that on the hill where the church stands today, one day Mary appeared to a pious farmer from a nearby village, ordering him to build a church on top of the hill in her honour. She also showed him the location of the future church and a church plan. The devout man obeyed her and went to the Ribnica Castle to tell them about the encounter with Mary and her wish, his news, however, fell on deaf ears. Thinking that the man was bonkers, the castle servant Riglar locked him up in the gaol. But Mary protected her protégé and Riglar went blind. This unusual event was accepted as a sign of God, so the devout man was released from prison and the construction of the Church of the Assumption was started straight away.
Historical sources from 1483 also reveal that a small Church of Mary used to stand on the hill where the Nova Štifta church is located today. It is believed that a hermit went there regularly to pray. This attracted other locals, who took to the place and started to make regular pilgrimages there.
In addition to the church, Nova Štifta includes a monastery chapel, which is now used for worship during the week, while the monastery has been converted into a home for spiritual exercises and meetings of religious groups. The most important feast day at Nova Štifta is the Assumption of Mary, which is celebrated by numerous pilgrims on an annual basis. Two processions take place on this feast day: a procession with lights on the eve of the Assumption of Mary, and a procession with a statue of Mary on the day itself.
The popularity of Nova Štifta is attested by the large numbers of visitors: as many as 50,000 visitors from all over Slovenia and other countries visit this pilgrimage site every year. Also, Nova Štifta boasts a fine view of surrounding peaks – you can admire them if you climb to the house on a linden tree next to the church.