Abbeys monasteries and convents Slovenia

This magnificently preserved cloister was founded in 1301. The church is old because if we observe it well, it preserves some characteristic features of the Gothic period. However, it was converted to Baroque in the 19th century. It houses the remains of several members of the Tartini family. The monastery still operates today and it is not uncommon to meet some Franciscan monks during the day. Exceptional acoustics.

Ruins of the former Carthusian monastery. Founded in 1160, Žiče has remained virtually unchanged since then. You can see this in the church, whose roof collapsed in 1840. Žiče remained a medical centre for a long time, until it was dissolved.

The twelve Carthusian monks who settled there were originally from France. The monastery was the first to be founded outside the Latin world.

It is surrounded by ramparts of which a restored defence tower remains. Dissolved in 1782 by Emperor Joseph II, it passed into the hands of the Counts of Windischgrätz, who were the last owners. The Gothic chapel dates from 1469. At Spitalič lived converse brothers who were in contact with the inhabitants, unlike the Carthusian monks who respected a very strict rule.

Surrounded by forests, the old monastery is a place of meditation. The surrounding calm is soothing. The renovated buildings and the ruins of the other buildings are a source of imagination. The small museum is lulled by Carthusian songs. Today a herbalist's shop has been rebuilt in order to (re) discover artisanal therapeutic mixtures made from medicinal plants. The place is worth a visit for the sumptuous panorama it offers and to discover more about the French past of the monastery. For the bravest, a hiking trail starts from Slovenske Konjice and arrives here, it takes a good hour's walk.

The royal crypt is located at the end on the right. It has a mortuary atmosphere, unlike the chapel, with its richly decorated ceilings. For aristocrats, monarchists and royal history enthusiasts. Situated on a hilltop overlooking Nova Gorica and Gorizia, it offers a very interesting view of the architectural break between the old Italian city and the new Slovenian city. The first reason to visit the museum is that it is one of the few historical remains of the modern period on this side of the border. The crypt of the Bourbons is the eternal resting place of the unfortunate Charles X, driven into exile after the July Revolution. The convent, monumental, recalls a glorious and sumptuous past. It is still in use today. In the same complex, one will push with delight the doors of the impressive library which counts among its most famous works a dedicated copy of the Slovenian grammar of Adam Bohorič (end of the 16th century). The church is full of valuable information on the historical context with notes translated into French. Finally, a detour to the garden is a must in the summertime to admire and be intoxicated by the subtle essences of the famous bourbon roses. A nice escapade that offers a nice point of view on the border and on the architectural nuances that exist between Gorizia and Nova Gorica.

The monastery was built on the slope at the end of the valley. The construction was commissioned by Hans Tattenbach in 1550. In 1663, the castle was transformed into a monastery for the monks of the order of St. Paul of Lepoglava from Croatia. In the last decades, the monastery was run by the Friars Minor. The monks were engaged in medicine and pharmacy and like many other orders, also in agriculture and viticulture. The medicinal herb garden can be admired here.

Vipavski Križ is a beautiful village perched in the Slovenian countryside. It conceals small architectural treasures. Among them is a 17th century Capuchin monastery located right next to the old castle. It houses a grandiose library with 25,000 books on display, several thousand of which date back to the Renaissance. That of the preacher Janez Svetokriški is carefully preserved as it helped the development of the Slovenian language in the region. Nice church too.

Mathilde, widow of Frederick III, donated the land to the Dominicans in 1230. Originally from Carinthia, they settled on the castle grounds a year later. The monastery was then only partially completed. Two renovations change its appearance. The first, in the mid-fourteenth century, following the fire of 1302. In the cloister, the fresco of the Dominicans at prayer dates from this period. The second renovation, a century later, gives the cloister its final appearance. The order was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II in 1786. The former monastery escaped its conversion into a textile factory. In 1928, this former museum installed its archaeological collections there.

In the crypt, the reconstruction of a shrine dedicated to Mithra, discovered at Spodnja Hajdina in 1901, allows you to become familiar with this religion originating in Persia, which was widespread in the first centuries of Christianity among the Romans and was introduced by soldiers on European soil. The initiation cult was reserved exclusively for men. The lapidary occupies the ground floor of the old church. Funerary stelae are attributed to soldiers and veterans of the Roman legions who were stationed in Ptuj (Poetivo). The bas-reliefs of the 2nd and 3rd centuries depicting the Nurse are of great beauty. The Nutrices Augustae was revered by the women and children she was supposed to protect. The Celts were already practicing this cult. On the first floor were gathered Roman pieces (jewellery, glassware, pottery...) as well as Slavic pottery.

The oldest monastery in the country (1132) was founded by the Patriarch of Aquileia Peregrin. Thirty years after the foundation of the Cistercian order, the monks arrive at Stična with the builder Michel Cementarius. In the 15th century, the Turkish invasions caused major damage. The abbey is in full bloom 2 centuries later. At the end of the 18th century, the order was dissolved by Joseph II and monastic life did not begin again until 1898.

The abbey church with three naves, baroque, retains its Romanesque origins with narrow windows in a double row. Among the beautiful pieces: the funerary monument (1623) of Abbot Jakob Reinprecht, the organ case (1747) and the Stations of the Cross, the fourteen stations of which are the work of Fortunat Bergant (1766). To the south, stop at the beauty of the decorative figures to admire the 14th century frescoes: allegories of the Four Winds and the Four Virtues, patriarchs and prophets in the vaults of the cloister. The refectory with its pink ceiling, decorated with stuccoes, is worth a look. The library no longer holds 12th century books, which are now placed in the National and University Library in Ljubljana.

In the 16th century, the abbey was extended by a two-storey building. The vestibule of the triple barrel vault is decorated with plant, floral, berry and bird motifs. This wing is called Neff Abbey, after its abbot. The south side was closed in the 18th century to form a baroque courtyard. A double staircase leads to the finely decorated late 18th century room known as the Abbot's chapel. On the north side, the courtyard is closed by the former prelacy which welcomed, among its guests, the horsemen. The tower used to mark the main entrance. The vestibule is decorated with stuccoes (1620) of great beauty representing the Fathers of the Church and the Last Judgement. The courtyard and its surroundings have been renovated. Take a tour of the exterior of this vast ensemble to appreciate its importance.

In the religious museum opened in 1985, there are many relics such as objects of worship, furniture, statues. They allow us to come into close contact with the work of missionary Friderik Baraga, a native of Trebnje who travelled to North America in the 19th century to evangelize the Chippewa Indians. The guide to the monastery exists in French and can be essential for a better understanding of the different historical and religious issues.

The monastery, which is still active, is occupied by the Carthusian monks whose order was founded by Saint Bruno in 1084 in the Grande-Chartreuse massif and follows the rule of Saint Benedict. The monks will not be visible and you will not have access to the premises, except for the Gothic church and the reception with its souvenir sale. Pleterje is however worth a visit for the quietness of the site. The high walls that defend the site from any intrusion over 2.6 km contribute to its mystery. Pleterje was founded in 1407 by Count Hermann II of Celje. The first monks came from the monastery of Žice, the first Carthusian monastery built in 1160 on Slovenian soil near Slovenske Konjice. Pleterje, ravaged by the Turks in 1471, was solidly rebuilt with a wall, seven towers and a moat. A real fortress. From the 16th to the 18th century it was occupied by the Jesuits of Ljubljana. It was only in 1899 that the old order settled there again, thanks to the religious coming from France. The buildings are transformed at the same time according to the plans of the architect Jean-François Pichat. The Church of the Holy Trinity is a fine example of Carthusian Gothic. The tympanum is decorated with the Coronation of the Virgin. On the façade of the building, a plaque commemorates the memory of Joseph Ressel, former forest steward of the order, who invented the boat propeller. His first attempts are said to have taken place on the small pond of the monastery. Ressel continues his tests on the Krka with a boat equipped with a propeller.