Description of the attraction
The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation is one of the most beautiful churches in Ljubljana, the most important historical and architectural landmark and cultural monument of the state. Located next to the Triple Bridge, it creates with it a unique ensemble of the left bank of the Ljubljanica River.
In the 17th century, the monks of the poor Order of St. Augustine built this temple in fifteen years, then for another forty years they collected funds for the exterior decoration. It was finalized only in 1700. For more than one and a half hundred years, the church belonged to Augustinian monks. At the end of the 18th century, the more powerful Franciscan order simply took away the church from them, which has since become known as Franciscan.
Then the Franciscans began to rebuild it according to their tastes. As a result, she took on a completely different look - European Baroque, topping a long list of buildings in Ljubljana, built in this style. Subsequently, the facade was changed only once - a significant reconstruction was needed after the earthquake in 1895. The ongoing restoration work continues today.
At present, the church looks outwardly not too large, a noble building of dark pink color with white half-columns. Its end is decorated with a bronze statue of the Madonna and Child, the largest in size of all the sculptural images of the Virgin Mary in the city.
Beauty and luxury fill the interior: gilded details carved with great skill and exquisite taste, rich frescoes by Mateusz Langus that cover the walls. The church ceiling is painted with frescoes of extraordinary beauty by Mathieu Sternin. The Baroque altar, a creation of the famous Italian Francesco Rob, attracts attention for a long time.
The altar together with the library is the pride of the church. The library is located in a monastery built by the church. Its archives contain over 60 thousand rare books, including priceless tomes and the rarest ancient incunabula. Another pride of the current church is the holding of services in all European languages.
Today the Franciscan Church is open to both parishioners and tourists. Surrounded by poplars and thuja, it adorns the Prešern square and serves as a kind of mecca for history buffs and baroque lovers.
