Ptujska Gora (; german: Maria Neustift) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the

Municipality of Majšperk The Municipality of Majšperk () is a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. The seat of the municipality is Majšperk. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Drava Statistical Region. Settle ...

in northeastern

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included with the rest of the municipality in the Drava Statistical Region.

Religious heritage

It is best known for its Basilica Minor, and also for a late-14th-century statue of the

Virgin of Mercy The Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Christian art, showing a group of people sheltering for protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium, of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a speci ...

. It depicts Mary with a long coat protecting a crowd underneath it. The parish church is built on top of a hill and is a dominant landmark of the area. The church itself is known as the Basilica of the Virgin of Mercy ( sl, Bazilika Marije Zavetnice s plaščem) and is one of the best-known

pilgrimage church A pilgrimage church (german: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims. Pilgrimage churches are often located by the grave ...

es in Slovenia. It belongs to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor ( la, Archidioecesis Mariborensis, sl, Nadškofija Maribor) is an archdiocese located in the city of Maribor in Slovenia. History * 1859 : Maribor (then Marburg) became the see of the Diocese of Lavant ...

. Nearby are also a second church dating to the 16th century and dedicated to Saint Leonard and a 19th-century chapel dedicated to

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...

. Along the road toward Stogovci there is a stone pillar dating from 1696 known as the Gigler shrine ().

Description

Ptujska Gora is a clustered village on the top of the ridge of the Dravinja Hilla, between the

Dravinja The Dravinja (german: Drann, ) is the largest tributary of the Drava River in Slovenia. It is long. Its source is on the Pohorje Massif southwest of Mount Rogla about 1,150 m above sea level. The river passes Zreče, the town of Slovenske Konji ...

River to the south and the Polskava River to the north. The settlement developed when a new church dedicated to the virgin Mary was built at the end of the 14th century. The settlement gained the right to an annual fair in 1447 and began to develop into a

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

, first mentioned in 1578. Ptujska Gora is a known place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

. It was once called ''Nova Štifta'', then ''Mons gratiarum'' 'Grace Mountain'. During the Turkish invasions, due to a miracle (Mary wrapped the hill in a black cloud so that the attackers did not notice it), the name ''Montenegro'' became established among the locals. For some time, the name ''Maria Neustift bei Pettau'' was used. In 1937, after the arrival of the Minorites, the current name of the settlement came into use. In July 2004, the Ptujska Gora Tourist Association opened an information office on the square in Ptujska Gora, where tourists can receive information about the place, the church and other sights, cycling routes, accommodation and catering in the immediate and wider environment. They also sell souvenirs, postcards, tourist guides, bicycle tickets, event tickets, and other things intended for tourists. In 2013, the tourist association took over the management of contract post office, where residents and tourists can perform all postal and banking services. Postcard of Nova Štifta 1909

The village is located along the local road from Ptuj to Majšperk. It is 13 kilometers from Ptuj.

References

External links

Ptujska Gora at Geopedia
* Populated places in the Municipality of Majšperk {{Majšperk-geo-stub