Novo Mesto Cathedral ( sl, novomeška stolnica, ) or St Nicholas's Cathedral () in

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered t ...

is the seat of the

Diocese of Novo Mesto The Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Mesto ( la, Dioecesis Novae Urbis; sl, Škofija Novo mesto) is a diocese in the city of Novo Mesto in the Ecclesiastical province of Ljubljana in Slovenia. History * April 7, 2006: Established as Diocese of ...

and a landmark of the town. The stone church is located on a hill above the Krka River. Until 7 April 2006, when the

was established, it was a capitular church. It is therefore sometimes referred to as the Capitular Church of St Nicholas ( or simply ). It is distinguished by a combination of

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

and a broken longitudinal axis because the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

is higher than the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

History

The original church was first mentioned in 1428, although it was built before this. The chancel with three bays walled on five of eight sides has been preserved from that time. In 1493, when the chapter was established, a reconstruction was started and lasted until 1623. In 1576, the building was damaged in a fire. Its renovation was financed by the provost

Polidoro de Montagnana Polydoro ( el, Πολύδωρο, before 1929: Μάζι - ''Mazi'') is a village in the municipal unit of Molossoi, Ioannina regional unit, Greece. In 2011 its population was 63. It is situated on a hillside on the left bank of the river Tyria. It ...

, who ordered the construction of a new high altar and acquired the oil painting '' The Vision of Saint Nicholas'' (c. 1582) by the Venetian

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

painter

Tintoretto Tintoretto ( , , ; born Jacopo Robusti; late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594) was an Italian painter identified with the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized the speed with ...

for it. In 1621, the nave area with Baroque arches and three Baroque chapels on each side were constructed. In the 19th century, the church was reworked in the Gothic style. In 1733, new side altars with paintings by

Valentin Metzinger Jean-Valentin Metzinger (19 April 1699, Saint-Avold – 12 March 1759, Ljubljana) was a French-born Austrian-Slovenian painter, in the Baroque style. Life and work His ancestors were originally from Italy. He was one of twelve children born ...

were installed. In 1860, a new polygonal belfry was erected in the shell of an older one on the west side of the church. The main altar was renovated in 1868 by

Matija Tomc Matija is a South Slavic masculine and feminine given name, a variant of Matthew. Notable people with the name include: * Matija Ahacel (1779–1845), Carinthian Slovene philologist, publicist, and collector of folk songs * Matija Antun Relković ( ...

. In 1901, the chancel was decorated by

Matija Koželj Matija is a South Slavic masculine and feminine given name, a variant of Matthew. Notable people with the name include: * Matija Ahacel (1779–1845), Carinthian Slovene philologist, publicist, and collector of folk songs * Matija Antun Relković ( ...

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Novo Mesto Roman Catholic churches completed in 1860 Roman Catholic cathedrals in Slovenia 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Slovenia