Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity ( sl, Uršulinska cerkev svete Trojice), officially Holy Trinity Parish Church in Ljubljana (), also Nun Church (), is a
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
in
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
, the capital of
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 ...
.
It is located at
Slovene Street (), along the western border of
Congress Square
Congress Square ( sl, Kongresni trg) is one of the central squares in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
History
The square was built in 1821 at the site of the ruins of a medieval Capuchin monastery, which had been abolished during the reign ...
. It was built between 1718 and 1726 in the
Baroque style
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
.
History
The church was designed by
Carlo Martinuzzi, a
Friuli
Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...
an architect, and is noted for its extensive
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
made of African marble designed by
Francesco Robba
Francesco Robba (1 May 1698 – 24 January 1757) was an Italian sculptor of the Baroque period. Even though he is regarded as the leading Baroque sculptor of marble statuary in southeastern Central Europe, he has remained practically unknown to ...
, who also built the
Fountain of the Three Rivers of Carniola which stands on
Town Square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...
in Ljubljana.
The original bell tower was destroyed in the
Ljubljana earthquake
An earthquake struck Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Carniola, a crown land of Austria-Hungary and the capital of modern-day Slovenia, on Easter Sunday, 14 April 1895. It was the most, and the last, destructive earthquake in the ar ...
of 1895.
The current one was built in the 1900s. The staircase in front of the entrance has been partially designed by the architect
Jože Plečnik
Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovene architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge and ...
in 1930.
Holy Trinity Column
In front of the Ursuline Church stands the Holy Trinity Column. The originally wooden column stood since 1693 in front of a
Discalced Augustinian monastery at
Ajdovščina
Ajdovščina (; it, Aidussina,trilingual name "Haidenschaft, Aidussina, Ajdovščina" inGemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgege ...
.
In 1722, it was replaced with a stone one, made by
Luka Mislej, whereas the marble statues have been presumably created by Francesco Robba. In 1834, the stonemason
Ignacij Toman made a new pedestal and the original Robba's sculpture was replaced with a replica. The original is now kept by the
City Museum of Ljubljana
The City Museum of Ljubljana ( sl, Mestni muzej Ljubljana) was established in 1935. It is housed in Turjak Palace at 15 Gentry Street () in the centre of Ljubljana.
The museum offers various pedagogical activities for children and students betwee ...
. The column was again renovated after the
1895 Ljubljana earthquake
An earthquake struck Ljubljana, the capital and largest city of Carniola, a crown land of Austria-Hungary and the capital of modern-day Slovenia, on Easter Sunday, 14 April 1895. It was the most, and the last, destructive earthquake in the area ...
by the stonemason
Feliks Toman. It was relocated in front of the Ursuline Church in 1927 upon plans by Plečnik as part of his redesign of Congress Square. Now it forms an axis with the Ursuline Church, the lights at the square and the building of the
Slovenian Philharmonics.
Depictions
After in 1991 Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia, the Ursuline Church was portrayed on the Slovene 10
tolar
Tolar (german: Thaler, links=no) or Jáchymovský tolar is the Czech language, Czech name for the silver coin minted in Kingdom of Bohemia from 1520 until 1672 in Jáchymov (German: ''Joachimsthal''). On obverse of the coin is depicted Saint Jo ...
banknote. It was in circulation from October 1991 until the introduction of the
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
in January 2007.
Gallery
File:Ljubljana Ursuline Church interior.JPG, Interior
File:Ljubljana Ursuline Church Altar.JPG, Altar
File:Ljubljana Ursuline Church. Pulpit.JPG, Pulpit
References
External links
Ursuline Church Holy Trinity Parish, Ljubljana
{{coord, 46, 3, 0.3, N, 14, 30, 8.39, E, type:landmark_region:SI, display=title
Roman Catholic churches in Ljubljana
Baroque architecture in Ljubljana
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1726
18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Slovenia
Cultural monuments of Slovenia
Center District, Ljubljana