Church of St Nicholas

The Parish Church of St Nicholas is the oldest building in Žalec to be named in documents.

The present-day church is not the original one, but largely dates from around 1903, when most of the previous church – the second in succession, built in 1518 – was demolished. From that church, the bell tower together with a part of the western section of the nave has been preserved within the present structure, although even this has not remained unchanged.

The portal in the bell tower bearing the year 1518 is a remnant of the 16th-century church. The bell tower was heightened in 1898 according to the plans of architect Hans Pascher. The present church was built in the Neo-Renaissance style between 1903 and 1906 by Ferdinand Gologranc. The interior of the church was painted in 1909 by Osvald Bierti. In the high altar there is a painting of St Nicholas, the work of Ferdinand Bergant from 1764. The pulpit is the work of Vešt Koniger from the 1770s. The church contains several interesting Baroque and Renaissance tombstones.

The portal in the bell tower from 1670 is precious, while the interior of the building holds several monumental treasures, among them especially the beautiful tombstones and Bergant's renowned oil painting of St Nicholas.

Source: turizem-zalec