Parish Church of the Annunciation of Mary

The Parish Church of the Annunciation of Mary in Nazarje, which is part of the Parish of Nazarje, also serves as the church of the neighbouring Franciscan monastery. It is located on the Gradišče hill, where the Dreta and Savinja rivers meet.

In 1615, the Ljubljana bishop Tomaž Hren acquired the estate and Vrbovec Castle. In 1624 he had a chapel of the Mother of God built on the hill, designed after the model of the Nazareth house from Loreto, which he consecrated in 1628. He placed 63 relics in the altar and named the chapel Nazareth. Thus the name Nazareth gradually passed onto the wider area as well, which is today known as Nazarje.

Owing to the large number of pilgrims who needed care, Hren's successor, bishop Rinaldo Scarlicchio, invited the Franciscans in 1632 to take over the care of the chapel. The Franciscans built the present monastery and church, which was consecrated in 1661 by bishop Buchheim.

The present church is a Renaissance building with a rectangular floor plan, a wide entrance vestibule and a nave with a barrel vault. The main altar, designed in 1897 by architect Janez Vurnik, is dedicated to the Annunciation of Mary. Along the nave there are chapels with richly decorated side altars made at the end of the 17th century, adorned with paintings by Slovenian artists such as Metzinger, Bergant, Potočnik and Bradaška. In 1763 an organ was also installed in the choir loft.

Next to the church stands the Franciscan monastery, and to the southeast there is the building of the Poor Clares, separated from the church.

Source: https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerkev_Marijinega_oznanjenja,_Nazarje