The Church of St. Andrew

The branch Church of St. Andrew is a Roman Catholic church in Šalek near Velenje. The building stands on the edge of the settlement, below the ruins of the castle that also gave its name to the whole valley. According to Jože Curk, the church is first mentioned in 1444. The present building, however, was created between 1510 and 1516. In the Gothic church we find a star-shaped scheme and fluted shafts on which the vault rests. The present building core gives the impression that it was built in its entirety only at the beginning of the 16th century. The church has the status of a monument of local importance.

In 1836 the church attracted the attention of the provincial conservator Carl Haas. Much of the furnishings has been preserved in the church, including a fresco of the Madonna and Child, a shield-bearer on the corner of the sacristy, the epitaph of Lady Rosina Uršula Rambschüssl and the main portal with two angels and others.

The renovation of the church began in 1896 and lasted 20 years, since at the end of the 19th century the church was very neglected. During the renovation the stairs to the choir loft were repaired, the chancel arch was trimmed into Gothic forms, the old altar of St. Vitus was discarded and the former Andrew's altar was put in its place, a new altar was ordered for the presbytery, new windows were made and many other things were changed. Between 1974 and 1985, through expert restoration during the structural renovation of the church, conservators came close to the original appearance of the church. There have been no later conservation interventions.

Source: Wikipedia