The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (Slovene: frančiškanska cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja or commonly Frančiškanska cerkev; officially Cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja) is a Franciscanchurch located on Prešeren Square in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is the parish church of Ljubljana - Annunciation Parish. It was built on a site where two or possibly three churches stood earlier between 1646 and 1660 (the bell towers following around 1720) under the management of Francesco Olivieri and Francesco Rosina, and its exterior was redesigned in 1858 according to plans by Franz Kurz zum Thurn und Goldenstein [sl]. The frescoes in the interior were added in the mid-19th century by Matevž Langus [sl] and on the ceiling by Matej Sternen in the first half of the 20th century, whereas the main altar was mostly made by the Baroque sculptor Francesco Robba (1736). The red or pink colour of the church is symbolic of the Franciscan monastic order.[1][2][3] Since 2008, the church has been protected as a cultural monument of national significance of Slovenia.[4]
Interior
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The front facade of the church was built in the Baroque style in 1703–1706 and completely redesigned in 1858 according to the plans of the Austrian painter Franz Kurz zum Thurn und Goldenstein [sl].[3] Its red colour replaced the earlier classical white, a Goldenstein's fresco of four Church Fathers was added above the entrance (in 1882 it was replaced by a fresco by Janez Wolf [sl]), and a statue of Our Lady of Loretto, i.e. Madonna with Child, was added at the top of the facade.[7][2] The statue, which replaced an older wooden statue of a Black Madonna, was made of beaten copper by Matej Schreiner upon a plan drawn by Goldenstein.
The facade has two parts, featuring pilasters with the Ionic capitals in the lower part and pilasters with Corinthian capitals in the upper part. The sides of the upper part are decorated with volutes. The faces and the hands were modelled by Franc Ksaver Zajec [sl]. The facade also has three niches with sculptures of God the Father above the main stone portal, and an angel and the Virgin Mary in the side niches, work by the Baroque sculptor Paolo Callalo. There is a stone entrance staircase in front of the church. The wooden door with reliefs of women's heads dates to the 19th century. In the 20th century, the facade was renovated twice, in 1961 and 1992–93.[8][2]
^"Frančiškanska cerkev Marijinega oznanenja" [Franciscan Church of the Annunciation]. Arhitekturni vodnik [Architectural Guide] (in Slovenian). Zavod Trajekt. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"Pročelje in zunanjost" [Front Façade and the Exterior]. Kamra (in Slovenian). Ljubljana City Library. 30 December 2020.
^Turnher, Edo, ed. (1962). "Ljubljana, frančiškanska cerkev". Varstvo spomenikov 1960–61 [Conservation of Monuments 1960–61] (PDF) (in Slovenian). Zavod za spomeniško varstvo LRS Ljubljana. p. 119–120.
^"Knjižnica Frančiškanskega samostana v Ljubljani" [Library of the Franciscan Monastery in Ljubljana]. Memoria Scripta Sloveniae (in Slovenian). National and University Library of Slovenia. Retrieved 9 November 2023.