St. John the Baptist’s Church, Ribčev Laz: A Medieval Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Slovenia
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Habsburg, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page9 sections
History
St. John the Baptist’s Church, Ribčev Laz, is a medieval Roman Catholic church in Slovenia, built before 1300 in the Romanesque style and later altered with Gothic and Baroque elements. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the biblical prophet associated with baptizing Jesus, it stands on the shore of Lake Bohinj and forms a distinctive architectural ensemble with the nearby stone bridge.
Medieval origins and later changes
Archaeological excavations around the church uncovered objects dating from the first to the fifth century, providing evidence of activity at the site before the medieval building. The church itself originated before 1300, when Romanesque architecture was associated with massive forms and rounded arches. Gothic changes followed, and later work introduced Baroque features, reflecting successive periods of architectural and artistic development.
The church remains active as a subsidiary church of the parish of Srednja vas v Bohinju. A subsidiary church is administratively attached to a parish while remaining distinct from its principal church. The church belongs to the Radovljica deanery and the Archdiocese and Metropolitanate of Ljubljana.
Heritage status
St. John the Baptist’s Church is registered as immovable cultural heritage in Slovenia and has cultural-monument status. Its entry in the heritage register is number 621.
Remains
The church occupies the southeastern, or eastern, shore of Lake Bohinj in Ribčev Laz, within Triglav National Park. Its surviving fabric combines the medieval church with later additions, while the church and nearby stone bridge create a connected architectural group beside the lake.
Exterior and bell tower
Bell tower
An entrance vestibule and bell tower were added in the eighteenth century. The Baroque bell tower rises to as much as 35 metres and has a shingled roof with a double onion-shaped form. It preserves an old mechanical clock and contains one bell.
Interior decoration
Wall frescoes
Fourteenth-century frescoes cover parts of the church interior with images of as many as 72 saints. Frescoes are wall paintings made by applying pigment to wet plaster, and these works are considered among the oldest surviving frescoes in Slovenia. The paintings are associated with Jernej of Loka, the unidentified painter known as the Master of the Bohinj Presbytery, and the unidentified Master of the Jacob Legend, dated approximately to 1530, 1440, and 1520 respectively.
One image of St. John the Baptist has an unusual detail: the saint is shown with six toes on one foot.
Wooden sculpture and altars
A wooden bust of St. John the Baptist dates from 1380. The interior also contains three wooden altars, each made in a different year during the seventeenth century.
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