Sticna Abbey

Stična was founded in 1136 and, apart from the closure under Joseph II and its refounding in 1898, has been a Cistercian house ever since, which makes it the oldest monastery still functioning in the country. The buildings are a layered heap of periods: a Romanesque church core under Baroque decoration, a Romanesque and Gothic cloister with carved capitals, and eighteenth-century ranges around it. The Slovenian Religious Museum occupies part of the complex, and the abbey is known for the herbal preparations of Father Simon Asic.

History

Patriarch Pellegrinus I of Aquileia issued the foundation charter in 1136, though monastic life had begun in 1135, and the scriptorium produced Latin manuscripts in the 12th century and the Slovene Stična manuscript in the 15th. Joseph II dissolved the abbey in 1784, and monks from Mehrerau resettled it in 1898 (Wikipedia, Stična Abbey).

What to look for

• The cloister - Romanesque and Gothic ranges with carved capitals.
• The abbey church - a twelfth-century core worked over in the Baroque.
• The Slovenian Religious Museum - manuscripts, vestments and sacred art in the ranges.
• The herbal tradition - the teas and preparations associated with Father Simon Asic.

When to go

Year round; the museum closes on Mondays and has shorter winter hours. Services and feast days limit access to the church. Early afternoon suits the cloister light.

Things to know

It is a working community and parts are closed without notice. The museum labelling is largely in Slovene. Guided tours in English need arranging ahead.

Nearby

Bogensperk Castle is north, and Zuzemberk is south.

Key facts