St. John the Baptist's Parish Church, Parish church in Trnovo, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
St. John the Baptist's Parish Church, known as Trnovska cerkev, stands in Ljubljana's Trnovo district. Rebuilt in 1854–55 in a neo-historical style, it received its neo-Romanesque form with two projecting bell towers after the 1895 earthquake, following plans by architect Raimund Jeblinger. The presbytery frescoes are by Matej Sternen, and some interior furnishings were designed by Jože Plečnik.
The church was built in 1753 under the design of an Italian architect and underwent major renovation work during the 1850s. Further repairs and improvements followed after an earthquake struck the region at the end of the 1800s.
The church is known in a folk song, "Prav lepa je trnovska fara", and its facade carries memorial plaques to cultural figures of the parish. Longtime parish priest was the writer Fran Saleški Finžgar, and a plaque marks where France Prešeren is said to have first met Julija Primic, inspiring his sonnet "Je od vesel'ga časa teklo leto".
The church stands in Trnovo, with the Trnovo Bridge forming a square in front of its main facade; the bridge crosses the Gradaščica and carries trees, and a statue of the church's patron by Nikolaj Pirnat stands on it. Jože Plečnik's house next door is now a museum, and the outdoor layout in front of the church and in Eipprova Street keeps traces of his public-space designs. Look for the memorial plaques on the facade, including the one marking where Prešeren is said to have first met Julija Primic.
The church has two bell towers, rare among Ljubljana's churches; only the cathedral and the Franciscan church also have two. Slovenian alpinist Tomaž Humar climbed one of them. On the facade, memorial plaques honour cultural figures of the parish, and by the bridge stands Drago Tršar's monument to the four Slovenian impressionists.
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