St. Michael's Church, Parish church in Črna Vas, Ljubljana, Slovenia
St. Michael's Church stands on more than 100 concrete piles driven into marshy ground and features a slender tower with multiple arched openings. The interior shows wooden elements and positions the altar along the longer side of the nave to create a closer connection between priest and congregation.
Fran Saleški Finžgar, the Trnovo parish priest, asked his neighbour Jože Plečnik for plans in 1922, but floods and recession shelved them. Plečnik drew new plans in 1935, and after Karel Matkovič took over organisation, construction ran from 1937 to 1939. Bishop Gregorij Rožman consecrated the church in 1940.
The church is dedicated to Saint Michael and belongs to the Ljubljana-Barje parish in the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. It was built on the initiative of Fran Saleški Finžgar, parish priest of Trnovo and a writer, who in 1922 asked his neighbour Plečnik for plans; his nephew Karel Matkovič, a catechist, took over the organisation after Finžgar retired in 1936.
The interior is not freely accessible and requires prior arrangement with the church authorities. Regular mass services take place on weekdays and Sundays, offering the best opportunity to visit the interior.
The bell tower stands apart from the nave and its weight was cut by arched openings, so it could rise from the soft marsh. Inside, Plečnik filled gaps between the stone with concrete sewer pipes and timber, and the basement held classrooms and the priest's quarters.
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