The Church of St. Lawrence in Bizeljsko
| Address | Hribček 7, 8259 Bizeljsko |
Medieval sources do not mention the Church of St. Lawrence in Bizeljsko, but there was certainly a church at this location during that time. This is indicated by a part of the bell tower (probably from the 15th century), which features a Gothic rib-vaulted ceiling on the ground floor.
The original small church with a wooden altar is first mentioned in a visitation record from 1545. The current church building was constructed in 1725 by the then Bishop of Ljubljana, Sigismund von Schrattenbach.
In 1737, during the vicariate of Tomaž Kapler in Bizeljsko, the church was consecrated. In 1818, the bell tower was likely raised, and the sacristy was either added or remodeled. From 1825 to 1827, A. M. Slomšek served as a chaplain in Bizeljsko. The entire church was renovated in 1851 and 1852. Further renovations took place in 1936 and most recently from 2002 to 2005.
The church building consists of a bell tower, a rectangular nave with a barrel vault, and two square side chapels. The presbytery is polygonal and barrel-vaulted. The sacristy, added later, has two stories. The walls of the Baroque nave are articulated with strong pilasters (supports for the vaults).
From the Baroque furnishings, the church still has the altar of St. John of Nepomuk in the southern side chapel, a Baroque pulpit from 1854, and two holy water stoups under the bell tower. The northern side chapel is dedicated to Mary.
The altar painting of St. Lawrence dates back to 1854. The church was painted in 1936 by the artist Fras from Slivna near Maribor.
The frescoes were restored in 2003. The organ, dating from 1800 by an unknown organ builder, was also restored in 2003.
The Stations of the Cross paintings were donated to the church by the then chaplain, now Blessed A. M. Slomšek. Since 2003, two new bells have also been ringing in the bell tower.
