View source for Slovene Museum of Christianity

{{Article
| status       = 
| maintainer   = Janez Premk
}}
{{Infobox
| name                = Museum of Christianity in Slovenia
| localname           = Muzej krščanstva na Slovenskem
| logo               = Museum of Christianity in Slovenia (logo).svg
| street              = Stična 17
| town                = SI-1295 Ivančna Gorica
| telephone           = 386 (0) 1 787 8576, 386 (0) 1 787 7863, 386 (0) 41 689 994 (mobile)
| fax                 = 386 (0) 1 787 7863
| email               = info@mks-sticna.si
| website             = http://www.mks-sticna.si
| founded by          = Republic of Slovenia
| founded by 2        = Slovenian Bishops' Conferences
| opening hours       = 8am-5pm Tue-Sun (for groups, by appointment); 8.30am, 10am, 2pm and 4pm Tue-Sat, 2pm, 4pm Sun (for individual visitors) 
| contacts = {{Contact
| name                = Nataša Polajnar Frelih 
| role                = Head
| email               = natasa.polajnar@guest.arnes.si
 }}{{Contact
  | name        = Suzana Kuplenk
  | role        = Secretary
  | email       = suzana.kuplenk@gmail.com
  | telephone   = 386 (0) 1 787 7863
}}
}}

{{Teaser|

{{image|Museum of Christianity in Slovenia 2008 medieval scribe.jpg}}


First established in [[established::1991]] at [[Stična Cistercian Abbey]] as the Slovene Religious Museum, today the [[Museum of Christianity in Slovenia]] occupies a 2,000 square-metre space within a Renaissance-Baroque building known as the Old Prelature. The museum acquired the status of national public institution in 2006 and explores the 1,700 years of religious tradition in the Slovenian territory, a legacy which has created an exceptional material and spiritual legacy.
}}

== History ==
The idea of establishing a museum at the [[Stična Cistercian Abbey]] came true in the 1980s when the primary and grammar school moved out of a part of the abbey complex. In 1991 the Society of the Friends of the Slovene Religious Museum was founded in Stična, which employed the first curator with the help of the [[Ministry of Culture]]. The Slovene Religious Museum, established in 2003 by the Slovenian Bishops' Conferences, took over the current collections and items. In 2004 the museum became a member of ''The Best in Heritage &ndash; Excellence Club'' and in 2006 it was transformed into the Museum of Christianity in Slovenia.

== Programme ==
The museum carries out the public services of protection, maintenance, presentation, management, restoration, and acquisition in the field of religious cultural heritage in Slovenia. It cooperates with educational organisations and with other owners of religious cultural heritage. Its educational programme carries out expert meetings and seminars, prepares exhibitions and publishes various publications. A new restoration workshop has also been set up.

== Collections ==
There are multiple collections organised in the two floors of museum. The archive of [[Friderik Irenej Baraga]] (1797&ndash;1868) (known in English as Frederic Irenaeus Baraga) holds the original literary works and correspondence of this bishop and missionary, who in the 19th century worked among the North American Indians and established himself as a grammarian of Native American languages. The collection of Slovene emigrates' books from the USA, Canada, Argentina, and Australia were collected by the Salesian priest [[Karel Ceglar]]. The museum also presents the personal belongings and pharmacy of friar [[Simon Ašič]] (1906&ndash;1992), a healer and expert of medicinal herbs. 

The art collection presents the works by the early 20th-century painters ([[Matija Sternen]], [[Ivana Kobilica]], [[Ivan Vavpotič]], etc.), paintings by Fr [[Gabrijel Humek]], and contains also the depiction of saints (for example, Saint Vitus and Saint Florian by [[Fortunat Bergant]]), and the portraits of Stična abbots. The cultural history collection with the Biedermeier furniture, clocks from the beginning of the 19th century, items of porcelain, glass, art works, mostly come from the private collector [[Leopold Kozlevčar]], complemented by ecclesiastical textiles dating from 17th to 20th century.

The collection of religious items displays objects mostly from the 19th and 20th century. There are also the ethnological collection of tools from monastic workshops (tailoring, shoemaking, cheese-making, bee-keeping, agricultural tools) and the treasury (liturgical utensils, processional crosses, candlesticks, reliquaries, and a unique collection of wax figures).

== Exhibitions ==
The first floor of the building houses the monastery's extensive collection of liturgical vessels, vestments and art works. Pride of place is given to facsimiles of the famous 12th-century Stična manuscripts and the ''[[Stična Manuscript]]'' of 1428, one of the first written documents in the Slovenian language, which were held in the [[Stična Cistercian Abbey Archives]] until the 18th century. 

The second floor of the museum houses the exhibition ''The History of Christianity in Slovenia'', awarded in 2003 with the [[Valvasor Award]] of the [[Slovene Museum Society]] and the [[Jurčič Award]] of the [[Municipality of Ivančna Gorica]]. The exhibition covers approximately 1,700 years of history up to the year 2000.

The ground floor of the museum is used for occasional exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions are hosted in various, mainly religious locations. In 2009, the exhibitions ''Fr Dr [[Metod Turnšek]]'' (1909&ndash;1976) and ''Saint Paul, the Greatest Missionary of Christianity''; in 2007, the exhibition ''Jesulus Pragensis'' of collection of wax figures. Exhibitions are usually accompanied by a catalogue.


== See also ==
* [[Stična Cistercian Abbey]]
* [[Stična Cistercian Abbey Archives]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.mks-sticna.si/english%20version/index.html Museum of Christianity in Slovenia website]
* [http://www.mydestination.com/slovenia/sights/124583/slovene-museum-of-christianity Virtual tour on Mydestination.com]

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[[Category:Museums]]
[[Category:Church collections]]
[[Category:Visual arts collections]]

[[Category:Slovene Impressionists and their Time]]