Slovene Museum of Christianity

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Muzej krščanstva na Slovenskem

Cistercijanska opatija Stična, Stična 17, SI-1295 Ivančna Gorica

http://www.mks-sticna.si/English/index.html

info@mks-sticna.si

Phone386 (0) 1 787 8576, 386 (0) 1 78 77 863, 386 (0)41 689 994 (mobile)

Founded byRepublic of Slovenia

 Slovenian Bishops' Conferences

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

History

The idea of establishing a museum at the Stična Cistercian Abbey came true in 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 Slovenian Bishops' Conferences, took over the current collections and items. In 2006 it was succeeded by the [Museum of Christianity in Slovenia].

Programme

The museum carries out public service of protection, maintenance, presentation, management, restoration, and acquisition in the field of religious cultural heritage in Slovenia. It cooperates with educational organizations 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 been set up.

In 2004 the museum became a member of The Best in Heritage - Excellence Club.

Collections

There are multiple collections organised in two floors of museum: archive of Friderik Irenej Baraga (1797–1868) with the original literary works and correspondence, the bishop and missionary, who in the 19th century worked among the North American Indians; collection of Slovenian emigrates' books in USA, Canada, Argentina, Australia, collected by Salesian priest Karel Ceglar; collection of Fr Simon Ašič and his personal belongings and pharmacy; art history collection of 20th century authors (Matija Sternen, Ivana Kobilica, Ivan Vavpotič,…), of paintings by Fr Gabrijel Humek, of depiction of saints (i.e. Saint Vitus and Saint Florian by Fortunat Bergant), and of portraits of Stiška abbots; cultural history collection of Biedermeier furniture, clocks from the beginning of the 19th century, items of porcelain, glass, art works, mostly collected by a private collector Leopold Kozlevčar, of ecclesiastical textiles dating from 17th to 20th century; collection of religious items mostly from the 19th and 20th century; ethnological collection of tools from monastic workshops (tailoring, shoemaking, cheese-making, bee-keeping, agricultural tools); treasury (liturgical utensils, processional crosses, candlesticks, reliquaries, a unique collection of wax figures collection).

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 Slovene 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 Ivančna Gorica Municipality. Exhibition continues through approximately 1.700 years of history right up to the year 2000.

The ground floor of the museum is used for occasional exhibitions. Temporary exhibitions host in different, mainly religious places. In 2009 exhibition on Fr Dr Metod Turnšek (1909–1976) and exhibition on Saint Paul, the greatest missionary of Christianity, in 2007 exhibition Jesulus Pragensis of collection of wax figures. Exhibitions are accompanied by catalogues.

Education

The museum houses the Stična Festival, organised from 2000, which is a monthly cultural manifestation and brings together different cultural fields, music, theatre, visual art,…with performers from Slovenia and abroad.

See also

• Stična Cistercian Abbey
• Stična Cistercian Abbey Archives

External links

• Museum of Christianity in Slovenia website
• The Best in Heritage website

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