Olimje Monastery

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Samostanska lekarna v Olimlju

Minoritski samostan Marijinega vnebovzetja, Olimje 82, Sl-3254 Podčetrtek, Slovenia,

Phone386 (0) 3 582 9172

Olimje was first mentioned in 1208 as a castle owned by Otto Rufus as a feudal estate of the church in Gurk (Carinthia, Austria). Thereafter the castle changed owners several times until 1663, when Janez Sakhmardi secured the agreement of Emperor Leopold I, the Bishop of Ljubljana and Count von Buchaim to found a Pauline Eremite monastery on the site. In the same year six brothers arrived from Croatia and settled in the castle, turning it into a monastery.

A special attraction of Olimje Monastery is the pharmacy on the ground floor of the southern tower, which was established by the monks in 1765 and was one of the first in this region of Europe. The annals of the order contain several references to the Pauline monks' use of medical herbs and engagement in healing. The pharmacy was decorated with frescoes by the painter Anton Lerchinger.

Since 1990 Olimje Monastery has been occupied by monks of the Minorite order, who also manage the parish.

In recent years conference facilities have been installed in the Renaissance cloister of the monastery, offering an area of 300 square metres with a capacity of 250 seats. This conference centre features interpretation booths for simultaneous translation and contemporary audio-visual equipment. The facilities have air conditioning, heating and thermostatic control. There is a large foyer which, together with the conference room, may be used as a 400 square metre exhibition area.