St. Ulrich's church stands in the centre of the village of Begunje na Gorenjskem, directly opposite the magnificent Katzenstein Manor. Its simple exterior belies its lavish painted interior. You can see the interior of the church as part of a guided tour of the village.
The history of the church
St. Ulrich's church in Begunje was first mentioned in 1403. The original owner of the church was the bishopric of Brixen. The present day Baroque church was built in the second half of the 18th century, when it was roofed with tiles from the nearby abandoned Kamen Castle.
The interior
The church has five stone altars. The main altar of St. Ulrich dates from the early 18th century and was brought to the church from elsewhere. The original altar painting was replaced in the 20th century by a painting by Ivan Šubic.
The side altar of Mary is also older than the church. It is thought to date from around 1700 and originally adorned the chapel at Kamen Castle. On the altar is a coat-of-arms of the Lamberg Lords, the owners of the castle. The side altar of St. Michael is a copy of Mary's altar and also has the same coat-of-arms. Around the year 1900 it was changed to an altar of the Heart of Jesus and a statue of the Heart of Jesus was placed on the altar table.
The interior wall paintings are considered the best work of Matija Bradaška and one of the best examples of a nineteenth-century wall painting monument in Slovenia. The central scene in the nave, the Pentecost, is surrounded by scenes from the life of Christ. The walls around the windows at the front of the presbytery feature a series of grotesques, while the four cardinal virtues (justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance) are represented on the inner side of the arches.
The surroundings of the church
Next to the church is a bust statue of Bishop Anton Bonaventura Jeglič, who was born in Begunje in 1850. It was made by the local sculptor Stane Kolman. As a token of his gratitude, the sculptor and artist Nikolaj Mašukov made a statue of the cannon and the Begunje priest, Martin Erklavec.
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