TIME AND PLACE
Protestantism in Slovenj Gradec (1525–1629)
Numerous townspeople and aristocrats supported the ideas of Protestantism in the princely town of Slovenj Gradec. The aristocratic Gaissruck family enabled the work of many Protestant preachers, among which historical sources also name women. The most famous predicant was Hans Has from Hallstatt who started preaching in the town in 1525. The intervention of several princely visitation commissions for the abolition of Protestant ideas was unsuccessful. The turbulent century of Protestantism and Counter-Reformation ended in 1628, when Archduke Ferdinand II ordered Protestants to either return to Catholicism or leave the country. In addition to the Gaissrucks, the town was abandoned by several other aristocrats and individual members of bourgeoisie.
New Era, New Times
The New Era brought about more stable living conditions which influenced the general mood in the second half of the 17th century, when merchants and craftsmen moved to the town along the Mislinja, while artists also found benefits from working here. Art had also flourished here in centuries past, while in the Baroque 17th and 18th centuries Slovenj Gradec became an important cultural and artistic centre.
The Time of Artistic Prosperity
The town was imprinted with a unique stamp by numerous families of artisans in artistic crafts. Older metal smith craft, gilding, and fine art workshops were more ambitious artistic ones since the circle of clients strongly increased, while works from Slovenj Gradec were also taken to other places. The arrival of fresh forces from neighbouring lands also helped renovate the town following two fires in the first half of the 17th . That was the time when Janez Strauss, who founded the Slovenj Gradec painting workshop, also settled in Slovenj Gradec and together with the later sculpture workshop they nurtured the traditional Baroque art.
Profane Architecture and Mansions
In the 16th and the 17th century, the grandness of the construction zeal in the countryside was marked by the profane architecture of rich aristocratic families who moved from fortified medieval castles and re-blossoming towns towards lower points in the valley that were significant in veduta. The exception is the present-day Rotenturn mansion, which was originally a defence tower reconstructed by the aristocratic Kulmer family in the Baroque period. While images of mansions have been preserved in numerous graphical depictions, a few pieces of furniture of the aristocratic interior are displayed in the Soklič Collection.
FIGURES
Janž Zajc (Hans Has) (died 1527, Graz)
The central figure of the early Reformation in Slovenj Gradec was recommended to the Slovenj Gradec magistrate as the patron of the church of Holy Spirit (originally the hospital chapel) by Hans Herzheimer, the manager of the salt shop from Aussee, thus ensuring a fighter for Reformation in a town important for trading. Janž Zajc started preaching in 1525 in the church of the Holy Spirit, which was the seat of the Slovenj Gradec protestants. He was denounced by the Slovenj Gradec Catholic priest Avguštin Prygl because he married his maidservant Neža. He was imprisoned and convicted as a heretic and hanged in 1527 in Graz.
The Strauss Painters
In Slovenj Gradec, three generations of painters worked between around 1650 and 1783, i.e. in the workshop at Glavni trg, today no. 36. The oldest Janez Strauss (died 1677) created in the Early Baroque, his son Franc Mihael (1674–1740), who is considered the best among them, was a typical representative of the mature Baroque, while Janez Andrej Strauss (1721–1783), the most prolific among them, continued the Baroque tradition and concluded the period of Baroque art in Styria. All three are considered masters of altar painting in the oil technique and they were also renowned for their profane motifs: landscape, portrait, and still life.
Jožef Jurij Schrekinger (died 1758)
An abbot and archpriest in Šmartno pri Slovenj Gradcu, by birth from Rožek in Carinthia, was considered an enterprising builder since he led numerous church Baroquisations. He was also a patron of the arts who provided numerous commissions for the painting of churches under his wing, especially for the youngest Strauss, and recommended him to those responsible for managing other churches.
Janez Jurij Mersi (1725–1788)
The sculptor and carver trained in his father’s sculpture workshop moved from his birthplace in Rogatec to Slovenj Gradec at the age of 25. He soon opened his own workshop in his house at Glavni trg and in three decades of intense collaboration with the neighbouring Strauss workshop made numerous, primarily church works near and far.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The First Mention of the Town
The Slovenian name of the town of Slovenj Gradec was first written by Primož Trubar in 1577 while mentioning the tragical destiny of Janž Zajc in the introduction to his translation of the New Testament (Noviga testamenta pusledni deil): “v Slovenskimi Gradci”.
The Highest Positioned Church
At a time of complicated spiritual, social, and political conditions, the Ljubljana Bishop Tomaž Hren intervened in the life of people in Carinthia as a patron of the construction of the church of St Ursula on Uršlja gora (1587–1602). The initiators were the surrounding farmers, among them Florijan Plešivčnik from Plešivec. When the church was finished on 18 August 1602 and consecrated by the mentioned bishop, the symbolic victory of Catholicism over Protestantism was exhibited. The church became the symbol of the recatholisation of this region. The church on Uršlja gora (1699 asl) is today considered the highest positioned church in Slovenia.
Bukovništvo
The last Lutheran aristocrats and townsmen left the town in 1629. Despite the persecution, Protestant books were preserved; from transcribing them, a unique Carinthian phenomenon of bukovništvo – the writing efforts of unschooled people originated. Even though they wrote in the Carinthian dialect, their creations were founded on the literary language of Slovenian Protestant writers of the 16th century.
RADOVEDNI POPEK
Baroque Splendour
In the past, many craftsmen and artists lived and worked in Slovenj Gradec, especially during the Baroque period. Baroque was an art style marking painting, sculpting, architecture, fashion, and music in Europe 300 years ago. It can be recognised by rich decoration and gold colour. The interior of houses and churches also became mightier and more luxurious. While admiring the Baroque Room listen to the sounds of Baroque music.
The Mysterious Iron Chest
In the past, war cash registers were important for protecting money from danger. Assemble the photo below to find what is hidden inside.
Strauss Baroque Painters
The renowned Strauss Baroque painters worked in our town: Janez, his son Franc Mihael, and grandson Janez Andrej. They were masters of altar painting, which means that they mainly painted saints and ecclesiastic images. These images still adorn the altars of many Carinthian churches. The house in which their workshop was once located is situated at 36 Glavni trg. How many paintings by Janez Andrej Strauss can you find in this room?
Creating Baroque Style
Help the painter Franc Mihael Strauss finish the Baroque landscape painting!
