MojaSlovenija.si
virtual excursion 360° The parish church of St. James in Okonina is one of the most distinctive sacred buildings in the Upper Savinja Valley, known for its four towers that give it an almost cathedral-like silhouette. The village core formed around the church on a gravel river terrace, which explains its dominant position above the left bank of the Savinja River and its role as a spatial marker of the settlement. The church has been reshaped several times; after a fire in 1934, the community restored it in the 1980s, giving it the present form.
First mention (1455): Sources point to Gothic beginnings in the 15th century, placing the church within the late medieval sacred network of the Savinja Valley.
18th century: The current spatial scheme emerged during renovations in the 1730s, when the church gained a notable pilgrimage function.
Fire in 1934 and restoration: The blaze affected part of the village; reconstruction in the 1980s restored the four-tower silhouette, and the rebuilding of the roofs over the lanterned domes was completed in 1989.
Note: Local descriptions accent a “near-Byzantine” appearance, attributed to cultural memories of rafters’ contacts with eastern regions; this is an interpretive motif of communal memory rather than a strict architectural attribution.
Pilgrimage (from 1715): The establishment of pilgrimage practices to the altar of St. Ignatius of Loyola significantly shaped the church’s early 18th-century reordering and furnishings.
Liturgical core: The high altar and side altars—baroque works from the early 18th century—reflect the flourishing of local workshop and patronage culture during the consolidation of post-Tridentine baroque piety.
Nave and affinities: The nave plan shows kinship with the Church of St. Francis at Radmirje (monastery and church, late baroque complex), suggesting the adoption of spatial solutions within a regional context.
Four towers: The defining feature is the quartet of towers; one serves as the functional belfry, while three are positioned above altars, synthesizing verticality (towers) with the liturgical core (altar spaces).
Typological rarity: Four towers are rare in Slovenia, frequently highlighted in local heritage presentations.
Attributes: Broad-brimmed hat with scallop shell, pilgrim’s staff, gourd, mantle; often accompanied by a map or travel satchel. This iconography connects to the Camino de Santiago and the symbolism of pilgrimage (patronage of travelers).
Theological emphasis: James as guardian of the road, advocate of travelers, a symbol of spiritual journey and steadfastness.
Liturgical context: Feast on July 25; in regions with established pilgrimage traditions, he commonly appears on the high altar, consistent with the church’s dedication.
Application in Okonina: Dedicated to St. James with a baroque high altar; the patron’s iconography is standardized and likely represented in the central field with appropriate attributes.
Attributes: Dark Jesuit cassock, the IHS monogram (Holy Name), radiance, the Spiritual Exercises book, flaming heart; frequent depictions of ecstatic devotion to the Eucharist—typical of baroque visual theology.
Local pilgrimage practice: The 1715 inception of the pilgrimage to Ignatius’s altar indicates a distinct Jesuit iconographic program (IHS, triumph of orthodoxy, missionary zeal).
Altar architecture: Typical combinations of stone, faux-marble, or polychromed wood architectural elements (columns, volutes, attic sections), with rich sculptural decoration of angels and saints, consistent with the early 18th century.
Iconographic themes: Alongside the patron and Ignatius, side altars in such churches often feature Marian cycles (Rosary, Immaculate Conception), protective saints (St. Roch, St. Anthony of Padua, St. John Nepomuk), and Eucharistic devotion. A precise inventory and authorship for Okonina would require on-site documentation; sources confirm the baroque dating but not the full roster of saints.
Comparative note: Ljubljana’s Church of St. James exemplifies opulent baroque altars and sculpture (Francesco Robba, Italian influences). While not a direct source for Okonina, it illustrates the standards of baroque altar practice in Slovenia in the first half of the 18th century.
Four-tower scheme: Rare in Slovenian sacred architecture; in Okonina, it is functionally linked to altar spaces, exceeding mere façade representation. This synthesis grants the church a strong identity within the Upper Savinja landscape.
Radmirje: The plan’s similarity to St. Francis in Radmirje suggests the adaptation and reinterpretation of baroque spatial solutions, calibrated to local topography and pilgrimage function.
Cultural memory of the place: The “Byzantine” label in local publications reinforces the silhouette’s uniqueness and the awareness of distinctiveness at the threshold of the Ljubno municipality; it is part of a narrative shaping Okonina’s visibility in the broader region.
Geographical setting: Okonina is a clustered village above the left bank of the Savinja, along the Mozirje–Ljubno road, with areas around the church (“Upper Village”) and along the river; the church on a gentle rise acts as an orienting landmark and community focal point.
Visual dominance: The towers and lanterned domes create a vertical emphasis that reads clearly in the landscape, especially after the 1989 roof reconstruction.
The Church of St. James in Okonina unites a rare four-tower typology with a baroque altar program shaped by the establishment of pilgrimage practices to St. Ignatius of Loyola. Its spatial scheme—akin to Radmirje—and reconstruction after the fire consolidate its place in the community’s cultural memory. The iconography of St. James as patron of pilgrims and Ignatius as Jesuit saint clearly structures the church’s theological-artistic profile, serving as Okonina’s identity core and as a rarity within Slovenian sacred architecture.
Municipality of Ljubno: Church of St. James in Okonina (history, pilgrimage tradition, reconstructions, plan affinities)
Savinjska – Catalogue: Church of St. James in Okonina (summary referencing municipal source)
Municipality of Ljubno – article on Okonina (cultural description, “Byzantine” comparison, local context)
Tourist Association of Slovenia – feature (four towers as a rarity in Slovenia, summarized local history)
– panoramic documentation and description (four towers: one belfry, three above altars; Gothic origin; reshaped after the fire)
Church of St. James in Ljubljana – guided overview (comparative context for baroque altar practice, Robba)
