The building towering on your left features a grand, salmon-pink stucco facade divided by tall white pilasters, topped with a sweeping curved gable and flanked by a square bell tower.
That distinctive pink was not always so delicate. Take a look at the image on your screen to see how it anchors the area. Though you now know the story behind this legally protected faded pink facade, the interior holds secrets of its own.
The Franciscan Church dominates Prešeren Square with its distinctive salmon-pink facade, a color so beloved by citizens that authorities made it the monument's official, protected appearance.Photo: Viktar Palstsiuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.
Inside, the church holds a monumental Baroque main altar designed by the celebrated Italian sculptor Francesco Robba. Robba originally came to Ljubljana from Venice for a temporary commission, but he fell in love with a local woman and stayed for good, pouring his personal devotion into the intricate marble craftsmanship.
Yet, beneath this romance lies a more eerie sacrifice and immense physical toll. To the left of Robba's grand altar rests a glass-fronted coffin holding the preserved skeletal remains of Saint Deodatus, a seventh-century French bishop who abandoned his power to live as an isolated mountain hermit, offering a stark, spooky contrast to the gilded splendor.
Look high up at the very top of the curved facade... can you spot the tall copper Madonna keeping watch? That statue of Our Lady of Loretto weighs over four hundred kilograms, representing an enormous, agonizing physical labor to hoist above the city back in 1858.
The art inside tells a deeper story of creation and sudden ruin. In the mid-nineteenth century, painter Matevz Langus spent years painstakingly covering the vaulted ceiling... the soaring arched roof over the central hall... with beautiful frescoes. Tragically, he died of cholera just hours before the grand consecration of his work. Decades later, the devastating Easter earthquake of 1895 cracked the architecture wide open, sending his masterpiece crashing down. The space remained bare and scarred until the 1930s, when another artist meticulously painted new illusions of depth to bridge the gap between the building's origins and its modern survival.
The church is open to visitors most days between mid-morning and late afternoon if you want to explore the interior yourself. But for now, let us pull our eyes away from the fading walls and take in the wide expanse right at our feet, as we move fully into Preseren Square.
This vibrant facade, now a soft salmon-pink, was originally a bold red, symbolizing the Franciscan order, but faded over centuries to its officially protected hue.Photo: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.See the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation illuminated at night, a landmark originally built by the Augustinians between 1646 and 1660 before becoming a Franciscan site in the late 18th century.Photo: Arths-at, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.The Franciscan Church stands prominently by the Ljubljanica River, a central location chosen by the Franciscans after relocating from their original 13th-century monastery.Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped & resized.High atop the facade, this nearly four-meter-tall copper statue of Our Lady of Loretto, cast in 1858, is the largest Madonna statue in Ljubljana.Photo: G-Cup, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.Admire the monumental Baroque main altar, a remarkable achievement by celebrated Italian sculptor Francesco Robba, who settled in Ljubljana after falling in love with a local woman.Photo: Arths-at, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.To the left of the main altar lies this glass-fronted coffin, containing the preserved skeletal remains of Saint Deodatus, offering a stark contrast to the church's gilded Baroque splendor.Photo: Arths-at, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.Gaze up at the ceiling frescoes, meticulously restored in the 1930s by Slovenian Impressionist Matej Sternen, who worked in the Baroque 'trompe-l'œil' style to recreate their original grandeur after the 1895 earthquake.Photo: Arths-at, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.An aerial view shows the prominent red roof and position of the Franciscan Church, whose facade remained unfinished for decades until its completion between 1703 and 1706.Photo: Thaler Tamas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.This main door welcomes visitors to a church whose foundations were laid by the Augustinians, beginning its construction between 1646 and 1660 to replace an older church on the site.Photo: Antimuonium, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.Step inside to appreciate the church's Baroque interior, which was transformed in the mid-19th century by Matevž Langus's frescoes, though much of his work was tragically ruined by the 1895 earthquake.Photo: Thaler Tamas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped & resized.arrow_back Back to Ljubljana Audio Tour: Old Town Charms
Loved by travellers
Thousands of tours started. Plenty of opinions.
4.8 across the App Store and Google Play. Here's a few we keep coming back to.
starstarstarstarstar
This tour was such a great way to see the city. The stories were interesting without feeling too scripted, and I loved being able to explore at my own pace.
Started this tour with a croissant in one hand and zero expectations. The app just vibes with you, no pressure, just you, your headphones, and some cool stories.
%2001.jpg){kind=link}
