Parish Church of St. Barbara

Because of the lack of historical sources, the origins of today’s Parish Church of St. Barbara remain somewhat unclear. Scholarly literature generally places its beginnings in the early 15th century, though more recent research suggests that the church may in fact be of Romanesque origin, dating to the 13th century, and built around the same time as the Church of St. Katarina. In the 17th century, the church consisted of a Gothic presbytery, a bell tower with three bells, and a choir loft. Between 1674 and 1684, the nave was remodeled in the Baroque style, while two chapels (dedicated to St. Joseph and Our Lady of the Rosary) and a sacristy were added. After this extension, the parish seat was transferred to St. Barbara’s from the Church of St. Katarina. Around 1773, the western tower was rebuilt, a choir gallery was added, the sacristy with its oratory was adapted, and the entire church was reroofed. The church underwent another thorough renovation in the early 20th century under parish priest Janez Vogrin. In 1916, the army requisitioned the copper roof of the church tower and its three bells, which were replaced with new ones in 1922.

During the Second World War, the Germans removed all the bells from the tower except for the large bell. The church acquired new organs in 1872, which were in use until 1906 when they were replaced with new ones made by Brandl. The current organ dates from 1978 and is the work of master organ builder A. Jenko from Ljubljana. In 1992, two new bells were also installed in the tower. The oldest known depiction of the Parish Church of St. Barbara appears in a view of Cirkulane painted on the vault above the choir in 1819 by Johann Ledewasch, who also decorated the interior of the nave. These frescoes were restored in 1889 by Fantoni, and later in 1909 by painter Franc Horvat.

Today, the church’s exterior looks much the same as it did some 200 years ago. Standing proudly on a hill at the edge of the village, it consists of the presbytery, nave with two chapels, sacristy, and a mighty western tower—one of the tallest church towers in Slovenia.