Parish of St. Marko below Ptuj

The Parish of St. Marko below Ptuj is a Roman Catholic parish of the Ptuj–Zavrč deanery in the Ptuj–Slovenske Gorice archdeanery, which is part of the Archdiocese of Maribor.

The parish is 800 years old, as its first mention dates back to around the year 1300. It became independent in 1789. On the site of today’s church, the villagers in the 13th century placed a statue of St. Mark, which had floated down the rushing Drava River. A few centuries later, a church was built on the site of the statue, and it has since been renovated and enlarged many times.

Today, the parish numbers a little over 4,000 parishioners and is vibrant in all areas of church life. They can take pride in their beautifully restored church, the mighty organ in the choir loft—the largest by far in the surrounding area—and their well-maintained parish grounds.

Parish life is diverse in all respects, as parishioners are involved in various groups: marriage, prayer, Bible study... Church choirs are also active—there are three of them, enriching the liturgies in this parish.