High above the bed of the Tolminka River, there is a wooden sacred place, the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca, which bears the European Heritage label.
The church celebrates the fallen Austro-Hungarian defenders of the Isonzo Front battlefield (1915–1917). As the most beautiful World War I memorial in the area of the Republic of Slovenia, it was placed on the list of particularly important European historical and cultural heritage back in 2007 and received European Heritage label in 2018.
Javorca is a memorial of reconciliation and a unique example of Secession
The Church of Holy Spirit in Javorca was built by Austro-Hungarian soldiers, masters of various crafts. It stands as a symbol of a call for reconciliation and a witness to the connecting strength of joining the artistic creation with construction. There is a bell tower with a solar clock, the coat of arms of the monarchy and the inscription PAX (peace) above the entrance.
The exterior is adorned with coats of arms of the twenty lands, which formed Austria-Hungary.
The interior is decorated with oak pannels, which symbolise pages of a memorial book, with 2,564 names of fallen Austro-Hungarian soldiers who died in the nearby battlefields. Their names were burnt into wood according to the system of the military hierarchy.
The plans for the church, which celebrated its one hundredth anniversary of construction in 2016, were created by Remigius Geylinga, a painter from Vienna, who was a senior lieutenant back then. The construction was led by Géza Jablonszky, a lieutenant of Hungarian origin. It was thoroughly renovated in 1934, in the beginning of the 1980s, in 2005 and in 2016.
A picturesque point on The Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic
The Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca will not only enthuse you with its historical message and incredible construction. From the terrace next to the church, there is a view of the mighty Rdeči rob, the charming chain of the Tolmin – Bohinj mountains. The church is one of the selected points on the famous Walk of Peace trail, which connects memorials and remains of World War I in the Soča Valley.
Javorca - European Heritage Label
Since the beginning of 2018, the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca is officially among the giants of the European Heritage, which emphasize common European values. In 2018, it was formally awarded a special recognition by the European Commission - the European Heritage Label.
