Križanke, a church located near the Triple Bridge and Grubber Palace, has a very interesting history.
In the 13th century, the order of Teutonic Knights settled in the south-western part of the city, who were continuing their eastward expansion at that time. As their residence they built a monastery complex, quite extensive, with a Gothic-style church. These crusaders were called Križniki. Hence the name of the church Križanke. In the 15th century the Teutonic Order began to decline, and a century later the knights left Ljubljana.
At the beginning of the 18th century another church was built on the place of the church, designed by the famous Domenico Rossi, one of the best Venetian architects. The bas-relief with the image of the Madonna remained from the Gothic structure of the Teutons. Now it is in the exposition of the National Gallery. The construction of the new temple was given great importance, accordingly, the best painters at the Viennese royal court were sent to decorate it, and the new church was equipped with expensive furniture and rich decorations. It was given the name of the Church of Mary the Helper, but in life and through the ages it remained the Church of Križanke.
Many valuable items and side altars painted by royal artists perished in a fire that occurred in the nineteenth century. In 1859 the church was restored and the main altar was painted by Hans Kanon, a famous artist from Vienna.
The monastery complex was also rebuilt several times. In the middle of the last century, the best architect of the time, Jože Plečnik, the creator of the Triple Place and other Ljubljana landmarks, took over the project. He turned the former monastery into an open-air theatre - the Križanke Summer Theatre. Now the traditional Ljubljana Summer Festival is held in these ancient interiors, and the Knight's Court becomes a venue for classical chamber music concerts on festival days.
