St. Nicholas Cathedral is the architectural dominant feature of Ljubljana, a Catholic cathedral and a beautiful Baroque building. It is located in the city centre, close to the Town Hall and the Bishop's Palace, with which it forms a single ensemble.
The building seen by contemporaries was erected in the 18th century, on the foundations of an ancient 13th century Romanesque church. A century later, this significant religious building perished in a fire. The newly built church, after the city was recognised as the centre of the diocese, received the status of a cathedral. But as a result of another invasion of the Turks, it too was destroyed by fire.
At the beginning of the 18th century began the construction of a new cathedral. Like all significant buildings of the time, the cathedral was designed by Italian architects. Andrea del Pozzo created a majestic Baroque building, its two tall bell towers and the top of the dome visible from all points in Ljubljana. The building was constructed using recipes of the old masters, for example, lime was mixed with wine to make the mortar stronger.
The old Italian school can also be felt in the interior of the cathedral, which is stunningly opulent. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Italian painter Giulio Quaglio, as well as Venetian plasterwork, gilding and pink marble.
The dome deserves a special mention. An imposing dome covering the centre of the temple, it became a new word in the architecture of the city. It was made much later, in 1841. Before that, the cathedral for many decades was covered with a false wooden dome, however, quite picturesque.
Later, Slovenian craftsmen also took part in the decoration of the cathedral. The domestic painter Mateus Langus decorated the stone dome with magnificent paintings in the 19th century, and the famous architect Josef Plečnik was entrusted with the creation of the altar and baptismal font in the 20th century. The interior is decorated with numerous sculptures by Ljubljana masters.
In the 20th century, new doors with engraved pictures depicting scenes from the history of Ljubljana and Slovenia were installed at the main entrance to the church. They were made for the visit, in 1996, of Pope John Paul II.
Regarding the image of St Nicholas. In Orthodoxy, he is considered the patron saint of swimmers and travellers. In Slovenia, this saint is honoured as the patron saint of fishermen, so he is always depicted with fish.
