Stična Abbey

About this place

Stična Abbey is the oldest monastery in Slovenia and the only Cistercian house still operating in the country. It sits in quiet countryside southeast of Ljubljana, enclosed by walls and towers that make it feel like a small complete town, and it is recognised as a cultural monument of national significance. Its foundation charter was issued in 1136 by Pellegrinus I, Patriarch of Aquileia, although monastic life had begun a year earlier. It quickly became an important religious, cultural and economic centre, with a music school where the composer Jacobus Gallus is believed to have received his earliest training. Ottoman raids burned and looted it twice, Emperor Joseph II abolished it in 1784, and monks from Mehrerau Abbey resettled it in 1898. In the 15th century the Stična manuscript, written in Slovene, was produced here. You find Baroque buildings holding Romanesque and Gothic traces from its many building phases, with the oldest core still preserved. The most important is the Romanesque basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, which also serves as the parish church. The abbey holds the Museum of Christianity in Slovenia as well, alongside the outer walls and a round tower at the edge of the fields. The abbey lies about 25.7 km from Ljubljana in a straight line. As a working monastery it asks for modest dress and quiet voices, so stay out of areas reserved for monks and respect prayer times. Check tour times ahead.