Church of St. Michael on the Marshy Swampland

On the marshy swampland plain by the west edge of Črna Vas stands a parish church of St. Michael. The building, with a double-peaked roof, is characterised as an unusual sacral bell tower reminiscent of a karstic horsetail. The architect Jože Plečnik designed the church with the staircase with a floor plan in the shape of the letter T for his nephew, the priest Karl Matkovič in 1937. It was constructed in 1939. The exterior of the bell tower is built of stone and brick; parts of façades are laden with stone and wood. In front of the bell tower and the church is a wide concrete staircase, which leads through the triumphant arch opening to the sanctuary on the first floor. On the ground floor under the church are the living quarters for the priest.

Photo taken from about 8 metres.

The church is one of the most imaginative works of Plečnik's architecture. The complex design reminds us of the northern wooden buildings and influences of the Far East. It is also reminiscent of the central floor plan concept of the university library as well, where visitors ascend the colonnade towards the light of knowledge, while in the Church of St. Michael it is towards the light of God. The entire structure has a very balanced and homey appearance. 

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