Tri fare pilgrimage center

The pilgrimage complex is distinguished by three Gothic churches enclosed within high cemetery walls. The northern church is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, the central one bears the patronage “Ecce Homo”, and the southern one is dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. Despite some research, the history and architectural development of the complex have not yet been fully clarified.

In 1268, the entire church organisation in Bela Krajina was taken over by the Teutonic Order, which also settled in Rosalnice. The foundations of their buildings were discovered southwest of the cemetery walls. In the 14th century, the parish in Rosalnice became independent, and around 1469, due to Ottoman raids, the parish seat was moved to the town of Metlika.

Despite the turbulent times, in the 15th and 16th centuries the complex developed into the most important pilgrimage site in Bela Krajina, where in August people of different nationalities and religions from both sides of the border still gather. Over the centuries, all three buildings were repeatedly modified, resulting in a combination of architectural styles ranging from Romanesque and Gothic to Baroque and 19th-century historicism.

The oldest church is the southern one, which has preserved its Romanesque nave. Around 1400, the northern church was newly built and in 1438 decorated with frescoes, which are still visible on the wall behind the main altar. The central church is the youngest, built around 1500. Due to their pilgrimage function, the churches were also richly furnished. The northern church features Baroque altars, 18th-century organs and wall paintings from 1842 by the painter Josef Egartner from Kranj. The altars in the central church also date from the 18th century, while the interior paintings were created by Egartner’s student Jurij Tavčar in 1862. The southern church, which originally served as the parish seat, is marked mainly by a Neo-Gothic altar from the second half of the 19th century.