Župnijska cerkev Žalostne Matere Božje v Nemški Loki

Ruševine baročnega bisera

Nemška Loka je ena od starih kočevarskih vasi, ki pričajo o življenju v času turških vpadov in prelomnih časov sredine 20. stoletja. Poleg župnije, šole, pošte in gasilskega društva je bil tu nekdaj tudi sedež občine, ki je obsegala zgolj Nemško Loko in vas Prerigelj. Na pobočju nad vasjo še dandanes stojijo razvaline baročne romarske cerkve, ki je svoje ime dobila po Žalostni Materi Božji. Prve omembe cerkve segajo v 17. stoletje(1667, 1689), ko je na istem mestu stala cerkev, posvečena sv. Lenartu, današnje ruševine pa sodijo v 18. stoletje, in sicer v leto 1763. Načrt za stavbo kamnite gradnje je najverjetneje ustvaril Lovrenc Prager(1728 – 1791), ki je bil takratni deželni stavbni mojster in arhitekt na Kočevskem. Zgrajena je bila s pomočjo knezov Auerspergov.

Cerkev Žalostne Matere Božje je bila kvalitetne kamnite gradnje. Sestavljala sta jo pravokotna ladja in prezbiterij, ki sta skupaj v dolžino merila 30 m. Njena fasada je precej spominjala na fasadi župnijske cerkve v Žužemberku in romarske cerkve v Slinovcah pri Kostanjevici na Krki, ki ju je prav tako načrtal Lovrenc Prager.

Ob fasadi ladje sta stala dva kvadratna stolpa, v katerih sta bila zvonika s polkrožno zaključenimi linami. Na sredini se je ladja razširila na dve stranski kapelici, pred vstopom v prezbiterij pa jo je krasila usločena slavoločna stena. Prezbiterij je bil pravokotne oblike z zaobljenim oltarnim zaključkom, ob strani pa je imel prizidan vhod v zakristijo. Stavba je bila popolnoma prekrita z enotno opečnato streho.

Osrednji del cerkve je bil nekoč pokrit s češko kapo, zahodni del notranjščine in prezbiterij pa je pokrival banjast obok, ki se je delno ohranil do danes. V cerkvi so stali štirje oltarji, na glavnem je bila podoba Matere Božje, katere okvir sta držala dva angela. Vzdolž cerkvene ladje in prezbiterija so bila vzidana lunetna okna. Stavbni volumen je bil zelo razgiban, ker sta imeli stranski kapeli posnete zunanje vogale in sta sledili ladijskim stenam, bili pomaknjeni navzven do linije zvonikov, sledila pa jima je nekoliko ožja ladijska stena.

Posvečena je bila Žalostni Materi Božji, ki jo imenujemo tudi Marija Sedem žalosti in predstavlja trpečo Devico Marijo, ki je občutila sedem žalosti v času trpljenja svojega sina. Veljala je za znano božjepotno cerkev, kamor so zahajali romarji, v njej so se odvijali različni cerkveni obredi.

Zgradba je nastala v 18. stoletju, ko so na tem območju delovali knezi Auerspergi, tedaj je predstavljala največjo cerkev na Kočevskem. Njen strešni del je leta 1822 zgorel v požaru, ki naj bi ga zanetila strela. Obnova je trajala vse do leta 1843, pri čemer je cerkev dobila tudi prehod med zvonikoma in dve novi kapi za zvonika. Leta 1828 je bila v Nemški Loki ustanovljena lokalna kaplanija, kasneje okoli leta 1854 pa še župnija. Cerkev je delovala tudi po 2. svetovni vojni vse do leta 1951, ko so jo minirali, pri čemer je izgubila celotni južni del stavbe, enega od zvonikov, vse poslikave in vso notranjo opremo.

 

Na žalost je nekoč zelo znana romarska postojanka danes le še zaraščena ruševina, ki nudi zavetje gozdnim prebivalcem. Ruševine cerkve predstavljajo najpomembnejši dokaz sakralne zgodovine v Nemški Loki in njenih običajev. Menim, da se moramo iz njene preteklosti naučiti ohranjati kulturne spomenike, da jim bodo lahko priča tudi naši nasledniki in se bodo zavedali, kakšno vrednost ti imajo. Brez pristnih dokazov si je namreč težko predstavljati nekaj tako mogočnega, kot je bila ta cerkev.

 

Rebeka Padovac, 3. a (šolsko leto 2021/2022)

 

 

VIRI IN LITERATURA:

1. ZUPAN, G. (1993). Cerkve na Kočevskem nekoč in danes. Kočevje: Muzej Kočevje.
2. DOLINAR, F. M. idr. Sakralna dediščina na Kočevskem. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej Kočevje.
3. RESMAN, B. (2010). Upravna enota Kočevje: Občine Kočevje, Kostel in Osilnica. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU
4. TROHA, T. (2011). Makete kočevarskih cerkva in krajev. Ljubljana: Založba Maks Viktor d.o.o.
5. Informativni video: http://www.kocevarskevasi.si/sl/video-kocevarske-vasi/43-nemska-loka-unterdeutschau-ag

 

The Parish Church of the Sorrowful Mother of God in Nemška Loka

Ruins of the Baroque pearl

 

Nemška Loka is one of the oldest Gottschee villages that testify to in the time of Turkish invasions and the turbulent times from the middle of 20th century. Beside the parish, the school, the post office and the fire department there was once also the seat of the municipality that included only Nemška Loka and the village Prerigelj. On the slope above the village there are still the ruins of the Baroque pilgrim church that got its name after the Sorrowful Mother of God. The first mentioning of the church dates back to the 17th century (1667, 1689), when in its place St. Leonhard’s Church stood, but today’s ruins originate from 18th century, more precisely from 1763. The plan for the building of the stone construction is believed to have been designed by Lovrenc Prager(1728-1791), who was the local master-builder in the Kočevje region at the time. It was built with the help of the Counts Auerspergs.

The Parish Church of the Sorrowful Mother of God was built of quality stone. It consisted of a rectangular nave and a presbytery that together measured 30 metres in length. Its facade largely reminded of the facades of the parish church in Žužemberk and the pilgrim church in Slinovice in Kostanjevica na Krki, which were also designed by Lovrenc Prager.

Against the facade there were two square towers in which there were belfries with semicircular openings. In the middle the nave was expanded into two side chapels and before the entrance into the presbytery it was ornated by a triumphal arch wall. The presbytery was rectangular with a rounded altar end and at the side the entrance into the vestry was added. The building was fully covered with a uniform brick roof.

The middle part of the church was once covered with a dome, but the west part of the interior and the presbytery were covered with a bath-shaped vault, that has partially been preserved until today. There were four altars in the church. In the main altar there was an ikon of the Mother of God, the frame of which was held by two angels. Along the church’s nave and the presbytery lunette windows were built in the walls. The building’s volume was very diverse because the side chapels’ edges were chamfered, they followed nave walls, they were pushed outwards to line in with the towers and were followed by a slightly narrower nave wall.

It was dedicated to the Sorrowful Mother of God, who we also call Mary of the Seven Sorrows and presents the suffering Virgin Mary, who experienced seven sadnesses in the time of her son’s suffering. It was considered a well-known pilgrimage site the pilgrims frequented and it hosted different church rituals.

The church was built in the 18th century at the time of the counts Auerspergs and then it presented the biggest church in the Kočevje region. Its roof burnt in the fire in 1822, probably caused by the lightning. The reconstruction lasted until 1843, when the church also got a passage between belfries and two new caps for the belfries. In 1828 a local chaplaincy and later around 1854 also a parish was established in Nemška Loka. The church was in operation after World War II until the year 1951 when it was blown up. It lost the whole south part of the building, one of the belfries, all the paintings and furniture.

Unfortunately, once a very well known pilgrim site is today only an overgrown ruin that offers shelter to the forest residents. The ruins of the church present the most important proof of sacral history in Nemška Loka and its tradition. I think that we should learn from its past how to preserve cultural monuments, so that our successors can also witness them and become aware of their value. Without physical evidence it is hard to imagine something so mighty as this church.

Rebeka Padovac, 3. a (school year 2021/2022)

 

SOURCES AND LITERATURE:

1. ZUPAN, G. (1993). Cerkve na Kočevskem nekoč in danes. Kočevje: Muzej Kočevje.
2. DOLINAR, F. M. Sakralna dediščina na Kočevskem. Kočevje: Pokrajinski muzej Kočevje.
3. RESMAN, B. (2010). Upravna enota Kočevje: Občine Kočevje, Kostel in Osilnica. Ljubljana: ZRC SAZU.
4. TROHA, T. (2011). Makete kočevarskih cerkva in krajev. Ljubljana: Založba Maks Viktor d.o.o.,
5. Informative video: http://www.kocevarskevasi.si/sl/video-kocevarske-vasi/43-nemska-loka-unterdeutschau-ag