Church of St. Martin (Župnijska cerkev sv. Martina)

Mozirje is a small town in the Upper Savinja Valley, at the point where the valley opens out below the mountains of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, and its parish church is dedicated to Saint Martin, the soldier-saint of Tours whose feast falls on 11 November. In the Slovene lands, St. Martin's Day is among the best-known days of the calendar. It marks the moment when the new wine, called must until then, is said to become wine, and it is celebrated with blessings, feasts and the traditional roast goose, so a church of St. Martin has a special place in the cultural life of a wine-growing and farming country. Documentary details of this particular church are limited, so visitors who want exact dates and artworks should ask locally or consult the parish.

Parish churches in the Savinja valley follow a recognisable pattern. A medieval foundation is often extended and remodelled in the Baroque period, so the building that stands today usually has a nave and chancel with vaulted ceilings, a bell tower with a pointed or onion-shaped roof, and altars carved and gilded in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The churchyard around such a church was for centuries the burial ground of the village, and the church bells set the rhythm of daily life, ringing for services, feasts and funerals. The patron saint is usually shown in the main altarpiece, and in the case of St. Martin the usual image is the soldier on horseback cutting his cloak in two to share it with a beggar, an episode that has made him a symbol of generosity.

The church stands in the town centre, so it is easy to include in a short walk. It remains a working parish church, with services on Sundays and feast days, and visitors are welcome outside services as long as they keep quiet and dress modestly. Doors may not always be open, so it helps to ask or to time a visit around a service. A look at the exterior and the surroundings takes only a few minutes, while the interior rewards a slower look at the altars and any painted decoration.

Mozirje is known for its Alpine flower garden, which is one of the most visited attractions of the Savinja valley, for the mountains that rise above it and for the river that flows past the town. It also has a modest place in the story of the Second World War in Slovenia, with memorials recalling the resistance in the valley. Close by are the cultural centre and the riverside paths, and the valley offers rafting, walking and cycling.

The church suits visitors interested in local religious heritage and in the traditions of St. Martin. It makes a pleasant addition to a day in the Upper Savinja Valley.