Religious heritage

History and Milestones of Christianity

Legend has it the tremendous Burja wind of 394 changed the course of the Battle of the Frigidus between the warring Roman emperors Theodosius I and Flavius Eugenius. The victory of Theodosius signified the final triumph of Christianity within the Roman Empire, bringing about its acceptance as the official state religion.

By the site of the ancient battlefield, in Log near Vipava, the large pilgrimage church of Virgin Mary was constructed in another age. Across the valley, on Sveta Gora (“Holy Mountain”) above Nova Gorica, pilgrims have for centuries also flocked to its own sanctuary, the great Basilica of Sveta Gora  with its Franciscan monastery. The Vipava Valley cradles two more important monasteries, the Capuchin monastery in the Vipavski Križ and the Franciscan monastery Kostanjevica in Nova Gorica, both of which keep precious cultural heritage. Likewise, the many churches across the valley preserve frescoes, paintings, statues, carvings and other religious works of art. An especially popular site as of late has been the Church of St. Primož and Felicijan in Vrhpolje near Vipava, which received a majestic new visage in 2013 with the completion of a magnificent mosaic by friar Marko Ivan Rupnik, founder and artistic director of the famous Rome-based Centro Aletti Atelier.