The Church of St. John the Baptist (sv. Janez Krstnik) in Ribcev Laz at the shore of Lake Bohinj, Slovenia.

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Church of St John the Baptist

Top choice in Lake Bohinj


This postcard-worthy church and bell tower, at the head of the lake and beside the stone bridge, dates back at least 700 years and is what every medieval church should be: small, surrounded by natural beauty and full of exquisite frescoes. The nave is Romanesque, but the Gothic presbytery dates from about 1440. Many walls and ceilings are covered with 15th- and 16th-century frescoes.

As you face the arch from the nave, look for the frescoes on either side gorily depicting the beheading of the church's patron saint. On the opposite side of the arch, to the left, is Abel making his offering to God and, to the right, Cain with his inferior one. Upon the shoulder of history's first murderer sits a white devil – a rare symbol. Behind you on the lower walls of the presbytery are rows of angels, some with vampire-like teeth; look for the three men above them singing. They have goitres, once a common affliction in mountainous regions due to the lack of iodine in the diet. The carved wooden head of St John the Baptist on the side altar to the right dates from 1380.


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