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Slovenian Square with St Martin’s Church

by petra September 19, 2021

If you decide to take a walk around Lake Bled, you will pass by a church of Saint Martin, the patron saint of beggars, geese, and vintners.

St Martin’s Church with a beautiful parish courtyard lies just below the cliff with Bled Castle atop of it.

Top tourist attractions
Top tourist attractions
Distance from Lake Bled
Above Lake Bled
Accessibility
Partly wheelchair accessible*

QUICK FACTS

Top tourist attractions ⋆ Above Lake Bled ⋆ Partly wheelchair accessible*

* For the moment, there is no ramped access to the church. If you are having a difficulty entering the church on a wheelchair that has a wide entrance and a slightly raised doorstep, you may contact the parish house. They will offer you help. 

Church with decorative roof tiles below Bled Castle

According to Catholic belief, Saint Martin was a former Roman soldier who cut his cloak to cover a beggar.

This merciful saint is among Slovenians associated with the Feast Day of Saint Martin that is being observed on the 11th of November. On that day it is common to eat roasted goose and taste the first wine of the season.

The church dedicated to Saint Martin is one of the two churches at Lake Bled.

View of St Martin’s Church from the walking path by Lake Bled
The parish church as seen from one part of the walking path that runs by the lake.

St Martin’s Church is located at Slovenian Square (‘Slovenski trg’) where you will also find a charming Old Parish House with a café, as well as a new parish house that is home to the current priest.

Walking path leading to St Martin’s Church
The church and the parish houses are located at Slovenian Square. Three pilgrim ways cross there, including The Way of Saint James.
Old Parish House at Lake Bled
Old Parish House with a café

In case you are looking for a decent accommodation in Bled that is close to the lake and to the castle – you can rent a room in Old Parish House. Renting rooms in parish houses is not common in Slovenia, so you might take a chance while in Bled.

View from Slovenian Square

While waking towards the church I would suggest you to make a stop at Slovenian Square and enjoy the view of Lake Bled from there.

In front of you, you will see Straža, a green hill that you can climb easily as there are well-maintained paths leading to the top of it. From Straža you will see St Martin’s Church and Bled Castle from afar.

Bled Castle above Lake Bled
View of St Martin's Church from the hill of Straža.

Visiting the church

St Martin’s Church is open to visitors during the day, so you can go inside and have a look around. Just keep in mind that religious ceremonies (masses) are held at specific hours (mainly mornings and evenings) each day and at that time you will not be able to walk inside the church.

St. Martin’s Parish Church
Have a look at the portal of the church depicting St Martin who is cutting his cloak to give it to a beggar that sits next to his horse.

St Martin’s Parish Church was built between 1903 and 1905 in Neo-Gothic style according to the plans of Friedrich von Schmidt, a famous architect who lived and worked in Vienna. Von Schmidt designed a town hall in Austria’s capital, among others.

Inside St Martin’s Church
Inside the church: the altar made of Carrara marble features two statues of angles and two statues of Christian missionaries.

If you step inside, you will see graceful frescoes that were made by Slovenian painter Slavko Pengov. He was a prominent artist doing figure painting in the middle of the 20th century.

Inside the church
Frescoes painted by Slavko Pengov (on the upper right hand corner) show The Stations of the Cross.

There are also marble altars, different sculptures, huge pipe organs looking down from the back of the church and a majestic chandelier that seems to be the central part of this religious building.

Altar of St Martin’s Church
A majestic chandelier in St Martin's Church
One of colourful windows of St Martin’s Church
One of 15 colourful gothic windows

At the site of St Martin’s Church, there used to be a much smaller, wooden church dating back to the 11th century. Over the years the church was rebuilt until it was completely demolished in 1903, and the new church that you can visit today was built.

In front of today’s church that is the main church of Bled you will see an elegant statue – Pillar of Virgin Mary. It was designed by Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik who is said to be ‘architectural father’ of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana.

Pillar of Virgin Mary
Pillar of Virgin Mary (on the right) stands close to the main entrance to the church.

After visiting the church and the old parish house, you can continue your way up to Bled Castle.

There are some steps to climb, however, the view from the castle’s terraces over Lake Bled and its surroundings will make you forget about the slightly tiring walk upstairs!

– PRACTICAL INFORMATION –

LOCATION: St Martin’s Church and Old Parish House are located below Bled Castle that sits above Lake Bled.

St Martin’s Parish Church and Old Parish House

GET THERE: There are several paths going up to Slovenian Square with the church, starting by the lake.

Walking path leading to St Martin's Church
There are several paths running towards the church from above the lake.

LITURGICAL SERVICE: The church holds religious ceremonies (masses) on a daily basis. The masses are being held in Slovenian.

St Martin's Church
This is where a priest preaches during the mass.

BLED CASTLE:  From Slovenian Square (where St Martin’s church is located) you can continue walking up to Bled Castle. You will be walking on the oldest path that runs towards the castle.

Would you like to explore Lake Bled and nearby places in the Julian Alps with me? Follow my day-to-day on Instagram (@bledoscope) and Twitter (@bledoscope).

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Hello! I'm Petra, and I have lived in Bled for most of my life. After spending time in Norway, Macedonia, Hungary and Spain, I have settled in my home country, rediscovering the beauty of Lake Bled. Read more

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