Miren Castle (, also known as ' 'castle' and ' 'Our Lady beneath the Karst'; or ') is an elevation above the settlement of

Miren Miren (; ) is an urbanized settlement in the Municipality of Miren-Kostanjevica in the Littoral region of Slovenia right next to the border with Italy. The hill known as Miren Castle () rises above the settlement to the south. Name The settleme ...

near

Nova Gorica Nova Gorica () is a town in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy. It is the seat of the Municipality of Nova Gorica. Nova Gorica is a planned town, built according to the principles of modernist architecture after 1947, when the Treaty of pe ...

, in southwest

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. The origin of the name, which came into usage in the 16th century, remains unexplained. No castle ever stood there. The hill is dominated by a collection of ecclesiastical buildings.

Legend

The origins of Miren Castle is a tale which is famous among the citizens of Miren. Long ago there lived a noble and glorious king known as Miren. He was a man of a kind heart who built the settlement of Miren to serve as homes for peasants who were struggling from poverty. Now he is regarded as an ancient hero.

Our Lady of Sorrows Church

Over the centuries, a series of churches have occupied the site. The first recorded was the Church of Our Lady, built in 1488, rebuilt in 1753, and destroyed on 30 May 1914. Between 1700 and 1756, Grad was inhabited by

hermits A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

. The summit of Grad is now dominated by a monastic church dedicated to

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

(). It was built in 1886, and was completely destroyed and rebuilt during and after each World War. In 1958, its interior was decorated with frescoes by

Tone Kralj Tone Kralj (23 August 1900 – 9 September 1975) was a Slovene sculptor and painter also known for his wall paintings and illustrations. Kralj was born in Zagorica near Dobrepolje in Lower Carniola in 1900. He studied sculpture in Prague bet ...

. The entrance gate bears the inscription ''Ite in domum Matris Vestræ'' 'Go into the house of your mother'. It is still a pilgrimage destination.

Other

The path to Miren Castle features

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

Ivan Vurnik Ivan Vurnik (1 June 1884 – 8 April 1971) was a Slovene architect that helped found the Ljubljana School of Architecture. His early style in the 1920s is associated with the search for Slovene "National Style", inspired by Slovene folk art an ...

in 1931. By the last station there stands the architecturally unique Chapel of the

Scala Sancta The (, ) are a set of 28 white marble steps located in an edifice on extraterritorial property of the Holy See in Rome, Italy proximate to the Archbasilica of Saint John in Laterano. Officially, the edifice is titled the Pontifical Sanctuary ...

(), the floor of which is made of 28 stepped platforms. It was blessed in 1757 by the

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

archbishop Karl Michael von Attems.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirenski Grad Hills in the Slovene Littoral Roman Catholic churches in the Slovene Littoral Vincentian monasteries in Slovenia Stations of the Cross Christian monasteries in the Slovene Littoral