Since 1678, in Gustelnica, the faithful have worshiped the saint of the whole world, St. Anthony of Padua, whose name is the dark chapel. In the place where another beauty of Vrhovja stands today, the original chapel had an altar with a picture of the saint, and around it was a cemetery where the locals were buried. It did not have a belfry in the beginning, so the bell was later placed on pillars in the middle of the cemetery. During its history, due to dilapidation, it was demolished and rebuilt twice.
The last edifice was built by “foreign” craftsmen, so with its fragile construction and carved gable and columns, it differs from the traditional Turopolje type of construction that adorns other wooden sacred beauties. The inner walls are covered with boards, and the stylized ones resemble motifs from folk costumes. The design of the chapel was made by the Austrian architect and builder Dr. Hermann Bollé, and it was built by a group of different craftsmen from Styria, Hungary, Germany and Croatia. At the beginning of the 40s of the last century, a choir and a sacristy were added to the chapel, and it is now a protected cultural property in the classification of sacred architectural heritage.
Location
Virtual walk
