Events 2024

On Saturday, September 10, 2016, on the hundredth anniversary of the construction of the church, the Municipality of Tolmin and the Koper Diocese held a memorial service with a holy mass next to the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca.

The event was attended by approximately 1,000 people, including numerous eminent guests:

• President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor,
• Mayor of the Municipality of Tolmin, Mr. Uroš Brežan,
• Minister of Culture, Mr. Anton Peršak,
• Bishop of Koper, Monsignor Jurij Bizjak Ph.D.,
• Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to Slovenia, Monsignor Daniele Liessi Ph.D.,
• Bishop of the Protestant Church in Slovenia. Mr. Geza Filo M.Sc.,
• Deputy of the Serbian Orthodox Church Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana for Slovenia prota stavrofor Milan Duduković,
• Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Slovenia, His Excellency Klaus Riedel,
• Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to Slovenia, Her Excellency Edit Szilagyine Batorfi,
• Representative of the Slovakian Embassy in Slovenia, Mr. Marian Zahora,
• Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Franc Bogovič,
• Members of the Slovenian Parliament, Mrs. Mirjam Bon Klanjšček, Mr. Danijel Krivec and Mr. Marko Ferluga,
• Mayors of the neighbouring municipalities
• and the grandchildren of the architect of the memorial church in Javorca Remigius Geyling, Mrs. Jutta Geyling and Mr. Michael Geyling.

The visitors were first greeted by the Mayor of the Municipality of Tolmin, Mr. Uroš Brežan, however, the keynote speaker at the ceremony was the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor, who, prior to the ceremony, laid a wreath in memory of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers of different nationalities who fell in the nearby battlefields. Both speakers drew attention to the message of the church in Javorca whose front is decorated with the word PAX (peace) and the reconciling sentence »Hatred should not be pursued beyond the grave« inscribed on the front.

The Holy Mass, which was dedicated to the constructors of the church and all the fallen soldiers, was offered by the Bishop of Koper, Monsignor Jurij Bizjak, Ph.D. with the help of the mixed choir from the parishes of Kobarid and Tolmin.

The cultural programme, for which the script was prepared by Mrs. Natalija Gorščak, and which was hosted by Mrs. Špela Mrak and Mr. Matej Kavčič, presented fictitious letters written by the architect of the memorial church in Javorca, Remigius Geyling, to his wife Matilda and provided an insight into the design and construction of the church, whilst the Girls’ Choir Pueri Cantores from Tolmin and the Nova Gorica Mens’ Octet Vrtnica performed an Austro-Hungarian military song and a Slovakian, Hungarian and Friuli song. The Folklore Society Ivan Laharnar – Planota performed a few dances from the Šentviška planota Plateau, whilst the Youth Choir of the Primary School France Bevk Tolmin concluded the ceremony with the poem entitled Wings of Peace.

Source: Municipality of Tolmin, www.tolmin.si