Events 2024

The Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca located in the vicinity of Tolmin now officially belongs among 38 pearls of European heritage emphasising common European values. Last night, the Bulgarian Plovdiv, European Capital of Culture 2019, hosted the European Heritage Label (EHL) Award Ceremony where this award was received by nine memorial sites in the EU which, at the end of the last year, the European Commission announced as the recipients of this award. The delegation representing Javorca at the Days of European Heritage in Plovdiv included the Mayor of the Municipality of Tolmin, Mr. Uroš Brežan and his advisor for social activities, Mr. Matjaž Kos M.Sc., Director of the Tolmin Museum, Mrs. Damjana Fortunat Černilogar M.Sc., Mrs. Mateja Leban from Javni zavod za turizem Dolina Soče and the General Director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Mrs. Ksenija Kovačec Naglič M.Sc. and her colleague, the National Coordinator of the EHL, Mr. Gojko Zupan M.Sc.

The decision by the European Commission therefore represents a reward for the demanding work performed in the preparation of the nomination, as well as an encouragement and a commitment for future work which shall be performed in close cooperation of the Municipality of Tolmin as the owner of this cultural monument, Javni zavod za turizem Dolina Soče and the Tolmin Museum who shall jointly perform the activities for appropriate preservation and presentation of the monument. The memorial site of Javorca is a place of European memory. In this sense, the activities planned for the future shall emphasise the importance of common roots, common history and common values of European nations with the objective to preserve the collective memory about solidarity and creative will during a difficult period. In order to emphasise the European importance and the core values expressed by Javorca, i.e. peace, human dignity and equality through the respect of different cultures, religions and nationalities, the memorial site shall annually host an event for the members of different nations connected with the events in Javorca. Moreover, from the one hundredth anniversary of the construction of the church, the message of Javorca is being spread across Europe with the help of the exhibition by the Tolmin Museum entitled Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca – One hundred years of the Basilica of Peace which shall this year be displayed in Croatia and the Czech Republic.

The church in Javorca, which is surrounded by the Julian Alps, was constructed in 1916 by Austro-Hungarian soldiers during the battles of the Isonzo front in memory of the fallen comrades in arms. During the war, as well as after the war, the church was and still is a place of gathering for individuals with different national, cultural, language and religious backgrounds. In its more than one hundred year history, Javorca was taken care of and renovated by four different countries because they all recognized the common value promoted by this monument – peace. The symbolic value of the church in Javorca was preserved to the present days when the church is being visited by the relatives of the constructors and the fallen soldiers, and nature and history lovers. For example, in 2017, Javorca was visited by more than 7,000 people. In spite of the immediate vicinity of the key military positions on the Isonzo front, Javorca remained intact during the war, however, it was badly damaged by the Easter earthquake in 1998. Within the framework of the post-earthquake restoration, the church was restored with joint effort of the State Technical Office, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia and the Municipality of Tolmin. The Municipality of Tolmin is also responsible for the maintenance of the monument and has, over the last two years, used its financial resources to renovate the ceiling in the nave of the church, restore the sacristy, reconstructed the bell tower and repaired the roof covering.

At the last night’s ceremony, the EHL for Javorca was received by the Mayor of the Municipality of Tolmin, Mr. Uroš Brežan, with the following word: »Our church in Javorca is recognized as one of the nine cultural monuments that were, in the Year of European Cultural Heritage, acknowledged for their exceptional nature and uniqueness on one hand, and on the other hand for their universality from the perspective of values. With the receipt of the European Heritage Label we are joining the elite family of 38 European cultural monuments, a young and fresh initiative that brings new opportunities and recognition at the European and global level.« The ceremony also included screening of presentation videos for individual recipients of the EHL which were prepared by the associates of the European Commission at locations of the recipients – you can watch the presentation video for Javorca on this link. The ceremony of unveiling of the label in Javorca shall be organized by the Municipality of Tolmin in the municipal holiday month, i.e. Friday, May 11 at 17.00, just two days after the Europe Day.

Let us remind you that the selection of memorial sites for the award of the EHL takes place in two phases. The pre-selection is carried out by EU countries which can, every two years. select two memorial sites at the most. Last year, Javorca was the only memorial site whose nomination was supported by our country. The European jury consisting of 13 independent experts then selects one memorial site per individual country at the most, and on the basis of its recommendations, the European Commission then declares memorial sites receiving the EHL. The title is used for memorial sites with an important symbolic value for Europe which emphasise common European history and the emergence of the European Union, and European values and human rights as the underlying principles of the European integration process. The recipients shall be checked by the commission which shall decide whether they can keep the EHL or not. Since 2015, the EHL was also awarded to the Slovenian Franja Partisan Hospital.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia declared the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca a cultural monument of national importance already in 1999. Moreover, Javorca shall represent the focal point of the nomination of the Walk of Peace from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea – Heritage of World War I for the inscription on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Source: Municipality of Tolmin, www.tolmin.si