Radelca

Cerkev sv. Pankracija

(EŠD 3318)


Radelca, cerkev sv. Pankracija, gradnja razglednega stolpa 1935, fotografija.

Cerkev stoji na vršnem grebenu Kobanskega, na razgledni točki na meji med Slovenijo in Avstrijo.

Po ustnem izročilu naj bi na tem mestu stal pomemben objekt, morda rimska postojanka ali pogansko svetišče. Cerkev se prvič omenja že leta 1490. Po turškem razdejanju leta 1532 naj bi cerkev znova pozidali leta 1655. Leta 1866 je strela uničila del zvonika in cerkve. Delno je bila cerkev nato pozidana leta 1882. Po nekaterih pisnih virih naj bi cerkev porušili, temelj za novo cerkev naj bi bil postavljen leta 1898, dokončana pa naj bi bila leta 1910. Zvonik cerkve je bil leta 1935 za potrebe turizma spremenjen v razgledni stolp.

Po I. svetovni vojni, ko so opravili razmejitev med Avstrijo in takratno Kraljevino SHS, je meja potekala po sredi cerkve. Pri razmejitvi so namreč upoštevali katastrsko mejo med kmetoma na današnji slovenski in avstrijski strani. Od leta 1966 pa je cerkev po posebnem meddržavnem dogovoru v celoti na slovenski strani.

Po II. svetovni vojni je bil dostop do cerkve onemogočen, začela je propadati. V veliki meri so jo uničili in poškodovali tudi graničarji – razbili so vrata, okna, žlebove, poškodovali so skodlasto streho in uničili cerkveno opremo. V cerkvi so kurili ogenj in jo uporabljali kot hlev za konje.

Po intervenciji avstrijskega ambasadorja v Beogradu je med leti 1962 in 1966 potekala obnova cerkve, ki sta jo financirali obe državi.

Cerkev sestavljajo pravokotna ladja, poligonalno zaključen prezbiterij, zakristija in zvonik ob južni fasadi. Zunanjščina je preprosto oblikovana. Celotna cerkev je prvotno imela leseno kritino (avtohtona kritina območja Dravske doline), ki je bila v drugi polovici 20. stoletja zamenjana s pločevinasto kritino. Danes cerkev pokriva opečna kritina.

Notranjščina je obokana, enoladijska, s plitvimi kapelami ob straneh, na vzhodu pa prehaja v širok prezbiterij. Oprema v cerkvi je skromna.

Po obliki tlorisa in prostorskih razmerjih je tipična arhitektura iz časa barokizacije.

 

Radlje ob Dravi

St. Pancratius Church

(HRN 3318)


Radelca settlement, St. Pancratius Church, the construction of the lookout tower 1935, photography

The Church is located on the ridge crest of Kobansko slope at the lookout spot and at the border between Slovenia and Austria.

According to the oral tradition, an important building was located in this place: possibly a Roman post or a pagan temple. The church was first mentioned already in 1490. After the devastation caused by the Turks in 1532, the church was rebuilt in 1655. In 1866, lightning destroyed part of the church tower and the church. The church was partially rebuilt in 1882. According to some written sources, the church was demolished and the groundwork for the new church was supposedly set in 1898, while the church was allegedly completed in 1910. In 1935, the church tower was transformed into the lookout tower for the purpose of tourism.

After World War I and after the demarcation between Austria and the then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was established, the border ran through the middle of the church. When performing the demarcation, the cadastral border between the two farms in today’s Slovenian and Austrian sides was taken into account. Since 1966, the church lies entirely on the Slovenian side after having concluded a special agreement between the two countries.

After World War II, the access to the church was disabled and it began to decay. The church was to a large extent destroyed and damaged by the border guards – they demolished doors, windows, gutters and damaged the shingled roof and destroyed the equipment of the church. They burned fire in the church and used it’s interior as a stable for horses.

Between 1962 and 1966, following the intervention by the Austrian ambassador in Belgrade, the church underwent renovation that was financed by both countries.

The church consists of a rectangular nave, a polygonal presbytery, a sacristy and a church tower next to the southern façade. The exterior is designed in a plain manner. Originally, the entire church had a wooden roof covering (indigenous roofing of the Drava Valley region), but was in the second half of the 20th century replaced with tin roofing. Today, the church is covered with tile roofing.

The interior is arched, single naved, with shallow chapels at the sides, while in the east it traverses into a wide presbytery. Equipment of the church is modest.

According to the ground plan and the spatial relationships, the church is a typical representative of the architecture of the period of Baroque.