SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

In each village there were four or five, six at the most; the old ones with shutters and heavy carved doors. Each of them had a large courtyard and a stable. Somewhere in the middle of these villages was a hill, and on the hill was a small church with a small cemetery, which was the centre and meeting point for the villagers. According to stories, it has stood here since the 17th century and its patron saint is St Lawrence.

Even though I am speaking in the past tense, it is all still there. But time has taken its toll and the image of the villages has changed. So new, bigger and richer houses have grown out of the old cottages. Many things have changed, but the church has been poorer every year. But one sunny day I heard talking and hammering all around it.

In the village below it lives Mrs Ani, who told me about what happened to their little church: »One day a work brigade came to our village. It is a group of ten or fifteen people who go around the country and help with the renovation of various buildings and other works. They found out that our church was being destroyed by the ravages of time, so they came. Because of the considerable dampness, they started scratching the wall cladding on the inside of the church and on the outside façade. They said that the inside of the church needed to dry out. When they had finished, they put their tools away and left.«

»Interesting. What happened next?«.

»Then a small group of people got together and, with Mr Andre, a civil engineer, they continued the renovation. I have to say that all of us villagers have wanted to do this for a long time, but because of the lack of money, we didn't even think about renovating,« said Ms Ani.

»What now? Where did you get the money?«

»Darja and I were asked to collect voluntary contributions. We agreed, and we did it by going around to villages and houses. Everyone we visited contributed a certain amount. We didn't ask for anything from anyone, but everyone we approached contributed something.«

»How was work?«

»Exactly. Everyone helped; with labour, machinery and tools.«

»How did you get to the masters? As I see it, the work is beautifully done and of good quality, but masters are hard to come by. You can wait a long time for them. The exterior and interior of the building are almost unrecognisable. All the chairs are extremely well made and are a real decoration of the church.«

Mrs Ani smiled, »Maybe it was God's help, maybe it was a miracle, because one knew a roofer, another a painter, another a carpenter, another an electrician. I mustn't forget the hard-working housewives who were always making sure that no one went hungry. Although everything went smoothly, the whole renovation, with pauses in between, took about four years, and minor work around the church is still going on.«

»I guess it really was God's help,« I replied with a smile. »I know that people in these villages have also drifted away from God and don't go to church as often as they used to.«

Mrs Ani just nodded but said nothing, and I ended the conversation with these words, »Even though all this is true, I am still surprised that you realise that this little church is your pride. Your parents and grandparents have come to it in their most difficult moments, asking for help and protection. I am glad that you take into account its age and that you know that the church has become a cultural monument. You also know that it is part of the intangible cultural heritage, which is why it deserves all the attention it can get, and I am very happy about that. And last but not least, I am also pleased that you have been able and able to come together.«

Darinka Kobal, 7. 1. 2026