On the site where the magnificent Marian shrine now stands, there was only a modest chapel dedicated to St. Vitus in the 15th century, a subsidiary of the Mošnja parish.

In additionally to the main altar of St. Vitus, it also had a side chapel dedicated to St. Anthony the Hermit . Leta 1800 pa je dal mošenjski župnik Urban Ažbe postaviti še eno stransko kapelico, posvečeno Mariji Pomočnici. Ljudstvo iz okolice se je v njej rado zbiralo k molitvi.

The number of Mary’s devotees grew significantly when the chapel received the image of »Mary Help of Christians.« Construction began under the guidance of the parish priest Franc Kumer, and the cornerstone of the new building was laid on October 9, 1889.

It was blessed by the Bishop of Ljubljana, Dr. Jakob Missia. The plans for the new building were prepared by architect Robert Mikovitz from Graz, following the instructions of Vicar General J. Flis. The construction was overseen by architect Franc Faleschini.

In 1900, the church was completed. With great solemnity, it was consecrated on October 7, 1900, by Dr. Missia, along with Dr. A. B. Jeglič, then Bishop of Gorizia, and Jakob Trobec, the Slovenian Bishop of St. Cloud in America.

The view of the church, built in the Neo-Renaissance style, gives the observer an impression of grandeur. The building is 39 meters long, 19 meters wide, and 17 meters high.

On the façade, between two semi-circular columns made of red Verona marble that support the main wall, there is an artistically crafted double door. Designed by Janez Vurnik, it was created by local woodcarver Janez Resman from Gorica near Radovljica. On the right wing, from bottom to top, are carved images of prophets who foretold Mary’s birth: Moses, David, and Isaiah. On the left wing are depictions of Mary’s precursors: Sarah, Rachel, and Judith.

The lower panels are adorned with reliefs of angels holding a ribbon inscribed with the names of the figures depicted on their respective wings. Above the main doorway is a marble relief of Mary Help of Christians. To the left of the relief are the angels Raphael and Gabriel, while on the right is a woman lying on a sickbed, accompanied by her family, fervently praying to Mary Help of Christians for healing. It is evident that the artist intended to depict the first miraculous healing (1863).

The area above the façade doors is richly adorned with mosaic decorations, symbols, and inscriptions. Above the relief of Mary Help of Christians is the oval inscription Gate of Heaven, flanked by two oval medallions featuring colorful flowers. Above all of this is a broad band with the motto: Through Mary to Jesus. On the four stone projections are titles from the Litany of Loreto: Virgin of Virgins, Faithful Virgin, Mother of God, and House of Gold.

High on the façade shines a large rose window with eight sections, decorated with white and gold mosaic lilies. The rose window is surrounded by four ornamentations in the shape of lanterns, and on both sides of the rose window are beautifully crafted mosaics of Mary’s monogram. Above the rose window stretches a wide band of gold and blue-red hues. From the niche beneath the tympanum, a richly crafted cross radiates far and wide, while both sides of the niche are adorned with Christ’s monograms.

Above the southern side doors is an artificial window, designed by Professor Vurnik, with mosaic window sides. Above the window is the year 1965, which marks the restoration of the church’s exterior in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Eucharistic Congress in Ljubljana. Below the window is a beautiful medallion with the inscription: Mother of Grace.

Slightly lower, in mosaic, are depicted the Slavic apostles St. Cyril and Methodius, the new patrons of the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. In this window, there is also a bust of Mary with the Child, created by the academic sculptor Boris Kalin. This sculpture once stood in the park by the new train station in Otoče, symbolically representing Mary Help of Christians, who, from her high pedestal made of four columns, greeted the incoming and departing pilgrims (1939/1940). It was placed by Father Roman Tominec, and the base of the pillar with the inscription still exists in the park near the Otoče station.

On the 60th anniversary of the coronation of the image of Mary Help of Christians (1967), a chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi was built in the courtyard between the monastery and the church, designed in the style of a Slovenian mountain hut, also according to Vurnik’s plans. The altar painting, created by academic painter Lojze Perko, is framed in bronze, in which the image of Mary Help of Christians was placed in Ljubljana’s cathedral during World War II.

On the eve of the pearl jubilee (September 2, 1967), the altar was consecrated by the Archbishop of Ljubljana, Dr. Jožef Pogačnik. In this way, Brezje gained a new place of worship, where Holy Masses are held, pilgrims receive Holy Communion, and confessions are heard for those who, due to the large crowds, are unable to enter the church.

The mosaics in the church, as well as those in the Franciscan chapel and the courtyard, were created according to the plans of Professor Vurnik by the school sisters in Radovljica, under the professional guidance of the academic ceramist Sister Darinka Bajec.

In the 53-meter high bell tower made of cut stone, there were initially four bronze bells; however, during World War I, three of the larger bells suffered the well-known fate. In 1918, the church received temporary steel bells, which were replaced in 1932 with bronze bells, tuned (by Father Hugolin Sattner) to the melody of Salve Regina. According to many, there is no more beautiful ringing in our homeland than the sound of the bells of Brezje.

During the German occupation (1941 – 1945), there was a danger that the bells of Brezje would meet the same fate as most of their “brothers” across Slovenia. The fact that they remained in place is thanks to the organ master, the late Franc Jenk. He was tasked with removing the bells from the Kranj region, starting with those of Brezje. However, he delayed the task for so long that, by the time the foundations of the “Greater Reich” began to crumble, not even the stolen bells could save it.

Just like the exterior, the interior of the church is also Renaissance in style. Above the large altar made of white marble is a mosaic depicting St. Vitus, who remains the patron of the church. The image is based on a painting by the German artist Matthias Schiestl from Munich.

The main altar and all three side altars are the work of Slovenian artists. Janez Vurnik designed the main altar and the first two side altars. The left one (near the pulpit) is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, and the right one to St. Anthony the Hermit. The altar paintings are the work of the painter Ivan Grohar (1867 – 1911). The Sacred Heart altar, set up in 1912, was crafted by Vurnik’s successor Jožef Pavlin from Radovljica; the altarpiece was painted by Ivan Vavpotič (1877 – 1943). Pavlin also sculpted the statues: St. Francis and St. Clare on the main altar, St. John and St. Elizabeth on the altar of St. Anthony of Padua, St. Isidore and St. Agnes on the altar of St. Anthony the Hermit, and St. John Capistrano and St. Paschal on the altar of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The center of the shrine is the chapel of Mary Help of Christians. When the new church was being built, the original chapel was left unchanged in its place. To ensure its protection, a second chapel with a dome was built above it. On the wooden altar, alongside the miraculous image of Mary Help of Christians, there were statues of Mary’s parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, as well as St. Valentine and St. Roch. The builder of this altar is unknown.

The ceiling of the chapel was painted with frescoes by Layer in 1814. Due to the smoke from numerous candles, incense, the intense atmosphere during large crowds of pilgrims, and frequent cleaning, the paintings became completely blurred and could no longer be restored. The altar also began to deteriorate significantly.

Že pred drugo svetovno vojno se je mislilo na obnovo kapelice in oltarja. Prvotni načrt, delo ing. arh. Janka Omahna – je bil že odobren, pa je med vojno izginil. Šele v letu 1954 je po novih načrtih arhitekta Janka Omahna stara kapelica dobila novo lice. Ker je po velikosti prav taka kakor je bila prejšnja, je še vedno prisrčna, domača kakor je bila.

The floor of the chapel is made of exceptionally hard and polished Bosnian granite. The walls are covered with yellowish Istrian marble; at the corners stand gilded statues from the previous altar: St. Joachim and St. Anne, as well as St. Valentine and St. Roch. The ceiling is over a meter higher than the previous one, gilded and perforated to allow ventilation through the space.

The altar, as small as before, is made of white Carrara marble on four small columns. Next to it stand two slender white columns, upon which rest monstrances resembling lamps. In translucent letters, we read on the left side: Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted, and on the right: Mary, Health of the Sick. On the new gilded tabernacle hangs a bunch of grapes with berries made of sparkling rubies, set on a vine. Above the tabernacle is the image of Mary Help of Christians, surrounded by a metal and gilded frame, adorned with various natural stones.

On December 8, 1954, the new altar was consecrated. This is commemorated by a Latin inscription carved into the sturdy altar support: “The beautiful altar was consecrated to the Most Gracious Queen by the Bishop of Ljubljana, Anton Ribičev.” The inscription also includes the year of the consecration.

The church also deserves attention for its Stations of the Cross, colored windows, the work of renowned Tyrolean glassmakers, the pulpit crafted by Pavlin, and the organ. The original Mauracher organ had only 14 registers and was located on a small choir above the door leading to the sacristy, opposite the Marian chapel. This is still remembered by the artistically carved relief on the old choir railing, which depicts the Christmas night with the nativity scene and a choir of angels singing: »Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people of good will.«

In 1911, Dernič from Lancove near Radovljica built a new organ with 32 registers and placed it in the choir above the main entrance. Our greatest organ master, Franc Jenko († June 2, 1968), modernized the organ after World War II, converting it from a mechanical to a pneumatic system and increasing the number of registers to 47.

The pilgrimage church in Brezje is no longer a subsidiary of the Mošnje parish but is directly subordinated to the Archdiocesan Ordinariate in Ljubljana. Since 1898, the administration of the church has been entrusted to the Franciscans, who ensure that the surroundings of the church continue to receive ever more beautiful care.

In the years 1938-1939, the Association of Veterans from World War I, under the leadership of Father Dr. Hadrijan Kokol, redesigned the park in front of the church according to the plans of Jože Plečnik, which were skillfully executed by his student, architect Ing. Valenčič. The church was adapted to fit the newly designed park with matching stalls. The lowered area opposite the main entrance, surrounded by slender poplars, was designated for a magnificent monument, built in the Byzantine style, to honor the Slovenian soldiers who fell in World War I. The outbreak of World War II prevented the completion of this monument.

After the war, in addition to the renovation of the Brezje church, both the interior and the exterior, the surroundings of the shrine were given a more attractive appearance. The elegant access, proximity to the highway, the asphalted area around the church, numerous lamps with mercury vapor bulbs that illuminate the church square and park, and powerful floodlights that illuminate the church and the bell tower are the reasons why the Marian shrine truly appears enchanting at night.

The work was selflessly led primarily by the superiors Father Bogdan Markelj and Father Klemen Šmid. They understood the wish of the Archbishop of Ljubljana, Dr. Jože Pogačnik, who once expressed words full of love and warmth towards Mary Help of Christians: “Brezje must be beautiful!”

(Father Otmar Vostner)