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Church of Jesus Christ lncarnate m Dravlje Location Ljubljana Address Vodnikova Cesta 283 Planning and completion 1980-1985 Architect Marko Mušič /nvestor Parish office, Dravlje Contractor SGP Grosuplje Other buildings by the same architect University Centre, Skopje, Macedonia 1967-1974; memorial house, Kolašin, Yugoslavia (Montenegro) 197o-1975; memorial house, Bosanski $amac, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1973-1985; house and studio of j. Bernik, Breznica near lirovnica 1973-1974; restaurant on Mt. Lovčen, Yugoslavia (Montenegro) 1975-1978; House of the Revolution, Nikšic, Yugoslavia (Serbia) 1976; Mlakar family house, Selo near Brdo 1978-1981; New Zale Cemetery, Ljubljana 1982-1988; lobby of Ljubljana railway station, 1983-1988; Franciscan Church, Kotor Varoš near Banja Luka , Bosnia and Herzegovina 1986-1991 (demol­ ished in 1992); regulation of Domus Slovenica, Vienna 1987-1988; Miran jarc Li­ brary, Novo Mesto 1987-2001; bus station, Novo Mesto 1989-1994; renovation of the National and University Library, Ljubljana 1994-1999 (1st phase) In the interwar period, modern sacred architecture in Slovenia was distinguished by the works of Jože Plečnik. His early works in Vienna and subsequently in Prague focused on the rich tradition of church architecture, which he interpreted through his personallyri­ cism guided by classical ideals. Sometimes his works were more open to modernist incentives, like in the case of the church in Bogojina in eastern Slovenia (1924-1927). Although the Slovene ar­ chitects had endeavoured to create the form of a modem church in the interwar period (an outstanding example was the design of the church on Bloke by architect Ivo Spinčič, 1924), the architecture re­ mained incomplete. Anton Bitenc, a student of Plečnik and his assis­ tant oflong standing, became more independent and moved away from the dogmatism of Plečnik, which prevailed in the construction of churches after the Second World War. The innovative solutions of three contemporary Slovene architects were important for the devel­ opment of the Slovene church architecture: Oton Jugovec with his daring renovation and extension of the church in Reteče (1974) , A Floor plan of the Baroque Church of St. Rock (1), square of encounters (2), fountain on the crossroads (3), amphitheatrical church area (4) (scale: 1.9mm =1m) ... "Mušič derived hi s design for the church from the dialogue with the Baroque pilgrim Church of St. Rock which marked the context of the location as a powerful historical sign." 111 20th Century Architecture: From Modernist to Contemporary Gi ude to Architecture where he emphasized the continuity of the sacred area, Marko Mušič with the church in Dravlje that is the subject of this paper and pre­ sents the most radical break with the described tradition, and last but not !east Milan Mihelič with a plan for the church in Nove Stožice in Ljubljana (1989-1994), which transformed the expressive quality of the building with a free morphological interpretation in the spirit of Modernist tradition. All three works are among the most mature works of Slovene Postrnodemism, while the church in Dravlje by Mušič , despite its original design and idiosyncratic form, confirms "The church [... ] was entrenched in the terrain with its oblique part and the glazed screen behind the chapel and some other elements protruding from the roof covered with greenery." the role of Plečnik as a prophet of Postrnodemism that was recog· nized first in Paris at the time of the Plečnik exhibition and subse­ quently around the world as well. Mušič derived his design for the church from the dialogue with the Baroque pilgrim Church of St. Rock which marked the context of the location as a powerful historical sign. The aven ue of trees was symbolically extended to the cemetery, therefore it motivated the ar· chitect to plan the main compositional axis along this line. The glazed construction transposed it into the interior as a natural medi­ tative element above the centralliturgical area. This side of the church was accentuated with a transparent facade, while the building was entrenched in the terrain with its oblique part and the glazed screen behind the chapel and some other elements protruding from the roof covered with greenery. The extraordinary voluminosity of the building was intentionally sculpted so as to accentuate the dominant feature of the Baroque church and create the plateau frame for the congregation, while it was supported by semicircular concrete ele· ments on the ground floor level. Circular elements were also used in the structure of the oblique ferroconcrete roof structure covering the exceptional amphitheatrical sacred area which was delineated with a glazed integument, the lower part of which consisted of stone arches and white columns. Despite the unusual character of the church and demolishing conventional ideas of the sacred area, the architect was 112 Church of Jesus Christ lnca rnate in Dravlj e guided by a clear design for the church. The design for the fittings and other architectural details was subordinated to the same goal, although the first impression of the whole might seem elevated. Mušič undoubtedly sta ted his concept in the presentation of the church in the magazine Sinteza: "The building of the house of God must be simple, even modest, yet never spatially poor; it must be eas­ ily comprehensible, yet not banal; universal, yet distinct and origi­ nal." An encounter with the materialized design opens up into a true dialogue set up by the architect as his goal. Nace Šumi wrote about "The extraordinary voluminosity of the building was intentionally sculpted so as to accentuate the dominant feature of the Baroque church and create the plateau frame for the congregation, while it was supported by semicircular concrete elements on the ground floor level." the church by Mušič in an in-depth analysis (1988). He concluded his paper with the following statement: "Nothing similar could be found in Slovene architecture. The building has an exceptional 'freedom' of the spatial design. The freedom of other architects has always been limited by the plans of regular spatial types. The architecture by Mušič indicated initiatives that must be described as organic, as an opposition to crystalline forms. " STANE BERNIK Literature BERNIK, STANE, "Slovenski arhitekturni in oblikovalski modernizmi" , Umetnost na Slovenskem, Od prazgodovine do danes , Ljubljana, 1998. MU Š I Č, MARKO, " Nova draveljska cerkev Kristusovega učlovečenja" , Sinteza, 1988, No. 79- 82, pp. 107- 114. Š UMI, NACE, Valovanje v svetlobi : Marko Mu š ič , arhitektura nove draveljske cerkve, Lupnijski urad Dravlje in z 1 , Ljubljana, 1988. Š UMI, NACE, "V počastitev nove draveljske cerkve Marka Mušiča " , in the catalogue Nova cerkev v Dravljah , Mala galerija, Ljubljana 13. 11. 1986- 4. 1. 1987. 113 .

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