The Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes in Brestanica was completed in the Neo-Romanesque style just before the beginning of World War I in 1914. It is considered one of the largest and most magnificent sacral buildings in Slovenia, often referred to as the "Slovenian Lourdes."
The interior walls of the church are richly decorated with paintings. The authors of the frescoes and images are the Italian painter Osvald Bierti and the Carinthian painter Peter Markovič. Their work creates an extraordinary atmosphere that emphasizes the Neo-Romanesque architectural design with its three naves and a powerful transept.
The two-meter-high statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, which stands above the altar, was brought directly from Paris after being blessed there. A characteristic feature of the church is its artistic stained-glass windows, produced by the renowned Tyrolean company Neuhauser Dr. Jele & C. These allow mystical light to permeate the interior through the colored glass.
In 1929, due to its exceptional significance for pilgrims and its architectural beauty, the church was proclaimed a basilica. Today, it represents a key point of religious and cultural tourism in the Posavje region.
*Basilica: a distinguished church granted special ceremonial rights by the Pope.