Holy Spirit Church

Holy Spirit Church stands on a hilltop above the village of Rateče in the Julian Alps. The building mixes early-16th-century Gothic ribbed vaulting in the sanctuary with late-18th-century additions for the nave and bell tower. Most of the interior fittings date from the 1786–91 rebuilding. The high altar, installed in 1879 by Janez Vurnik, carries a painting of Pentecost by Leopold Layer. Layer’s work remains the church’s most admired artwork. The star-shaped vault in the sanctuary is the only one of its kind in the region. Visitors climb to the churchyard for wide views over the Planica valley. Inside, plain whitewashed walls frame the richly carved altar and the painted ceiling. The single bell in the tower still rings for services each Sunday morning.