Robert Peskar, Ph.D.

The church of Our Lady the Protectress on Ptujska Gora stands on one of the more exposed low hills of Haloze above Dravsko Polje. There are several routes to it, the road from Ptuj through Hajdina and Lovrenc na Dravskem Polju is the one that allows a visitor to take in the church in all its landscape qualities.

Archival sources and heraldic devices indicate that the prime initiative to build this church came from Ulrich IV from the family of Walsee-Drosendorf, from 1396 the leaseholder of the estate of Majdburg where the church of Ptujska Gora is located. After his death in 1400, the responsibility for building was taken by Bernard of Ptuj, a cousin of Ulrich's. Other representatives of the Styrian nobility also made contributions. The reason itself for the building in years around 1398 to 1415 is not known. It can be attributed to a votive vow or to ambitions of the local nobility to compete with the major pilgrimage centres in Upper Styria . The church underwent some minor alterations at the end of the 15th century after the upper part of the belfry burnt down.  The chapel of St Francis Xaver was added and some new altars built at this time.

The contractors envisioned the church of Ptujska Gora as a building in the form of a triple-nave hall with a tiered presbytery and a belfry which is incorporated by the body of the nave, following the example of two important pilgrimage churches in Styria, at Stassengel and Poelauberg. They did not merely serve as an example for architectural features, that is for the character of spatial effects and for building the west complex as a reduction of the west part of the church of Poelauberg. They were also meant to exhibit spatial ratios between various parts of the building, which are based on proportions of the golden section.