Franciscan church of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary and the Franciscan monastery
The Franciscans came to town as early as 1525, but have made it their home in the 17th century.
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The Franciscans came to Samobor as early as 1525, but have made it their home in the 17th century when the construction of the monastery began. Wooden monastery was finished in 1618 and next to it was an old Gothic church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Field. It is considered that its construction was ordered by the King Béla IV as a sign of gratitude to the people of Samobor and is the oldest masonry structure in Samobor.
The wooden monastery was destroyed many times in the fires so the great renovation began in 1712. Close to the monastery a Baroque-style church was built with the layout similar to the one in the parish church of Saint Anastasia. The church guards a rich and artistically extremely valuable Baroque inventory and works of art, among which the special place is held by a monumental illusionist-style mural with the image of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary painted in 1752 by the Slovenian master Franjo Jelovšek.
Franciscans organized a school, established the first pharmacy at the beginning of the 18th century, the monastery had a valuable library, and it served as a hospital in many occasions. During the Napoleon conquests it was a home to the French army, too.
The church hosts the house of meetings, Tabor, which organizes retreats and seminars that make the Franciscan monastery the centre of spiritual tourism in Samobor