Christmas also brings a special anniversary, as it is now 800 years since St Francis of Assisi first set up a nativity scene in the Italian town of Greccio. This beautiful tradition is also deeply rooted in our culture and brings warmth to the festive season every year.
The Štern couple were the first to start setting up nativity scenes 16 years ago
The first to start setting up nativity scenes on Šenturška Gora, sixteen years ago, were the Štern couple from Mlaka pri Komendi. In the early years only a handful of hikers set up nativity scenes. At first, those placing nativity scenes along the path were the Friends of Šenturška Gora and hikers from the Škrjančki group in Komenda, who are members of the Komenda Mountaineering Society. Their number has grown rapidly in recent years. This year a record number of nativity scenes were set up along the path from Poženik to Šenturška Gora. Last year the number of nativity scenes more than doubled, reaching as many as 72. This year, a record 100 nativity scenes were set up. The aim is for the nativity scenes not only to blend beautifully into their surroundings but also to respect nature and leave it untouched. The nativity scenes can be seen from Christmas Day, 25 December, until Monday 15 January 2024. It is worth mentioning that last year more than twenty came from the village of Poženik alone, from where hikers set off along the path to Šenturška Gora.
Each hiker could choose the location for their nativity scene
Each hiker chooses for themselves where to place this year’s nativity scene. This year, too, the nativity scenes were placed in rock crevices and tree hollows, under roots, under rocks or tree stumps, or in a small crate on the branch of a fruit tree, and in larger or smaller cavities. Their resourcefulness, inventiveness and creative inspiration came in very handy. As Mira Gerkman from Poženik, who again this year takes good care of the labels naming the creators of the nativity scenes along the path, explained, placing the nativity scenes does not damage nature. They said that this year they had already walked from Poženik to Šenturška Gora 150 times. The nativity scenes are made of a variety of materials, from wood, stone, ceramics and glass to textiles, and each one is something special. They have been burnt into wood, carved, painted on slate, made as mosaics or from stone. A special feature are the nativity scenes with models of the church on Šenturška Gora and other well-known buildings, such as Strmol Castle. Most of the nativity scenes are lit up for an even more atmospheric visit at night.
Most of the nativity scenes were set up by hikers from the villages below Krvavec and the Municipality of Komenda – from Zalog, Glinje, Poženik, Pšata, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Praprotna Polica, Lahovče and Apno, as well as from Komenda, Breg, Moste, Dragočajna and Klanec pri Komendi, and from Koper, Kobarid and even Belgium.
It is also worth mentioning that this year ten young people also set up nativity scenes, most of them pupils from the Davorin Jenko Primary School in Cerklje. A visitors’ book has also been placed by the chapel. The number of visitors coming from various parts of Slovenia to see these special nativity scenes has exceeded expectations.
Seeing the nativity scenes takes about an hour’s walk
On average, a hiker needs between 45 minutes and an hour of pleasant, easy walking, mostly through forest, on the cart track that until the 1960s was the only link from the valley – that is, from the foot of the hill in Poženik (at an altitude of 387 m a.s.l.) – to Šenturška Gora (671 m a.s.l.) and the other mountain villages. The elevation gain is 284 metres. Today the track is used by forest owners, and hikers and mountain bikers also make good use of it. The path leads hikers from the last houses in the northern part of the village of Poženik past Poženik Castle, which is on the left, and on to a chapel that was narrowly missed by the trunk of a fallen hornbeam in the August storm. The path takes hikers up the initial steep climb to Flegarija, which is mentioned in old documents as one of the oldest farmsteads in Poženik. Then the gradient eases and the walking becomes easier. The path continues to a beautifully restored chapel, built by local men who had survived service as Austro-Hungarian soldiers.
There is also a wishing bell by the chapel on the path
The chapel, with its image of Mary Help of Christians of Brezje, also has a wishing bell, where hikers and nature lovers wish for good health and a safe journey. Further on, the path is fairly gentle, though muddy in places when it rains. You can take a breather on a bench beside the path. At the edge of the forest, the bell tower of the filial Church of St Ulrich on Šenturška Gora, built around 1368, comes into view, along with the surrounding farmsteads. The path then crosses meadows and pastures all the way to a wayside crucifix and then joins the tarmac road, a few steps before Turizem in gostinstvo Pavlin. From the Church of St Ulrich on Šenturška Gora there is an outstanding view of the valley towards Tunjice, St Anne’s Church, Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and far beyond. Krvavec and other snow-capped mountains can also be seen.
Text and photo: Janez Kuhar
