WARNING: If you don't want to see any more island-and-snow-capped-peak photos, don't look at my posts till next Sunday.
Every time I go from the apartment to the lake I feel like a character in a fairy tale who has obstacles to overcome. The workmen are getting used to me now, and I to them. We say hello, and I wait till they've finished the current job, this morning loading a dump truck that took up the whole width of the road.
As in any good fairy tale, if you overcome the obstacle you win a reward. Mine was a pletna trip to the church on the island. These boats are highly polished wood with a canopy and a name: mine was Andreja. The oarsman wields two oars, standing at the rear of the boat. They could well be from a fairy tale.
As in any good fairy tale, there is never only one obstacle. Suddenly I was confronted with a staircase up into the tower. When I was sure the stairs didn't provide a view into the abyss, I scanned my ticket and began climbing. Again, a reward: a view through arches in four directions; the aesthetics of the stairs themselves with their light-stencils of a stylised flower; the pendulum and weights of a restored pendulm clock; and the satisfaction of not being a height-coward.
I prowled around happily for a sunny hour. I lit a candle for a friend whose life is in turmoil; I pulled the bell rope for good luck (the rope's blurry in the photo because it's still swinging from my peel which was heard all over Bled Mlino): I photographed the pink stone of the tower and, everlastingly, the alps. I visited a delicate shaved wood vase of roses and an exhibition of clay figurines in national costumes of EU countries. I sat by the water near the workmen who were using the materials I saw them loading in the pletna yesterday.
History and legends of the church on the island
According to legend, the temple of the ancient Slavic goddess Živa, once stood where the Baroque church is now. The temple disappeared during battles between the followers of the pagan religion and Christians, who destroyed the pagan altar and built a church.
On Bled island, archaeologists have discovered traces of prehistoric settlements (11th to 8th centuries B.C.) and Slavic settlements (9th to 10th century). In the early Middle Ages a pre-Christian, probably Old Slavic cult area stood at the location of the present day church. 124 graves with skeletons from the 9th to the 11th century have been found. The foundations of a pre-Romanesque chapel which was built during Christianisation, also date from approximately the same period – this is probably the only discovered example of a cult building from those times on Slovenian territory. According to written sources, the first masonry church on the island, a three-nave Romanesque basilica, was consecrated in 1142. In the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style: a new presbytery, a freestanding bell tower and the main altar were built. The renovated single-nave church was consecrated in 1465 by the first bishop of Ljubljana, Count Žiga Lamberg.
In 1509 it was damaged by an earthquake to such an extent that it required thorough renovation, and this was carried out in the Baroque style. The present form of the church dates from the 17th century when it was renovated after another earthquake. The main altar with its rich gold-plated carving, dates from 1747.
The bell tower, which was built in the 15th century, has been renovated several times due to damage by two earthquakes, and in 1688 it was struck by lightning. The present tower is 54 m high and has three bells, which were made by Samassa and Franchi, bell makers from Ljubljana. Like the church, the other buildings, the walls and the monumental staircase leading up from the lake (99 stairs) preserved their character from the 17th century.
The wishing bell which rings out over the lake whenever anyone pulls it, has a legend attached too.
A young widow who lived in Bled Castle had a bell cast for the chapel on the island in memory of her husband. When the bell was being transported, a terrible storm sank the boat with the loss of the crew and the bell, which to this day is said to ring from the depths of the lake. After the widow died, the Pope consecrated a new bell and sent it to the Bled Island. Whoever rings this bell and thereby gives honour to Virgin Mary has a wish come true.
Adapted from http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/cultural-sights/churches/the-church-on-the-island
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