Žumberak 64 Žumberak
Žumberak Old Town, Kekići <strong>The</strong> Old Town stands elevated (altitude 501 m) above the two tributaries <strong>of</strong> the Kupčina River. Access is possible via the Žumberak mountain roads. <strong>The</strong> Old Town was first mentioned under the name Sichelberg in the list <strong>of</strong> papal tithes from 1296. From the 13 th century, it was under the ownership <strong>of</strong> the Corinthian dukes. <strong>The</strong> town changed owners several times until the time <strong>of</strong> the Turkish invasions and the settlement <strong>of</strong> the dispersed population in the 16th century, when the Old Town was deserted and the Novi Grad Žumberački (Žumberak New Town) was built. <strong>The</strong> layout <strong>of</strong> the Sichelberg was very regular, and similar to that <strong>of</strong> the Romanesque citadels. <strong>The</strong> New Town was erected in defence from the Turkish attacks, and was also the seat <strong>of</strong> the captains <strong>of</strong> the revolt. In the 18th century, the New Town was ravaged by a fire, and all that remains today are the ruins, most <strong>of</strong> which are covered by earth. <strong>The</strong> complex stands outside the present day settlement <strong>of</strong> Žumberak, in the valley between two hills. <strong>The</strong> Old Town, together with the Church <strong>of</strong> St. Nicholas (present day church dates back to 1654), its rectory and the Baroque pillar <strong>of</strong> shame from the 17th century, forms a distinctive complex. Churches and chapels <strong>The</strong> furthest church, standing on the highest peak <strong>of</strong> Žumberačka gora, Sveta Geri (1178 m), is a Greek Catholic church consecrated to Saint Elias, protector from thunder. <strong>The</strong> church was constructed from the 17th to the 19th century, and is a small single nave structure with a rectangular layout, polygonal sanctuary and bell tower before the main facade. <strong>The</strong> congregation is separated from the sanctuary, which contains the altar, by a dividing wall. <strong>The</strong> dividing wall portrays images from both the Old and New Testament, and is called iconostas after the Greek work icon. <strong>The</strong> church in Stojdraga features a late Baroque/Classicist iconostas, the work <strong>of</strong> Markovića (1795 – 1800). Several iconostases dating back to the 19th century can be found in the churches <strong>of</strong> this region (Kašt, Sošice, Radatovići). <strong>The</strong> iconostas in Liješće was created in 1889 by artist Jernej Jereb from Metlika, while the iconostases in Grabar, Mrzlo Polje and Pećno (1958) are the work <strong>of</strong> Ljubo Babić and Zlatko Latković. Many Greek Catholic churches were rebuilt in brick during the 19th century (Mrzlo Polje, Grabar, Pećno, Drage, Badovinci). <strong>The</strong> most notable among them is the Baroque Church <strong>of</strong> Sts. Peter and Paul in Sošice, with its slender bell tower, octagonal form in the upper zone and preserved inventory from the time <strong>of</strong> construction. <strong>The</strong> cultural and historical value <strong>of</strong> this Greek Catholic church is further increased due to its position right next to the Roman Catholic Chapel <strong>of</strong> the Annunciation <strong>of</strong> the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one <strong>of</strong> the very rare examples <strong>of</strong> the cohabitation <strong>of</strong> these two church orders in the Žumberak region. <strong>The</strong> churches in Stojdraga, Sopoti (1873) and Kašt (1828) feature late Baroque and Classicist architectural elements. Some <strong>of</strong> the older churches were renovated in the 19th century (Dančulovići, Budinjak, Radatovići). <strong>The</strong> church in Radatovići contains a relief <strong>of</strong> the writer Jovan Hranilović, which is the work <strong>of</strong> artist Franje Cote (1934). Among the Greek Catholic churches, the Church <strong>of</strong> the Annunciation <strong>of</strong> Mary in Pribićki Strmec holds a special place. It was built by architect Stjepan Podhorski (1911) next to a castle and has a trefoil layout in the neo-Byzantine/neo-Romanesque style. <strong>The</strong> church was erected on orders by Križevaci Bishop Julije Drohobecky to commemorate the 300th anniversary <strong>of</strong> the formation <strong>of</strong> the church union in Croatia (1611). Žumberak 65