Parish Church of St. Martin in Ponikva

The church is situated on the eastern edge of the village of Ponikva. According to archives, there was originally a Romanesque church on this location. The present Baroque church was built between 1732 and 1758; it was consecrated two years later and belongs to the church type of Sladka Gora. The rectangular nave with a bell tower is followed by a narrow presbytery of the same height which has a chapel and a storage room on the northern side. The church will surprise visitors with its size, which measures 35 m in length and 18 m in width. Its interior boasts rich Baroque furnishings – a monumental pulpit built by the Mersi family who were famous for their carvings, and frescoes by Jakob Broll, dating back to 1890. Among the important items in the church is a silver chalice that was once owned by Slomšek and a relic of the Holy Cross, which is embedded in crystal.