The church of Holy Cross is located on the hill of the same name, south-east of the market town of Planina. It was first mentioned in 1414. The defence wall was presumably built at the time of the Turkish invasions. The present building was built at the beginning of the 18th century. The church is vaulted. In 1737 a bell tower (the year is marked on the portal) was added to the church and in 1847, a chapel on the south and a sacristy in the north were added. The large altar (Jesus on the cross) dates back to 1847. In addition to the statue of the Crucified there are the statues of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Mary the wife of Clopas. Under the tabernacle, there is a niche with the depiction of the Holy Sepulcher. The altar in the chapel represents the fourth Station of the Cross. The large glazed chandelier made in the middle of the 19th century is also worth mentioning.
In 1801 on the slopes of the hill where the church of Holy Cross is located, the villagers of nearby Doropolje village built 12 chapels representing the Stations of the Cross. In 1949 they were painted by Anton Pavlič from Buče. In 1999 the chapels were renovated and the paintings were restored.
Dragon on the Holy Cross Hill
They say that the Holy Cross is hollow and that within it is a lake in which a dragon lives. The locals called it “lindvar” because it kept scaring the children. They say that the hole below the hill where the dragon lives has thousands of springs. If you move the stone at the altar, you can hear how the water flows through the dragon’s bowels, because he drank so much. But woe if the dragon is to come out of the cave, because it is so large that it would supposedly destroy all of
Šentjur.
/ summary based on the book Lučka sredi njive sveti; tales from the broader Kozjansko region/
