St. Peter's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Ljubljana. The original church at the site was presumably built near the city walls already at the turn of the 9th century on the order of Paulinus II, the Patriarch of Aquilea. It was the seat of the Primitive Parish of Ljubljana. The church was encircled by a cemetery that was the main town cemetery until 1779, when it was abandoned.
The current building was erected in a Baroque style between 1730 and 1733 upon the plans of the architect Carlo Martinuzzi, who based them upon the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. The model of the church was made by Giovanni Fusconi, who also gave some technical advice. The church was built by the master builder Gregor Maček, Jr. Interior division of the church has been preserved from the period.
After the Ljubljana earthquake of 1895, the church was renovated by the architect Raimund Jeblinger in a neo-baroque style. This renovation was strongly criticised for its supposed low quality, and was followed by another, done between 1938 and 1940. The façade was completely remodeled by the architect Ivan Vurnik, while his wife Helena Vurnik contributed new interior decorations and mosaics. The church's ceiling frescoes are the work of baroque painter Fran Jelovšek; altar paintings are by Valentin Metzinger.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.