CHARTREUSE DE ŽIČE (ŽIČKA KARTUZIJA)

Ruins of the former Carthusian monastery. Founded in 1160, Žiče has remained virtually unchanged since then. You can see this in the church, whose roof collapsed in 1840. Žiče remained a medical centre for a long time, until it was dissolved.

The twelve Carthusian monks who settled there were originally from France. The monastery was the first to be founded outside the Latin world.

It is surrounded by ramparts of which a restored defence tower remains. Dissolved in 1782 by Emperor Joseph II, it passed into the hands of the Counts of Windischgrätz, who were the last owners. The Gothic chapel dates from 1469. At Spitalič lived converse brothers who were in contact with the inhabitants, unlike the Carthusian monks who respected a very strict rule.

Surrounded by forests, the old monastery is a place of meditation. The surrounding calm is soothing. The renovated buildings and the ruins of the other buildings are a source of imagination. The small museum is lulled by Carthusian songs. Today a herbalist's shop has been rebuilt in order to (re) discover artisanal therapeutic mixtures made from medicinal plants. The place is worth a visit for the sumptuous panorama it offers and to discover more about the French past of the monastery. For the bravest, a hiking trail starts from Slovenske Konjice and arrives here, it takes a good hour's walk.