On the east side of Minoritski trg, with its 17th-century plague pillar , sits the massive Minorite monastery established in the 13th century. Because the Franciscan Minorites dedicated themselves to teaching, the order was not dissolved under the edict issued by Habsburg Emperor Joseph II in the late 18th century, and it has continued to function here for more than seven centuries.
The arcaded baroque structure, which dates from the second half of the 17th century, contains a summer refectory on the 1st floor, with beautiful stucco work and a dozen ceiling paintings of St Peter (north side) and St Paul (south side). It also has a 5000-volume library of important manuscripts.
On the northern side of the inner courtyard, the Church of Sts Peter and Paul is one of the most beautiful examples of early Gothic architecture in Slovenia. Reduced to rubble by Allied bombing in January 1945, it was painstakingly rebuilt over the decades. View fragments of the original church in the side chapel.
