Church of St. Martin

Right on the edge of an elevated area with a beautiful view of the surroundings, the original church was built around the year 1000, during a plague epidemic, along the former Roman road. On its site, in 1390, a new Gothic church was erected, together with its famous Gothic presbytery. This presbytery, with its star-ribbed vault, is the oldest of its kind in Slovenia. The ribs of the vault rest partly on consoles shaped as fantastic masks, which are closely connected with the leading Czech art of that time, created by the renowned European master Peter Parler.

These console masks represent an invaluable treasure of our art and at the same time indicate the connection between Hajdina and nearby Ptujska Gora. In the presbytery, fragments of medieval Gothic paintings are also worth seeing, as well as a fairly well-preserved stone tabernacle.

In this cruciform church, the famous Gothic presbytery has now become a side chapel, while the bell tower of the original church has also been preserved. The entire church and its furnishings are in the Gothic or Neo-Gothic style, as are the altars, which were designed according to the plans of Professor Ortwein from Graz.

The present appearance of the sanctuary is historically credited to the former parish priest and spiritual advisor, Mr. Simon Kvar. Among his many merits, his greatest legacy was the fact that he dedicated his property to a noble cause – the construction of a new church. Thus, three years after his death, following the determined efforts of his successor, parish priest Andrej Vuk, the foundation stone was laid on August 7, 1873, and the following year, on November 15, 1874, the new church was consecrated.

The stained-glass windows were made in the year 2000. The design and execution of the windows are the work of master Marko Jerman from Godovič near Idrija. The central figures in the windows depict Blessed Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek, the Sv. Duha, St. Martin, and the SV. Evharistija. The Church of St. Martin in Hajdina was originally a subsidiary of the parish of Hoče – a vicarage. In 1597, it became an independent pastoral station, that is, a parish. Today, the parish numbers 5,200 people and includes eight villages: Zgornja and Spodnja Hajdina, Draženci, Skorba, Hajdoše, Slovenja Vas, Gerečja Vas, and Kungota.

Of these, there are two subsidiary churches: in Kungota, the Church of St. Kunigunde, with frescoes from 1588; and in Slovenja Vas, the new Church of the Marija Vnebovzeta with the accompanying premises of the pastoral center, built in 1992. Part of the former territory of the Hajdina parish now belongs to the newly established parish of the Sv. Družine – Kidričevo.