Kostanjevica 400th anniversary
Kostanjevica is an old pilgrimage shrine with a monastery, an illustrious history and rich treasures of the past. It lies on a 143 m high hill on the southern edge of Nova Gorica, right next to the Slovenian-Italian border. In Kostanjevica or na Kapeli, as the locals say, in 2022 and 2023, various events will mark the 400th anniversary of the erection of a chapel dedicated to the Mother of God in 1623.
Today, Kostanjevica is a place of great cultural, historical and religious significance for residents on both sides of the border, as well as for visitors who like to visit it from near and far. Today's imposing appearance of the chapel was gained by the arrival of Carmelite monks, and in 1811 the monastery was inhabited by the Franciscans, who still manage it today. Among Kostanjevica's greatest treasures are the Bourbon tomb, where the last descendants of this French royal family are buried, and the Škrabec Library, named after Father Stanislav Škrabec, the greatest Slovene linguist who lived in Kostanjevica for over 40 years. Especially charming for visitors is the rose garden with an exceptional collection of ancient Bourbon roses, which is considered to be one of the largest in the world.
In its venerable 400-year history, Kostanjevica has experienced many upheavals. It was not destroyed by the two World wars or the earthquake in 1976. Times have moved state borders, relocated the inhabitants of the monastery, but this historical pearl over the cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica after so many years still stands as a witness to the past and commitment to the future.