
357 m
Height above sea level
in the countryside
The Gothic church of St Anthony stands in solitude, a kilometre away from Šepulje. It can be reached following a macadam path and passing by a dry-cured ham factory. The church was built in Romanesque style, though a Gothic presbytery was added later. It was completed and consecrated in 1470, with the recommendation
to Anton Opat to keep the cattle safe. It was renovated for the first time in 1641, as the inscription on the arch inside the church shows. Ultimately, the church and the nearby pond (where women used to do the laundry), were renovated in 1966. According
to oral tradition, a cloister also stood there. The Turks plundering the Karst presumably kept their horses in the church, as a fresco on the eastern part shows. The girls from the region used to come and pray to St Anthony for a husband, as he is the patron of marriage. On 17th January, a ball on ice was held on the frozen
pond near the church. If the ice was too thin, a dance floor “flos” was built next to it.
Turkov pil in Šepulje from 1849 was, according to oral tradition, erected when all of the vines in the Karst were about to dry off. The members of the Turk family were well-off peasants owning vast vineyards, so they ordered a statue to Mary, Jesus and St Joseph to be made. A 200 year-old teran vine boasts near the Turks’ house. The village also keeps a well preserved and walled village well. The surrounding landscape is renowne for its vineyards, where the excellent teran wine is made.