Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy (Franciscan Church), Maribor

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is one of seven basilicas in Slovenia and was the first church with this title in Austria-Hungary in 1906. It is the home church of the Maribor Franciscan monastery. The current church and monastery were built between 1892 and 1900 in neo-Romanesque style and stand on the site of the former Capuchin church, which was built in the 17th century at the request of Count Jakob Khiesl of Maribor. The façade is decorated with two 58-meter-high bell towers, topped with a peaked roof and three-meter-high gilded crosses. The church has three entrances decorated with stone carvings. The most richly decorated is the main portal with a mosaic in the lunette depicting the Annunciation of Mary.

The impressive red brick building of the Franciscan Church was built between 1892 and 1900 in a central location in Maribor

One of the few saints who is highly valued outside of Christianity is San Francesco, known in German-speaking countries as Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in Assisi in 1181/82 and died in 1226. In his youth, the son of wealthy parents, he was more of a bon vivant, but later he turned to Christ. One day he was praying in the half-ruined church of San Damiano, located on a hillside outside the city walls of Assisi, and heard the voice of Christ from the cross, calling on him to "rebuild his church". At first he took this request literally and restored the church building, but later he came to the realization that this was primarily about the church as the community of believers. Francis became a role model for many people, they joined him and the "Order of the Minor Brothers" (Ordo Fratrum Minorum) of Francis of Assisi was founded. Today, there are three male branches in the vast Franciscan religious family: the Franciscans, the Minorites and the Capuchins; and two female branches: the Franciscan sisters and the Poor Clares. In addition, there is the "Third" or "Secular" Order, which is open to women and men who do not take the classic religious vows (poverty, chastity and obedience) and continue to live in their families and professions.