In the upper part of the village is the Velika Žablja Palace, an important early Baroque manor house with a tower and a semicircular stone portal. The building is nothing special on the outside, but the interior reveals the now dilapidated atrium, paved with stone slabs, Baroque portals leading to a luxurious two-story staircase and a large courtyard surrounded by arcades with magnificent stone columns. This is a typical Baroque axis of the castle courtyard, a real rarity in this area. The building was built in 1669 by the Counts Lantieri and inherited by the Persoglia family before the Second World War. A very active theatre group worked in the villa after the Second World War. The group was led by amateur theatre artists and teachers from the village, but staged challenging performances with great success. The group worked until the mid-1960s. Today the former manor house is sadly abandoned. The Church of Sv. Florjan opposite stands in a stone enclosure pierced on the eastern side with a pilaster strip entrance; it dates back to 1875. The building is covered with straw and the bell tower has a bulbous sheet metal finish. The main rectangular stone portal bears the year 1770 in the lintel. The interior, frescoed in 1889 by the painter Delneri, has three covered marble altars; the main altar is a work of the highest quality. The altarpiece depicts St. Florjana putting out the fire above the bridge over the Vrnivec stream, which the locals call "Kozjepršk". Young people from all three villages met and "married" at the "Tamale" bridge at the crossroads of Mali Žablja, Veliki Žablja and Dobravlja. The altarpiece is placed in the direction of this bridge. In the center of the church nave, in the vault, there is a plaque with an inscription and the year 1716. Velike Žablje is full of chapels that were built at different times and for different purposes and are dedicated to different saints. They are made in different architectural styles, some particularly interesting or masterpieces of famous craftsmen. The highest chapel is located at the top of the village, on Stari gora, and it also serves as a signpost. From here there is a beautiful view of the Vipava Valley.
Translated by Google •
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