Collections in the Former Dominican Monastery
Announcement
Due to the renovation of the former Dominican monastery it is not possible to visit the archaeological collections!
In 1230 Mehtildis, the widow of Friedrich III of Ptuj, granted a piece of land at the western outskirts of Ptuj to the Dominican monks. A year later the monks from Breže (Friesach) in Carinthia settled in the monastery, which, however, had not yet been completed at the time. The Dominicans took up preaching, spiritual guidance and education in Ptuj, managed their landed property, but they also had a rich library.
Soon after the monastery had been founded, the east and south parts of the cloister were built, and the church was extended in the 13th century with a new presbytery in a form of long choir, one of the first of its kind in central Europe. From the time of foundation of the monastery originates the entry-wall to the chapter hall that opened to the cloister with two biphores. The one on the south side of the portal still has a Romanesque semicircular bow whereas the one on the north has lancet-arched summits. In the first half of the 14th century, the eastern wall of the cloister was painted with frescoes depicting religious motifs. Attention should be paid to the depiction of Dominicans kneeling in prayer before a large figure of Christ. In the first half of the 15th century were constructed the cross-ribbed vaults of the cloister, one of the most excellent architectural elements of the monastery.
Around 1700 the refectory was embellished with stucco and paintings. At the beginning of the 18th century the old long choir was pulled down, the main altar was moved to the west part of the church and the wall facing the town was beautifully stuccoed.
In 1785, at the time of Josephinian reforms, the monastery was dissolved and its premises were let out to soldiers, and then to craftsmen. In 1926 the monastery was bought by the municipality of Ptuj. The buildings were renovated to serve the needs of municipal museum and partly of residents. In the autumn of 1928 newly compiled museum collections were open.