The Baroque church of Olimje castle offers not only a fine altarpiece. In a side chapel of the church, I discovered a statue dedicated to Saint Anthony the Great. One attribute of this saint is a pig, which appears at the feet of the saint.
Well, there is probably one question left. Why is a hog the attribute of a saint? Reading several sources gives me two answers instead of one.
The pig forms a reference to a fraternity
In 1095 a nobleman of the Dauphine founded the Hospital Brothers of Saint Anthony. Its purpose was to take care of patients suffering from the medieval disease of Saint Anthony’s fire. Local people supported the fraternity by feeding free-running pigs that were the property of the hospital brothers. That way, the community funded the fraternity.
The pig is a representation of the temptation
Other sources say the pig recalls that Saint Anthony the Great had to stand preternatural temptations during his sojourn in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Even though this legend sounds intriguing – we all know how the term swine is associated with bad feelings – I prefer the first interpretation.
The Baroque church
You find the figurine of Saint Anthony the Great in the Baroque church of Olimje Castle. Whereas Saint Anthony the Great stands in a side chapel, the main altarpiece is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque altarpieces in Slovenia.
Olimje Castle vs Olimje Monastery
In the 16th century Count Tattenbach rebuilt an older castle in Renaissance style. Around 100 years later, Baron Ivan Zakmardy of Zagreb started to convert the castle walls into a monastery. At that time, the Pauline Fathers lived in the building. Today, members of the Minorites show visitors sights like an old pharmacy and the depiction of Paracelsus.