Dr. Janez Sittich, the pastor of Malečnik at that time (pastor from 1724 to 1759), built the catacombs in 1730. They are 12 meters long and 4 meters wide. In the front part there is the stone altar of the Holy Cross (Sv. Križ) with built-in relics, the sheet metal part is painted with marbling.
In the catacombs of Malečnik, which are located almost under the entire area of the parish church, there are up to 64 grave niches, called “rak” in Slovene (from the Slovene word “rakev” = baptism) on all four sides, 14 of them are walled. Priests, important local residents and services to the parish are buried in them. Immediately behind the altar is a place of honor with ten burial niches. That priests are buried here is proven by not only Latin inscriptions, but also colored skull paintings with red and black birettas (priestly headgear).
An appointment must be made in advance to visit the catacombs.
Župnija Sv. Peter pri Mariboru – Malečnik
Malečnik 34
2229 Malečnik
