Golčaj and the Church of St Neže

The Church of St. Neže on Golčaj is the oldest church in Črna grabno. It also boasts the oldest bell in Črni graben. It was made in 1423 by the bell master Anton in Venice. It is now a small bell. If the bell was made for the Golčaj church, it means that it was already standing at the beginning of the 14th century. The church is first mentioned in writing in the 1526 church census. At the time of the Turkish invasions, it was one of the richest churches. For the war against the Turks, it had to give six rhenish gold pieces, a chalice and two silver goblets.

During the Jožefin reforms, the church was closed down. No one knows when it was reopened for services. Until the beginning of the Second World War, there was also a forestry shop next to the church at the top of the Golčaj hillside. It was burnt down during the war and the church was damaged. The church was in a very poor state of repair until it was rebuilt in 1993. First the bell tower was rebuilt on the initiative of the parish priest, and later the whole church was rebuilt. During the restoration, the wooden coffered painted ceiling was also restored, which Dr Nataša Golob dates to around 1680. According to oral tradition, the church belonged to the manor house on Limbarska Gora. When the fortress collapsed, the Belneški lords took possession of the church.