Church of St. Roch

The Chapel of St. Roch differs from the other churches in the Slovenska Bistrica parish in that it was built as a private chapel. As recorded by an inscription on the stone slab above the portal, in 1922 the local resident Franc Juhart had it erected on his own estate in thanksgiving to St. Roch for the healing of his legs. When the Juhart estate was sold in 1935, the new owner was not willing to take over the chapel that came with it, so it was bought by the then town parish priest of Slovenska Bistrica, Ivan Šolinc. In 1957 it was raised to the status of a filial church of the parish of St. Bartholomew in Slovenska Bistrica.

Although modest in size, the building — in which several historical styles intertwine — is a piece of quality architecture by the Maribor architect of Czech-German descent Max Czeikey (1879–1945), who worked in Maribor in the interwar period. Among his better-known works is the café in Maribor's City Park, now home to the Aquarium-Terrarium; in Slovenska Bistrica, his plans guided the thorough Neo-Baroque rebuilding of the fine mansion at Mariborska cesta 16.

Inside the Chapel of St. Roch there is a single wooden winged altar with an image of God the Father at its summit. It is considered a characteristic work of the extraordinarily prolific Maribor sculptor Ivan Sojč (1879–1951), whose most famous work is the high altar in the Church of the Assumption of Mary in Cirkovce. The central relief of the altar depicts St. Roch, whose feast is on 16 August and who is regarded as the patron against plague diseases and is also invoked by those suffering from leg ailments. On the sides are images of St. Francis Borgia and St. Catherine of Alexandria, the name-day patrons of the spouses Juhart, Franc and Katarina.

The building, standing in a prominent position on a hill, is a very ambitious private commission. The Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica has proclaimed the chapel a cultural monument of local significance.