The Vrzdenec church is one of the most interesting medieval monuments in Slovenia; originally a Romanesque church (a typical window in the north wall of the nave has been preserved), a Gothic rib-vaulted single-bay sanctuary terminating in three sides of an octagon was added in the first half of the 15th century in the place of the earlier apse. The building was decorated with wall paintings from early on (shortly after 1320); a century later, these were painted over with new ones (Gorizia workshop, c. 1410/20), while the paintings in the sanctuary by Master Leonard date from early in the 16th century. There are also two wall paintings of St Christopher on the exterior of the nave: the earlier one, produced by the Gorizia workshop around 1410/20, is on the north-facing wall, while the one on the south-facing wall was painted around the middle of the 16th century.
The earlier painting layer stretches in two bands along both longitudinal walls of the nave: the upper band shows scenes from the infancy of Jesus, while the lower one depicts the Passion; most of the scenes are preserved in fragmentary form.
The exhibit is a mirror image of a segment of the upper band of paintings on the north wall of the nave, in the section between the two Baroque pilasters; it is preserved as an impression of the paint layer on the back of the plaster layer, which formed the base layer for the painting from around 1410/20, and was subsequently removed. The plaster layer was removed by the decision of the Monuments Office (1925–1926) in order to present the older nave painting in full.
The female figure (Anna the prophetess) on the right belongs to the adjacent scene (Presentation at the Temple ?); on her left and facing the opposite direction are two kings bearing gifts, which are part of the composition of the Procession of the Magi. All three figures are dressed in long, tight-fitting robes with long tapered sleeves. The drawing is distinct and subtle, while the plasticity of the bodies is weak; the space is defined with Gothic trefoil arches above the figures. – This layer of the wall painting in the Vrzdenec church was produced by a local painting workshop whose artists were working in the High Gothic linear style; its works can be found in several locations in the Gorenjska region.
Vrzdenec near Horjul, succursal Church of St Cantianus