On Sunday, October 2, we gathered at the Sacred Heart Chapel in Maribor for a classical music concert that marked the conclusion of the Jesuits’ preparations for the Year of Plečnik.

On January 7 of the following year, 60 years will have passed since the death of the great architect that was strongly connected to the Jesuits during his life. The concert titled Magis musical evening with Plečnik featured the Slovenian Philharmonic Horn Quartet, baritone Fr. Damjan Ristić SJ and Klemen Golner, the pianist of the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. In his opening speech, the archbishop of Maribor and metropolitan Alojzij Cvikl highlighted how happy he was that the Magis Jesuit college had already started giving back to the city, while culture professional and writer Tone Partljič said in his speech that “what Plečnik did in architecture could be compared to what Prešeren did with his collection of poems Poezije.” They both reached the highest European standards without any predecessors, which is a miracle.

Fr. Peter Rožič, the principal of the college, expressed a special thanks to the Fuisz family from the US that strongly supports the Jesuit projects for civil society. He also thanked Franci Pliberšek, the founder and director of the Mik company, who also supports the work of the Jesuits.

Magis musical evening with Plečnik was the first of many events planned by the Jesuits to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of death of the greatest Slovenian architect on January 7 next year. In the following year, they are preparing more architecture events, conferences and study trips with the intention to present the lesser known sides of Plečnik.