Medieval Portrayals of Saint Margaret

A lecture by Dr Mija Oter Gorenčič, titled “Medieval Portrayals of Saint Margaret,” will take place on 19 September 2026 at 8 p.m. at the Pastoral Centre in Preska near Medvode.

The lecture will present the oldest surviving wall paintings of St Margaret in the Slovenian lands. It will also explore the legend of St Margaret and her relics, and address the question of when her story of the battle with the dragon began to raise doubts about its credibility within the Catholic Church. Additionally, the lecture will address the connection between Saint Margaret and the Virgin Margaret, who is frequently depicted in scenes of St George fighting the dragon. The final section will focus on the surviving depictions of St Margaret in the Church of St Margaret in Žlebe near Medvode. The event will conclude with a short performance of a medieval chant dedicated to St Margaret, performed by Dr Katarina Šter.

Mija Oter Gorenčič is Head of the France Stele Institute of Art History at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) and President of the Scientific Council of ZRC SAZU. In 2002, she graduated in Art History and Slovenian Language and Literature from the University of Ljubljana, and in 2007 she received her PhD in Romanesque and Early Gothic architectural sculpture.

The lecture was prepared as part of the project “Singing Feminine Images: Female Saints in Liturgical Chant and the Arts of the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Era in the Slovenian Lands” (J6-70227), funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS).