Religion

Roman Catholicism has likely had the most impact on Slovene culture of any religion, with a majority of Slovenes, or 71 percent, identifying as such. During the Reformation in the 1500s, Protestantism rose to prominence but later suffered a decline in its adherent population.

Protestants make up 1% of the population, Muslims 1%, and Eastern Orthodox Christians 2% of the total. In Murska Sobota, the majority of Protestants attend the Lutheran church. Slovenia historically had a tiny Jewish community, but they were expelled from the country in the fifteenth century. There is currently not a single functioning Jewish temple in Slovenia, despite the fact that the ruins of a synagogue may still be seen in Maribor. The small Jewish community in Ljubljana occasionally attends services led by the rabbi of Zagreb, Croatia.

There are a number of churches that are regarded as destinations for pilgrimages and settings for spiritual regeneration. A basilica honoring Saint Vid was first built in Brezje in the 1100s. Leopold Layer's paintings decorate the chapel honoring the Virgin Mary that sits in the middle of the church. The Gothic church of Ptujska Gora, built at the end of the fourteenth century and perched on a mountain, is well-known for its exquisite altar.

In the Alps' foothills, at Sveta Gora, lies another pilgrimage church. The main pilgrimage days for all three churches are the feast days of the Virgin Mary. Sticna Monastery and Pleterje Carthusian Monastery are two monasteries that are open to visitors, who frequently come not only for spiritual reflection but also to buy the herbal cures that the monks are renowned for.