The Pleterje Charterhouse
Below the Gorjanci Mountains, hidden in a picturesque valley near Sentjernej, lies the Pleterje Charterhouse. It is the only Carthusian monastery still active in Slovenia. It is a magical place that inspires contemplation and reflection. The Carthusian Order is a spiritual Catholic order characterised by the solitude and silence of its members, who have devoted themselves entirely to the path of God and their relationship with Him alone. No other goal defines the order. As a result, most of the monastery is cloistered and not open to the public.
The life of the monks
Within the order, monks can choose between two paths: as a padre or as a brother. The padres, or cell monks, live alone in their cells, which they only leave for communal liturgy and on rare occasions for communal recreation.
The ‘cells’ are small houses built around the large cloister of the monastery. Fasting is a central part of the padres' daily routine. Twice a day in summer and once a day in winter, the padres receive ample meals through a hatch in their cells. In the evenings, they live on drinks and bread alone. On their day of abstinence, usually Friday, they live on water and bread alone.
The monks of the monastery also live a life of solitude, but one that is less confined to their cells. They support the monastery community with their work, whether in the vineyard, the fruit and vegetable gardens, the kitchen, the tailor's workshop, etc. They find their way to God in their daily routine of silent manual labour. They take their meals together in silence and are free to decide whether they too will observe a day of abstinence.
Otherwise, the daily routines of the padres and brothers follow a strict schedule, marked by prayer, Mass and spiritual study.
Products from the monastery
The monks and employees of the monastery cultivate around 30 hectares of agricultural land in a natural way according to organic principles. Fruit and wine growing are particularly important. The monks also keep sheep and bees and maintain their own fish ponds.
Wines from the Pleterje monastery
The monastery's location in the Dolenjska region (Lower Carniola) means that the focus is on the region's most famous wine, Cvicek. This is a traditional Slovenian wine made from red and white grape varieties (Zametovka, Blaufränkisch, Kraljevina, Welschriesling, Ranfol). Alongside Italian Chianti, it is the only wine in the world with a legally protected composition and bears the PTP designation. It has a bright red colour and is characterised by fresh fruit aromas and a delicate, fresh taste. With only 8.5-10% alcohol and lively acidity, it is a great light wine for many occasions.
Monastery spirits and liqueurs
Every year, the monks and staff at the monastery lovingly handcraft pears, apples, plums and juniper berries from their own monastery garden into excellent spirits. They are left to mature to perfection in wooden barrels in the mystical monastery cellar. A speciality is the Pleterje pear, a pear brandy with a pear in the bottle. This grows slowly on the tree into the bottle over the course of the year before being carefully cleaned by hand and the bottle filled with pear brandy. The Pleterje monastery spirit, made according to an old recipe from over 49 herbs, is also a unique speciality that can only be found in Pleterje.
Monastery honey
In very good years, when the trees are in full bloom and the bees have been particularly busy, we have the privilege of receiving a few jars of the monastery's excellent honey for our customers. The honey is mainly produced for the monks themselves and is only sold to the outside world in very good years. In addition to classic fruity honey, the charterhouse produces an incomparable sweet chestnut honey. Spicy, fruity, pure enjoyment.
If you would like to learn more about the Pleterje charterhouse, the monks and their lives, you can find exciting insights into monastery life and history provided directly by the charterhouse here.
