Antro - San Giovanni d’Antro Parish, Rural Village and Cave

Nestled in a rocky wall at 348 meters above sea level, the church is reached by climbing a stone staircase of 144 steps. The current construction dates back to 1477, the year in which the master builder Andre von Lach (Andrea da Skofja Loka) signed a plaque at the threshold of the apse, together with his stonemason collaborator Jacob. After the earthquakes of 1511-1513, the parish suffered serious damage and was rebuilt and reconsecrated between 1547 and 1568.
The Chapel is located in the cave, on the right side, with a rectangular hall, a pointed triumphal arch, a polygonal presbytery with a ribbed network vault, keys, brackets and corbels of the eight figured arches representing shepherds, musicians, and peasants, certainly the work of Jacob. On a shield key, the mark of Master Andrea is visible.
The wooden altar, now placed in the large cave, is the work of Jernei Vrtav (Bartolomeo Ortari) from Caporetto, perhaps the greatest carver of the Slovenian school operating in the Cividale area at the end of the 17th century. It features niches with Saints James, John the Baptist, and Stephen; in the pediment, the Coronation of the Virgin between the Archangel Gabriel and the Annunciation scene; on the altar of the small chapel, there is a 17th-century stone statuette depicting the Madonna with Child on her lap between two Angels.