The oldest layer of the Podčetrtek murals has not received much attention in the relevant literature. This is also because it was not discovered until 1977[1] when almost all basic overviews of Slovenian medieval mural painting had already been written.

Ivan Stopar was the first to write about the mural in his 1979 conservation report.[2] In the report, he stated the first dating of the mural, which he believed was painted in the first half of the 14^th century. He also provided short descriptions of the individual scenes,[3] though he only iconographically defined the ones that were still preserved well enough.[4] Thus, Stopar refrained from identifying the murals to the right of the portal, as their upper band was already extremely poorly preserved at the time, while the more recent plaster in the lower band was still being removed.[5] The report also gives the only description of the remainder of the scene, which used to be visible on a fragment on the southern exterior wall.[6]

While the mural’s lower band has never been iconographically defined, the scenes on the upper band’s right side were subsequently identified. In 1996, Tanja Zimmermann specified them as depictions from the legend of St Catherine of Alexandria.[7] The same author was also the first to point out the influence of Czech art, referring to, as a comparison, the portrayal of the Apocalyptic Woman in St Mary’s Chapel at the Karlstejn Castle in Czechia (c. 1360–1362).[8] Due to the connection between the Podčetrtek mural and the Czech one, Zimmermann dated the origin of the former to the third quarter of the 14^th century.[9]

The painting was not re-evaluated until 2004, when Janez Höfler presented it as part of an overview of medieval mural painting in eastern Slovenia.[10] His contribution is significant because he was the first to mention a figure that did not belong to the main scene in the depiction of the Procession of the Magi and interpreted it as a remnant of the Virgin of Mercy with the mantle.[11] He also suggested that the legend of Catherine may have included a fourth scene depicting the saint’s funeral.[12] He dated the mural’s origins to around 1360, explaining that it was obviously strongly influenced by the earlier Czech style and that the linear style was still clearly evident, while Italian influences were not yet apparent.[13] Anabelle Križnar discussed the mural’s style and technique in 2006.[14]

HÖFLER 2004
Janez HÖFLER, Srednjeveške freske v Sloveniji. 4: Vzhodna Slovenija, Ljubljana 2004.

HÖFLER 2016
Janez HÖFLER, O prvih cerkvah in župnijah na Slovenskem. K razvoju cerkvene teritorialne organizacije slovenskih dežel v srednjem veku, Ljubljana 2016², http://www.dlib.si/details/URN:NBN:SI:doc-XT3D6JUK.

KRAŠOVEC 1980
Mirko KRAŠOVEC, Podčetrtek nekoč in danes, Podčetrtek 1980.

KRIŽNAR 2006
Anabelle KRIŽNAR, Slog in tehnika srednjeveškega stenskega slikarstva na Slovenskem, Ljubljana 2006.

OROŽEN 1887
Ignacij OROŽEN, Das Bisthum und die Diözese Lavant. 6: Das Dekanat Drachenburg, Marburg 1887.

PRIMC 1977
Branka PRIMC, Poročilo o odkritju baročnih fresk v Podčetrtku, Zbornik za umetnostno zgodovino, n. s. 13, 1977, pp. 197–198.

STOPAR 1979
Ivan STOPAR, Umetnostni in urbanistični spomeniki. Podčetrtek, Varstvo spomenikov, 22, 1979, p. 362.

VIRANT 1976
Vlado VIRANT, Podčetrtek, Krajevni leksikon Slovenije (ed. Roman Savnik), 3, Ljubljana 1976, pp. 379–380.

WEIGL 2006
Igor WEIGL, Ignacij Maria grof Attems in slikar Johann Caspar Waginger-Clery, Zbornik za umetnostno zgodovino, 42, 2006, pp. 165–181.

ZIMMERMANN 1995
Tanja ZIMMERMANN, Stensko slikarstvo poznega 13. in zgodnjega 14. stoletja, Gotika v Sloveniji (ed. Janez Höfler), Narodna galerija, Ljubljana 1995, pp. 221–223.

ZIMMERMANN 1996
Tanja ZIMMERMANN, Stensko slikarstvo poznega 13. in 14. stoletja na Slovenskem, Ljubljana 1996 (doctoral dissertation typescript).

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[1] ZIMMERMANN 1996, p. 209; HÖFLER 2004, p. 150; KRIŽNAR 2006, p. 214.
[2] STOPAR 1979, p. 362.
[3] STOPAR 1979, p. 362.
[4] STOPAR 1979, p. 362.
[5] STOPAR 1979, p. 362.
[6] STOPAR 1979, p. 362.
[7] ZIMMERMANN 1996, pp. 84–85.
[8] ZIMMERMANN 1996, p. 85.
[9] ZIMMERMANN 1996, p. 86.
[10] HÖFLER 2004, pp. 149–151.
[11] HÖFLER 2004, p. 150.
[12] HÖFLER 2004, p. 150.
[13] HÖFLER 2004, p. 151.
[14] KRIŽNAR 2006, pp. 213–216.