The Slovenian architecture firm Medprostor – founded by Jerneja Fischer Knap, Rok Žnidaršič, and Samo Mlakar – carried out this intervention that included a movable, foldable roof to preserve the remains of the Romanesque church of the Carthusian monastery of Žiče, in the recondite valley of St. John the Baptist, in Stare Slemene.

The restoration and reconstruction job has allowed a chronological reading of the 900-year-old sacred space. Black light steel, blackened wood, and dark slate tiles form the gabled roof system, striking a contrast with the monastic building’s original masonry. Spiral stairs lead visitors to a new lookout situated in a gap of the north wall. The project addressed calls to protect heritage by ensuring reversibility, through interventions that were largely non-invasive and a sober language in respectful dialogue with original elements.