Kostanjevica na Krki Monastery (Kostanjevica Castle, Studenec svete Marije monastery - lat. Fons sanctae Mariae or Fons beatae virginis Mariae) was built in 1234 near the settlement of Kostanjevica na Krki. It was founded by the Carinthian duke Bernard of Spanheim. The monastery is known for its former monastery church and the most extensive arcades of any building in Slovenia. Today, the monastery houses the Božidar Jakac Gallery, and the surrounding park is home to a forma viva.
Kostanjevica na Krki Monastery is an immovable monument of national importance and was declared so on 6 October 1999. A cultural national monument is a building that has exceptional cultural value at the national level. Such buildings are initially assessed as cultural heritage and then entered into the Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage. The declaration is carried out by acts of proclamation adopted by the competent authority. These acts are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia or the local community gazette.
In addition to the monastery, there is also a park with a Forma Viva. Forma Viva are sculptures by various sculptors from Slovenia and the world, created at annual symposia in Kostanjevica since 1961. The wooden statues are placed in and around the monastery, as well as in the town of Kostanjevica na Krki. Forma Viva was declared an immovable monument of national importance on 6 October 1999 and is also entered in the Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage.