The Franciscans came to Maribor in 1864 on the invitation of Bishop Anton Martin Slomšek and they took over the church of St. Mary Mother of Mercy as well as s Slovene perish in a former suburb of Graz. In 1900 they built a new church and monastery that in 1906 became a basilica.
In 1927 the Franciscan parish bought some land, west of the town’s cemetery, where a new cemetery was arranged. In the middle of the cemetery a cross was erected. At the passage from the town’s cemetery to the Franciscan cemetery, two brick arcaded hallways were built in 1930, designed by the architect Maks Czeike. Those hallways consist of 18 arches under which tombs are located. The Franciscian cemetery was consecrated by Bishop Karlin in 1929.