Mihael Napotnik was born on the 20th of September 1850 at Tepanjski Vrh. He completed his primary and secondary education in Konjice and Celje, and his Divinity studies in Maribor. In 1880 he was promoted to Doctor of Theology and was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Lavant in 1889.

Napotnik identified the care of the sacral heritage as one of the primary activities of his episcopacy. He set up a commission for the evaluation of new works of secral art and a commission for the preservation of antiquities. In 1896, he also formally established the Diocesan Museum in the former Jesuit College on today's Koroška Street in Maribor.

He appointed Dr Natko, who drew up detailed instructions for the protection of the heritage, as the first curator of the collection. Each consignor had to indicate the provenance of the object, the name of the parish, the purpose of the object and any folk tradition associated with it. The purpose of the museum was to collect and preserve sacral art in the diocese and to educate both the clergy and the faithful about it. Last but not least, the heritage preserved was also a stimulus and a guide for artists to continue to create sacral art.