Articles by Dr. Jožko Šavli:
Slovenians are Masters in handcrafted wooden goods,
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| the locally popular Suha Roba |
For centuries the people of Ribnica and the surrounding area maintained the tradition of creating wooden products for everyday use in kitchen and homes. These goods, called suha roba in Slovenian, were a very popular trade commodity as early as the 14th century. The year 1492 was important for the economy of Ribnica. At that time the town faced the threat that, because of endless Turkish raids and pillaging, the entire population would leave. For this reason Emperor Frederick III awarded its inhabitants the right to perform untaxed trade with their products throughout the Austrian lands. The following emperors confirmed the patent.
| It was at that time, that the »krošnjarji« (the traveling salesman) became famous. They carried their goods in baskets and sold them throughout Slovenia, the Alpine countries and Dalmatia. They traded with Germany, Greece, Spain and even with Africa and India. Their healthy sense of humour and good will made the Ribnica's krošnjarji the keeper of jokes, ideas and stories through the centuries. This also explains the origin of the local song “I am Urban from Ribnica, known throughout the world...” |
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Sample of the original song sung by the krošnjarji
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| Sem Ribnican Urban, po celem svetu znan. Pa bistre sem glave, pa lice imam nove. Zlice, zlice, zlice. Poglejte, zlice. Velike in majhne in še manjše in najmanjše. Male, male, male. Slišite? Cingl, congl, ropotale. Zlice so stare skoraj toliko kot usta. Ja, skozi usta se hrano hrusta. V usta se jo pa z lico nosi. Arabela, kaj pa ti? Ti pa ne? Ja, nic ne morem pomagat. Ti mi kar verjemi, kar ti povem. |
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| Povem ti pa in vam tudi, da so zlice lesene, tale je lesena, poglejte jo. Tako lepo je okrašena. So plasticne in kovinske. |
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| So tudi srebrne in celo zlate. |
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| Zlice so jušne, za juho, so kavne, so cajne. |
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The »krošnjarji« (traveling salesman) now and then
In the permanent exhibition of the Technical Museum of Slovenia curators and researchers enable their stories to be told - the rich array of purposes for which their predecessors made objects, used them, and through time improved and changed their forms.
It was a craft that was particularly strong in the forested regions of Lower Carniola, and it survived to this day in the areas around Ribnica and Kocevje in the Kocevski Rog district.
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In the Ribnica castle one can admire the exhibition of the traditional tools used for the making of various wood objects. |
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The home industry of suha roba - small and medium sized everyday kitchen and household items from wood - has a long tradition in Slovenian lands. In the dark winter evenings of days gone by, peasant folk took a well-deserved break from working in the fields. This was the time when family members gathered and formed a domestic production line for making wooden goods.
Family members gather for the production of hand-crafted wooden goods
Sieve making
This craft included an enormous variety of products, from toothpicks, through spatulas, spoons and ladles, to rims and bases, sieves and bolters, as well as a whole host of vessels and tools. Turned and lathed items were also produced, as were wickerwork ones. Although, for the most part confined to useful everyday items for the home and farmstead, production also extended to children’s toys, decorative articles and souvenirs.
Hand-madeTote bags from Ribnica
In addition to beech - by far the most common material used in the production of such wooden items - spruce, fir, beech, maple, oak, ash and willow (wicker) were also employed, depending on the particular product, its purpose, and thus the properties that the construction materials needed to exhibit.
| The Slovenian tradition is expressed in the way of making, which is manual and preserves all the procedures of the traditional making of wooden vessels. Our grandfather used them for water, grapes and for storing various kinds of produce. These wooden products are nowadays adapted to the modern usage. |
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Slovenian tradition is exhibited in each product
| The value of these vessels lies in their naturalness. Dry food products, cereals and herbs stored in these vessels keep their flavour, complete value and quality. Nowadays we are bombarded with products made of artificial materials. Wooden vessels are the product of the future in which ecological awareness and high-quality products will be necessary. |
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Today, the tradition of suha roba and the krošnjarji (wood-smith) has slowly faded into history. However, the customs and traditions connected to the trade are revived every year at the traditional fair in Ribnica, and the suho-robar from Ribnicia can be met at every country fair and farmers' market in Slovenia. (May 17, 2008)
Technical Museum of Slovenia
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| Old City Ribnica (Slovenia info) |
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| www.randburg.com/si/ribnica.html |
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
The one who walks the mountains in Slovenia, will also find the legendary Triglav rose (Potentilla nitida), triglavska roža in Slovenian, which has been named after the Triglav, the highest peak in the country. This endemic species is frequently found in the Julian Alps. It is also thriving in the Karavanke Mountain Ridge and on Grintovec in the Kamnik Alps. - The legend says, that a wild hunter fired at the white steinbock with golden horns to gain access to treasures. Blood gushed out of the steinbock's wounds, and wherever it touched the earth a flower sprang up, the roža mogota (magic flower). When Zlatorog, the steinbock with the golden horns, ate the flowers he was healed instantly. This flower was the Triglav rose. Then, in his anger, he has thrown the wild hunter into a precipice. - The somewhat pale flower does not remind us of the blood of Zlatorog, it did not stick in people's memory. Much more important was the admonition: Man has to respect nature, which otherwise will revenge on him.
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Slovenian Collectors item:
RARE SLOVENIA 5 TOLAR NOTE UNC in the Coins Stamps
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Zoisova vijolica (Viola zoysii), this high mountain species is relatively endemic in the Karavanke mountain ridge, which is situated between Carniola (Slovenia) and Carinthia (Austria). In around 1785 it attracted the attention of Carl Zois, brother of Sigismund or Žiga Zois, the well-known Slovenian culture worker. Carl Zois sent it to the Jesuit Franz Xaver Wulfen, a naturalist based in Celovec (Klagenfurt), who described it and named it after its founder: Viola zoyisii. He called the flower "the most beautiful child of our mountains". It blooms in May and June. On the rare plant list the Zoisova vijoica is enumerated among the species of endangered flowers. |
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(by Dr. Jožko Šavli, April 2, 2007) |
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Kravji sled (Wulfenia Carinthiaca), or Kuhtritt in German (literally: cow's footstep), is a very rare endemic flower, which grows in the Carnic Alps (Karnijske Alpe, Karnische Alpen). This mountain group rises in the southern part of the Zila/Gail Valley, between Carinthia and Friuli. It was named in honour of Franz Xaver Frh. von Wulfen, who described it in detail. This rare flower can be found in particular on the slopes of peak Gorniške skale (Gartnerkogel, 2198 m) in the above mentioned mountain chain, where it grows at an altitude of 1300 to 2000 m. (by Dr. Jožko Šavli, March 19, 2007)
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The 50,000 year old Neanderthal |
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"flute" is a multiply pierced cave |
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bear bone found associated with |
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Neanderthal remains in Divje |
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Baba, Slovenia, and considered by |
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its discoverers to be a flute.
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Velikonocnica (Pulsatilla grandis)
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
is a very rare flower in Slovenia. It is named after Easter (Velika noc, in Slovenian), because it blossoms in early spring when Easter celebrations are set to begin. It grows on the panoramic Boc mountain (980 m), pron. botch, south of Poljcane, in Lower Styria. This flower is the most important characteristic species on the mountain, but it is also the most threatened flower in Slovenia. With regards to its environmental surroundings, the flower is very delicate and therefore rare and endangered. In the proximity of the mountaineers' refuge on Boc, nature friends sometimes place a memorial at the site of the flower. Apart from Boc mountain in Slovenia, it is also found on Šentviška gora in the surroundings of Tolmin. (March 13, 2007)
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Dr. Jožko Šavli
Zlato jabolko (literally: golden apple) is the Slovenian name for the Carniolian lily (Lilium carniolicum). It is really not so rare and not so very special, but it is a beautiful flower. It can be found in abundance among the rich flora of the Julian Alps, where a truly natural botanical garden was first discovered by Hacquet at the end of the 18th century.
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Potonika
Dr. Jožko Šavli
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| Potonika, the peony (Paeonia officinalis), is a characteristic and not terribly rare specimen of the Karst plant life in Slovenia, although its beautiful blossoms are exposed to human predators. In May it blooms in abundance on remote sunny stone slopes- a delight for the eye.
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| Zois' Bellflower (Campanula zoysii). Around 3000 highland plants (ferns and seed-bearing plants) grow in Slovenia, and approximately 70 of them are endemic. Zois' bellflower was found more than 200 years ago in the Bohinj Alps and on Storžic; it grows in the Julian and Kamnik Alps and in the Karavanke. (Ciril Mlinar) |
Cupa
Cupa (pron. tchupa) a characteristic Slovenian fishing-boat
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
Slovenian fishing villages are found along the Adriatic coast, extending from Trieste ("Trst") westwards to the port of Monfalcone - Tržic. Since the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the First World War, this area has belonged to Italy. These villages include: Devin (Duino), Nabrežina (Aurisina), Sv. Križ (S. Croce), Prosek (Prosecco), Kontovel (Contovello), and Barkovle (Barcola). Each village had its own territorial water, except the last one, which is located close to the coast and is today a suburb of Trieste. The villages are clustered on the Karst Plain high above the sea.
The Karst plateau offers a beautiful panorama of the Gulf of Trieste and its idyllic coast which extends deep under the Karst edge. The coast is covered with pine trees and Mediterranean plants. On a small promontory there is the romantic castle, Miramar, with its white outer walls. It can be seen from far away. The structure was built in the second half of the 19th century and it has the following story:
Cesare dell'Acqua: Archduke Maximilian is leaving Miramar for Mexico, in 1864. - At the bottom of the picutre one can see cupa-boats.
One of the above cupa boats has been cut out and presented here in a separate picture
In 1856, Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg (a younger brother of Emperor Francis Joseph), was sailing on a warship in the Gulf of Trieste. Bad weather forced him to seek shelter in a small bay near the point of Grlan (Grignano). He spent the night in a cottage on a small farm that belonged to a Slovenian fisherman, named Danev. The following morning, when the weather cleared up, he enjoyed a breath-taking view of the Karst slopes and the sea. Inspired by such natural beauty, he purchased the land on Grlan Point and had the fairytale castle Miramar (1860) built on it, where eventually, he and his consort Charlotte spent a few happy years. However in 1864 he was nominated to be the Emperor of Mexico and had to leave the beautiful castle for Vera Cruz. After some years, the republican revolutionaries shot him to death in the city of Queretaro († 1867).
There were other events, which lingered in the public's imagination for some time, for example: In 1865, a shark got caught in a net which belonged to the fishermen from Sv. Križ. It was a sensation in those times. The monster could not be brought under control. But because he was beating with his head and tail, he killed himself. Hundreds of people came from Trieste to see the monster. This included the Empress Elisabeth who came from Miramar to see the animal with her own eyes. The shark was thereafter prepared for the Museum of Natural Sciences in Trieste, where he still today can be seen.
The Cupa Boat
On the coast of Trieste, Slovenian fishermen used several types of boats. Among them, the cupa is the most characteristic one. In Slovenia, a boat made from a single tree trunk, hollowed out by hand, is generally called a "drevak". It is also known under the less familiar name "kopanja" (pron. copanya). But this expression derives from the same root as "kupola" (cupola). I think, the older and more original name of cupa was even cupola (pronounced "tchupola"). The name cupa must be considered as an abbreviation of cupola. This palatalised word (k > c, tch) seems to be identical with the cupola (dome) perhaps because the cupa or cupola has such a shape when it is overturned.
The cupa is narrow and relatively long and, hence a very unstable boat. In the event of a storm the fishermen had to find shelter soon somewhere along the coast. Storms, however, came from the continent so those who were in the Gulf under the Karst plateau needed to be notified in time. Family members warned the fishers of the peril that approached by making very loud noises from the edge of the plateau. Despite these warnings it still happened from time to time that some boats would sink in heavy rains and wind.
In this connection, as Vladimir Gruden from Nabrežina remembers, they had a saying, which went like this, "The one who does not know how to pray, shall not set out on sea." He also remembers that the first fish, which could be caught as early as February, were called jeraj (it. agon). Other fish species arrived in March, April and May, after which the fish migration ended. Hence people used to say, "The month of May is asking, how much do you have in the pocket" (i.e., from the sale of fish).
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One of the rare examples of cupa-boats, which has been preserved and is now on exhibition in the Ethnographic Museum of Lubljana (Slovenia). |
The fishing with cupa boats could only be done in waters close to the coast. To fish on the open sea larger fishing boats had to be used. The traditional way of fishing using the cupa boat, as well as the fishing itself, lasted until the World War I. Thereafter, its use went into gradual decline. The end of the Second World War preserved only two examples of the cupa. One of them, called "Maria", was transferred to the Ethnographic Museum of Lubljana (Slovenia). The other one is on display in Trieste.
The fishing boat, called a "cupa", was hewn from a single trunk, generally a fir tree or marine pine tree (Pinus marittima). The life span of the boat was about 50 years. It was 7 meters long, but only 0.7 meters wide and about 0.7 meters deep. Given its narrowness, the boat was relatively speedy: it could reach up to 5 knots over short distances. It could have a long traversal pole which was 5.3 meters long, one end of which was fixed a meter and a half meter ahead of the stern. It was called a teslir. Both ends of the teslir were connected with an arch of dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) called brcagla (pron. brtchagla), which passed across the bow. The sculls were leaned against one end of the teslir, while a very solid dogwood arch hindered the break of the same teslir during rowing.
Normally, a cupa crew consisted of two men. While rowing this boat, the vessel endured potentially perilous flank waves because the boat was so narrow. In order to keep the boat stable, the cupa had to have very long sculls: one scull was six meters long. The sculls were hewed from beech wood. Apart from this, the sculls had to be bound very firmly to the ends of the teslir so that it would not been thrown out of the rowlock, else the cupa could have easily overturned.
The scheme of the cupa-boat with »teslir« and »brcagla«.
The discovery and the spread of the cupa boat
Its origin must have been very ancient. Its structure, it is true, recalls a pre-historic way of construction, which has been adapted to local sailing conditions. Capt. Bruno Lisjak, who made the best study concerning this boat, recently discovered that the name cupa is also known in the area around Ilmen Lake in the St. Petersburg region, in Russia. It is very interesting that Nestor, the Russian chronicler from the 11th century AD, adduces the Slovieni, i.e., as one of the early Russian peoples, who settled right in this area.
In his work Capt. Lisjak offers an ample survey, regarding the locations of dugouts similar to the cupa. He notes several examples which were used on the lakes of Northern Europe from Pomerania to Carelia. The dugouts which were used in lakes Rybinsk and Ilmen (in Russia), were called "cupas".
In the Slovenian area, the oldest example was found in the one-time swampy ground around Lubljana ( around the 8th century BC). In the castle Snežnik, however, there is an example on display which was used as late as the 20th century AD on Cerknica Lake (east of Postojna). The dugouts which were most similar to the Slovenian cupa were those used in Dalmatia.
Indeed, the Dalmatians knew it under the name landva (evidently from "ladja" - ship). As several documents bear witness, the name "cupola" (tchupola) must have also been known there. In 1272, for example, in the statute of the city of Kotor (Cattaro) the following quotation in Latin is found: "gondola vel barca aut zolla". This is, a boat similar to a gondola or a barge called a "zolla". The name "cola" (tchola), in Latin, is an abreviation of "cupola" (today's "cupa"). Another quotation is found in the statute of Trogir (Trau) from 1322, that reads: "barce et copuli". Similarly, in the statute of Hvar (Lesina) of 1331 we find: "pro quolibet zopulo sive barca". The statute of the Pag commune of 1433 reads: "barcam zopulum vel batellum", and that of the Krk (Cherso) commune of 16th century says: "cymba vel barca". Here, the quotation "cymba" (pron. very probably as tchumba) must have been the Latin word "cumpa"(tchumpa), from which the form "cupa" derives.
The first document concerning Slovenian fishing in the Trieste area, and in which the cupa is mentioned, is a charter which goes back to 1621. In that year Count Mathias, son of Count Raymond of Devin, noticed several fishers who went astray in the territorial waters of Devin while returning from fishing. They were from Sv. Križ, a village in the commune of Trieste. Therefore, he confiscated their cupa boats and fishing equipment. In this charter the cupa is called zoppol. This Latin form can only be a non-abbreviated word of cupola (tchupola), which it seems, was still used alongside that of cupa.
A painting has be preserved from 1841 which depicts the cupa with one rower. In the background we see the village of Barkovle with the St. Bartholomeus church. G. Rieger made the painting.
G. Rieger: Barkovle (Barcola) in 1841 with the cupa-boat in the foreground
Rowing Regatta
In 1871, Trieste hosted the International Exposition of Agriculture, Industry and Arts. The organizers prepared several shows, among which was a Rowing Regatta. The regatta's organizing committee established five categories of boats for the contest, i.e., boats with six, five, four, three, two and one rower. The category with one rower used the cupa boats. The winners were awarded with five golden coins for a first place finish, three for a second place finish and one for third place.
The regatta stretched from Barkovle (now a suburb of Trieste) to Miramare castle. The competition began on the 27th of September and it was well attended. They were spread out along the coast and in numerous boats. A steamer of the Austrian Lloyd, full of inquisitive people, was anchored near the regatta area.
This contest might be considered a predecessor to the well-known regatta called Barcolana (after Barkovle, it. Barcola). It is one of the most important competitions at the international level.
Rowing regatta with cupa-boats in 1871,
when Trieste hosted the International Exposition of Agriculture, Industry and Arts.
Selected bibliography:
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Bruno Volpi Lisjak: Slovensko pomorsko ribištvo skozi stoletja, od Trsta do Timave/Slovenian Sea Fishing through the Centuries, from Trieste until the Timava River/, Trst - Trieste 1995
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Zorko Jelincic: Cupa, njeno življenje, razvoj in smrt /Cupa, its life, development and death/, reprint from the paper Primorski dnevnik, Trst - Trieste 1967
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Rado L. Lencek: Cupa - Cupus a hollowed out boat in Russian and Slovene, in: Studies in Slavic linguistics and Poetics in honour of Boris Unbegaun (University of London press), N.Y. 1968
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The Yodeler
It is not true, that the tune of shouting with joy exists only inTyrol.
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| In Styria, Carinthia... and also in Slovenia it has been used as a form of communication since ancient times. |
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Julian Alps in Slovenia with their beautiful panorama. Hardly any one is aware of the fact, that at one-time the shouting with joy, also in form of the yodel, has been wide spread in these mountains.
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People all over the world know that the art of yodelling is a typical Tyrolian shouting with joy. Therefore, I was surprised to read, that the older yodel originated in Styria (cf. W. Scheingraber; ABC alpenländischer Volkskultur, Dachau 1988, p. 108). The author says, this yodel appears to be the most characteristic one in the area of Schneeberg (north of Semmering, between Styria and Lower Austria). He also says, this yodel distinguishes itself from the one in Carinthia, which is of a particular soft melodic sound. He further explains that it also distinguishes itself from the one, which is practized in the Alpine areas of Upper Austria, Salzburg, Upper Bavaria and Tyrol.
According to W. Scheingraber, in the Austrian Alpine world, boys quasi make their own yodel "concerts". In Styria and in Tyrol, for example, when a group of young fellows comes together to yodel, the low chest notes are considered the main melody. It is a type of singing in which high falsetto and low chest notes are rapidly alternated; its production is helped by the enunciation of open and closed vowels on the low and high notes of wide intervals. What makes yodeling different from singing is the direct transition from the chest voice to the head voice and vice versa by the larynx. Yodeling started out with a single voice melody. That's why it's still very typical that a single voice starts the piece. Then a second voice was added, then a third, and sometimes a bass line. In Upper and Lower Austria the middle voice of the three is the main melody which makes it especially interesting.
It is true, that until recently, the yodel was also widely spread in the Alpine world of neighbouring Slovenia. Nevertheless, the recorders of Slovenian popular songs and tunes never paid any attention to this fact. They always thought, the tunes were not of Slovenian origin, but rather taken over from Tyrol. Until recently, the Slovenian people were considered to be a part of the Southern Slavs, who are not knowledgeable in any kind of yodelling, therefore, the recorders ignored the Slovenian melodic yodeling style, because they were convinced that it was a typical "German" habit. A charlatanry, they commited one more time in good faith.
In the Alpine world, the older yodel tune was an array of short yells, produced in an instant delightful humour. I myself remember from my childhood the days after WW2, when a cry of joy meant to greet other herdsmen, who pastured their cows high in the Alpine meadows. This was their way of communication from one mountain peak to another. In this way they greeted each other early in the morning, when they caught sight of each other from afar. Also the haymakers, who were cutting grass on the meadows in the lower hills, greeted each other with a yodel, when they arrived early in the morning on the fields.
The idyllic Alpine landscapes in Austria, where the most genuine yodel survived until nowadays.
To yodel on the idyllic mountains surrounded by peace and freedom, was an expression of joy and also of personal sentiments. If a person had the reputation to be the best shouter and yodeler, he proudly presented himself in front of the whole village community. I still remember the most general habits of yodelling, which sounded like: you you you youuuu how how (ju ju ju juuuu hu hu). In my native country, in the Alpine world around Tolmin, above the upper Soca (Isonzo) Valley, this simple tune of shouting was the most widely spread. But each boy invented his own melody, which also changed according to his humour and the environs. The male force expressed himself in the sound of youuu... which had to be very quickly higher and longer. Yes, high on the hills, enjoying the panorama of the beautiful world all around, one also yodelled alone, because this sound came from his heart as an expression of happiness.
The original Alpine yodel must have a very ancient origin. Very probably the pre-historical herdsmen yodelled high up in the mountains, where they had peace and freedom. They might have been of Venetic or even of pre-Venetic origin. But it is very interesting, that the yodel is limited to the Alpine area. In the southern part of the same Slovenia, in the Dinaric hills, which continue to extend into the Balkans alongside the Adriatic Sea, the yodel and cry of joy are not known. In this area, opposite to cattle-breeding in the Alps, sheep-farming is the historical tradition. Why the cow herdsmen yodel and why the shepherds don't, is not known. It also never came to my attention, that herdsmen from any other mountain ranges, like the Carpathians or Pyrenees, have the knowledge of yodeling.
Since immemorial times the yodel has been a response, which, at the sight of the Alpine mountains, came from the inside of a man's soul. An expression of happiness and felicity, when one found himself high in the mountains, in the centre of the divine world.
(cf: Slovenian Literature - article Dr. Julius Kugy)
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| It was founded as a legacy of Kocel, the Count Palatine of Carantania |
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The present-day view of Možnica (Moggio) Monastery in northern Friuli, which in 1115 was founded as a legacy of Count Kocel, Palgrafe of Carantania. The arms with the cock remember St. Gallus. |
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| In the 12th century AD, the valley of the Bela (Fella) River and its tributaries, a part of Friuli, pertained to the noble Kocel (Chezil, Chazilo), who was the Count Palatine of Carantania, and the major-domo at the court of Emperor Henry IV the Salian (1056 - 1106). His estates were stretching from the creek Grigno at the entrance to the Bela Valley up to the village of Pontebba. Kocel owned also real estate in Carinthia, and donated ca. 1065 properties to Bishop Altwin of Brixen (Tyrol). |
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| Kocel's centre and residence was castle Možnica (Mozo, Moggo) in Friuli, built on a mound above the Bela River, soon after its entrance into the valley. The castle has been mentioned for the first time in a document from 1072, which reads: castrum quod Mosniz nuncupatur (the castle called Možnica). The name has its root in the ancient Slovenian etymon mogila (today gomila), meaning a mound. The palatalized form možnica, with the suffix - ica, even denotes a settlement on the mound. Thus, the site must have been a fort in very early times. |
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| In 1084, while preparing for his first Crusade, Kocel donated the castle and several estates to Svatobor, the Patriarch of Aquileia (1084 - 1086). The donation was conditional, that on the castle's grounds a Benedictine abbey, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Gallus, should be founded. The territory that was donated to the monastery should occupy the valley of Bela (Fella) as well as those of Rezija and, in present-day Slovenia, the valleys of Bovec (Pletium) and of Breginj (Woriano). It was not until 1115, that Kocel's bequest began to take shape under Patriarch Ulric I Eppenstein (1086 - 1121), and in 1119 the abbey was consecrated. |
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The monastery of Dobrla vas (Eberndorf) in southern Carinthia, a founding of Kocelin, Kocel's son, in 1106. The arms are not those of the founder as usually, but of the monastery itself. |
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| About Kocel we have no further knowledge, except that he had a son called Kocelin (Chacelinus, Kazzelin). Like his father, he also donated properties to Patriarch Ulric I, who in 1106 founded a provost ship in Dobrla vas (Dobrendorf, Eberndorf) in the Juna Valley, Carinthia. Under Patriarch Peregrin (1132 - 1161) a monastery of Canons Regular was founded, which in 1154 adopted the rules of the Augustinians. |
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| Who was Count Kocel? He pertained to the family of Aribonians, who had several lines. They are known to be of Bavarian origin, but it seems, in reality they were Carantanians. Abbot Ekkehart of St. Gallen (10th century AD) said among other things:... paterno de sanguine Noricae gentis antiquissimam nobilitatem trahebant, illius nimirum famosi Aerbonis posteri... (Uragiensis Chronica). This means: Noricans after the father's blood were the very ancient nobles, the issues of the famous Aribo... In the Middle Ages, not the Bavarians, but the Carantanians were frequently called Noricans. |
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| The Countess Wichburg, who in ca. 1010 founded the Monastery of St. George (in today's Carinthia) and her sister Countess Adala, the foundress of the Monastery of Göß (in today's Styria), pertained to the Hartwiks, a family line of the Aribonians. Both sisters, being ladies, had the right to make donations and establish foundations only in sense of the Carantanian "institutio Sclavenica", and not in sense of any other German law. Thus, the Aribonians were Carantanians. Further on, around 1070, the Aribonians founded the abbey in Millstatt (Carinthia) as a family vault. Due to several accidents, it was later transferred to Seeon in Bavaria. Why would the vault not have been built directly in Bavaria, if the family really was of Bavarian origin? |
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| The Carantanian name forms Chazilo and Chazelin also speak of Carantanian (Slovenian) origin. In the Bavarian or Swabian version the same name appears in the form of Kadalhoch or Kadolah. Nevertheless, already in 1104 the line of the Aribonian Count Palatines died out. One of the Aribonian lines, the Peilsteins, had their properties in the area of the Danube (present-day Lower and Upper Austria). This line survived still in the heraldic period, and died out with Count Frederick III († 1218). This family bore in their coat of arms the Carantanian black panther. |
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The Russian Chapel
A memorial chapel under the Vršic Pass in the Julian Alps
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
In 1914 at the break-out of the WW1, at the eastern front, where the Austrian - Hungarian forces encountered Russian troops, there were thousands of war prisoners on both sides. In 1915, a new war front was deployed between Austria - Hungary and Italy, in which the most ardent front battles were fought in the mountains above the upper Soca (Isonzo) Valley. There, in the basin of Bovec (Flitsch, Plezzo), in the middle of the Julian Alps, both armies faced each other. But the Austrian - Hungarian army could receive supply only by ways of the lateral Trenta Valley (620 - 792 m), which was accessible through the Vršic Pass (1156 m) from Kranjska gora in the northern Sava Valley.
For this purpose, a road had to be built over the Vršic Pass, and in 1915, the commando of the Austrian army, stationed in Villach/Beljak in Carinthia, engaged more of 10,000 Russian prisoners to carry out the aforesaid project. They laboured during the winter months, clearing the new road piece by piece from deep snow. However, on March 12, 1916, the Russian camp at the Vršic Pass was destroyed by an enormous snow avalanche charging down the nearby Mojstrovka mountain, and more then 300 prisoners including their guards lost their lives under the snow. The surviving comrades built in their memory a small chapel below the pass. In 1937 all victims were buried in a common grave marked with a little pyramid.
During the period of the Yugoslav regime, i.e., after the WW1 and the WW2, nobody paid attention to the memorial chapel, which served only as a tourist attraction for by-passers, who travelled the Vršic Pass.
After the declaration of Slovenia's independence, in 1991, and after the downfall of the Communist regime in Russia, the diplomatic relations between two Slav nations were restored. Thereafter, the Russian Chapel below the Vršic Pass became an important memorial object that connected the Russian and Slovenian nations. For example, on July 29, 2001, the metropolitan Kyril of the Russian Orthodox Church honoured in memory the dead Russian soldiers at the Vršic Pass from WW1. Many Russians, who tourist Slovenia, do not forget to pay the Russian Chapel a visit.
Unofficially, the road over the Vršic Pass is called Ruska cesta (Russian road). On May 25, 2002, the Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dimitrij Rupel, traditionally celebrated the 10th anniversary of Slovenian - Russian diplomatic relations at the Russian Chapel under the Vršic Pass. There, he also planted a birch tree, the Russian national symbol, which should indicate the development of new relations between the two nations. Indeed, until the WW1 they were very lovely on the cultural field, but, in the period of Yugoslavia they ceased completely for more than half a century.
This Russian chapel under the Vršic Pass (Slovenia) is very small in structure. Nevertheless, it is a reminder of the Russian victims and all common people in general. This small monument took on a very great meaning symbolically. It became a monument to the simple men, who were victimised by the plays of great interest forces and their regimes.
The regimes declined, but the little Christian monument of the chapel survived. It is like an admonition to the present-day living people and future generations.
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| Russian chapel in the Julian Alps |
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| celebrates 90-anniversary (1916 - 2006), |
Celebrations at Russian Chapel under the Vršic Pass, Julian Alps (Slovenia)
High representative of the Russian Church is celebrating Orthodox Mass
and Prime Minister Janez Janša is addressing the crowd.
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| In the Julian Alps below the Vršic mountain pass there is a modest wooden chapel, called Ruska kapelica (Russian Chapel). It was erected in memory of some 300 Russian prisoners of war who were used to build a mountain road over the Vršic Pass during the WW1 in 1916. An avalanche buried many of them under feet of snow. In commemoration of the 90th anniversary of this tragic event, celebrations were held on July 30, 2006, with a solemn mass and with the participation of a Russian delegation: Sergej Mirnov, President of the Federal Council of Russia, and Vice-president Dimitrij Meznecev, Mihail Vanin, Russian Ambassador in Slovenia, and many other important Russian personalities. A group of Russian guards was also present. Orthodox Mass was celebrated by Father Filaret, a high representative of the Russian Church synod, who also gave a very meaningful homily. Card. Tomaš Špidlik, of Czech origin, as representative of the summit of the Catholic Church, and Anton Jamnik, Auxiliary Bishop of Lublana, participated in the solemnities of the occasion. |
On the Slovenian part, commemorations were attended by PM Janez Janša, France Cukjati, Chairman of the Parliament, and Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. PM Janez Janša took over the sponsorship of the celebrations. Another distinguished guest was Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament. He declared that he sees his visit as a first link to all Europe in remembrance of the WW1, and even though Russia is not a part of the EU, the memory of the fallen prisoners of war is important for Europe. The Slovenian Transport Minister, Janez Božic, cut the ribbon to open the road passing the chapel. It is now officially called Ruska cesta (Russian Road). - Carantha Editorial is delighted to report this event, which will help to strengthen the relations between Slovenia and Russia.
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Javorca
A Memorial Church from WW1 built in a Sunshine Post
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
The picture draws our attention to the mountain area north of Tolmin (Slovenia), in the vicinity of the upper Soca (Isonzo) Valley. In the middle of the picture we see a mountain-ridge, extending between the Soca Valley and its affluent Tolminka. In the ridge appear the summits of Vodel (1053), of Gace (1196 m), of Mrzli vrh (1359 m), and of Visoc vrh (1482 m), which lead us to the Alpine meadow Sleme. Behind these summits rises majestically the snow-bound peak of Krn (2245 m). In the background of the picture can be seen the mountain group of Kanin (2592 m), likewise covered with snow.
After the outburst of the WW1 in 1915, this part of the Soca Valley soon became occupied by the Italian army, whereas the Tolminka Valley and the ridge between both valleys were in the hands of the Austrian and Hungarian troops. The Italian army was under command of Gen. Luigi Cadorna, whereas the Hungarian and Austrian troops were led by Gen. Svetozar Borojevic. Heavy fights called "offensives" took place to conquer the strategic summits, and the lives of thousands and thousands of soldiers were lost on both sides.
It is late autumn, and the picture depicts the panorama in an afternoon light. Snow has already fallen on the higher peaks. On the left, the Tolminka Valley appears almost holy in the shadow, but still partly interwoven with sunlight. The place is called Javorca (571 m), (pronounce: yavortsa), and sits above the ground of the valley, called Polog (457 m). Therefore it is evident, that the name Javorca did not derive from the word "javor" (in Slovenian "maple-tree"), but from the very ancient etymon aur (sun), which after linguistic changes became iotacism, then jaur, and finally "javor" (identical with the Slovenian word for maple-tree).
In sunny Javorca, in 1916, a little wooden church was built and dedicated in memory to the dead soldiers. The church, which was designed in an Ukrainian architectural style by architect Lieutenant Remigius Geyling , is somewhat particular. Its outside walls present the coat of arms of all provinces of the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom, with the arms of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy displayed in front. - Inside, around the walls we see wooden tables with burnt in names of dead soldiers. Two glass-containers have been placed in the middle of the church exhibiting some war relics. Two great Angles are painted on both sides in front of the presbytery, in the background of which, above the altar, appears the symbol of the Holy Spirit. Over the altar there is a wooden sculpture representing a Crucifix and two angles.
This memorial church has been built in an unusual style for this area, and is consecrated to the Holy Spirit as a supplication to enlighten nations and mankind to prevent further wars and world wars.
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The Monastery of Melec
The First Monastery in Carantania
8th - 10th century
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
In 1985 excavations began in the parish-church of Molzbichl (Melec, in Slovenian), situated on the hills at the western side of the Lake in Millstatt near Spittal in Carinthia (Austria). The archeologists discovered to their great surprise the foundation of a monastery or an abbey, which is not exactly quoted in the records. Until then there were only two monasteries known from that period, both of them built closely to the Carantanian border, but still on Bavarian lands. One of them was founded by the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III in Kremsmünster (near Linz, in today's Upper Austria), in 772. The same duke was also the founder of another monastery in Innichen in 769, with the intention to lead the unfaithful Slovenians to the path of Faith…propter incredulam generationem Sclauanorum ad transitem ueritas deducendam…as it is alleged in remembrance of the founding.
The fact, that both monasteries were built on Bavarian soil, although they were destined to christen Slovenians in Carantania, bears witness that the Bavarian duke had no competence in this duchy. Thus, Duke Tassilo III could not have been the founder of Melec. It must have been the work of a Carantanian duke. But who?
The christening of Slovenians began to be carried out intensively during the reign of Duke Hotimir (752 - † 770 AD) under the watchful eyes of the Provincial Bishop St. Modestus, an Irish monk, and his followers. When St. Modestus died in 767, the pagan Carantanians instigated two rebellions. The third rebellion broke out after the death of Duke Hotimir in 770, when the pagans gained victory over the forces of the new Duke Valhun and banished all foreign missionaries from the country. In 772, however, the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III invaded Carantania with his army and instated anew the reign of the Christian Duke Valhun.
The Bavarian duke was a vassal of the Frankish king, the protector of Christian Europe, and he acted accordingly in sense of the agreement between Carantania and his kingly lord. Indeed, already in 745, with permission of the Franks, Valhun's father Duke Odilo, came with military support to assist the Slovenians, who were threatened by the powerful Avars from Pannonia. In return the Slovenians gave their assurance to accept the Christian Faith.
It is possible that the monastery in Melec was founded by Duke Valhun himself, or more likely by his successor Duke Domitian (ca. 780/785 - ca. † 802), a Saint, who became the protector of Carantania.
The parish-church of Melec is still today dedicated to St. Tiburtius (fate-day 11th August), and so is the church of the one-time Irish monastery in Münster near Straubing (Bavaria). No other churches are known in worshipping him. Therefore, one can assume that the Irish monks came to Melec from there. However, this evidence is not strong enough to affirm that the Bavarian duke was its founder. A conviction, which is prevailing in today's Carinthia, obviously in sense of the ancient Germanizing ideology.
The reconstructed transenna and entrance to the presbytery of the one-time monastery church of Molzbichl (Melec) close to Spittal, Carinthia (Austria). At the transenna we see Carolingian guilloches. The Carinthian archaeologists discovered the rests of the monastery as early as in the 80s of the past century. The monastery was established in 8th century AD and was the first in Carantania, although it has not been mentioned in the historical records. The conventual family could only have been formed by the Columbanic Irish monks, at that time the missionaries of Carantania. The find of an inscription dedicated to the diaconus Nonnosus († 532), which very probably was buried in the church, is a proof, that several Christians of the medieval Carantania were preserved from the Roman period. A fact, which bears witness of the autochthonism of the Carantanians (Slovenians). The quotations made by Austrian historians, that the monastery was established by Tassilo III, the Bavarian duke, are misleading. In that period Carantania was independent. Thus, it is well-known, that only the sovereign, in this case the Carantanian duke, had the competence to establish the monasteries in his country.
(cf: The Installation of the Dukes of Carantania)
In the church of Melec there is a well preserved stone plate in the altar, which bears an inscription in memory of the deacon Nonnosus, a servant of Christ, who was buried here in 532 AD. The inscription stands witness, that a Christian community survived here in pagan Carantania since Roman times.
Some of these churches in this very community must have been still alive, when St. Modestus founded three ecclesiastical centres: Gospa Sveta (Maria in Solio, Maria Saal), Liburnia (Teurnia) and "ad Undrimas" (close to Knittelfeld) plus other churches, as "Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum" quotes: …ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae et aliam Liburnia civitate, seu ad Undrimas et in allis plurimas locis… The city of Teurnia near Spittal, today St. Peter in Holz, was during the Roman Empire the last chief town of the former Noricum Province in this territory. Due to the fact, that the towns' inhabitants were already christened at that time, it is possible, that a certain number of Christians from this area were preserved during the Carantanian period, and collaborated with St. Modestus and his Irish monks in the new Christianization.
The Irish monastery of Melec must have been the centre of Chistianization after the death of St. Modestus and after the defeat of the pagans by the Bavarian duke, in 772. But the Bavarian incursion left a great deal of mistrust respectively to Christianization among the Carantanians in general. A mistrust that disappeared again with the new saintly Duke Domitian and his good example. And by all means, maybe he was the founder of the monastery.
Thus, there are the ruins of a great castle not far from the monastery, on a site called Golišje (Hochgosch, in German). According to ancient tradition, it apparently was the home of Duke Domitian. He is buried in Millstatt (Milje) on the eastern shore of the lake, in a monastery founded in 1070 AD. It is abandoned today.
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Reconstruction of the monastery church (the inside) with fence and anvil in front of the altar. |
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To the right: the figure of an orator or prayer, and a stone with plaited ornamentation of the one-time fence. |
The monastery of Melec must have been an important foundation. Its church was 10 m wide and 21 m long, with the embossed apsis 5 m longer. Half of the church was separated by a stone fence, with an anvil in the middle. The stones are engraved with a rich plaited ornamentation, characteristic for the Carolingian period. The space inside the fence in front of the altar was destined for the monks, the space outside the fence was for the people. Among the findings there is a broach, which depicts a panther, a very typical symbol of Resurrection and the sign of Carantania as a Christian State.
The broach showing a panther, which was found in the ruins of the monastery church.
In the middle of the 10th century the monastery was abandoned. Its church was mentioned in the records for the first time in 1065, when Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg granted to Markvart Eppenstein, a member of the ducal dynasty and leader of Carantanians, the full rights of a parish: ... ius ecclesie sue ad Munstiure quod et Mulzpuhil dicitur... (Monumenta Ducatus Carinthiae III/328). From then on it was adopted as the proper church (eigene Kirche) of the Carantanian dukes. This fact has also to be taken into consideration, that the duke of Carantania could have been the founder and owner of the monastery in Melec.
It may be interesting to mention here, that in Slovenia the discovery of this monastery was suppressed by the mass-media, even the Catholic weekly Druzina ignored this precious treasure.
Selected Bibliography:
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Fr. Glaser: Das Kloster Molzbichl, das älteste Kloster Kärntens, Carinthia I, No. 79, Klagenfurt 1989 |
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K. Karpf: Das Kloster Molzbichl - ein Missionszentrum des 8. Jahrhunderts in Kärnten, Carinthia I, No 79, Klagenfurt 1989 |
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Schiavonia
Beneška Slovenija
Slavia Veneta
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Coat of arms of Schiavonia: Divided per fess Argent and Gules, in chief the sun between two hills Vert. |
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Its meaning: the upper half represents the mountains of Schiavonia with the rising sun, as observed from the plains of Friuli and Veneto - the lower half. |
Dr. Jožko Šavli
The north-eastern part of the province Friuli (Italy), i.e., the hinterland of the city of Cividale, is a mountainous region in comparison with the Friulian plain which extends toward the Adriatic Sea. The inhabitants of the aforesaid territory are speaking Slovenian from times immemorial, whereas in the plains the Friulian and, further toward the West, the Venetian languages are spoken. Such is the usage of present day categorized languages under the domineering official spoken Italian language.
The Slovenian speaking region received therefore the attributed historical name Schiavonia, and was later called Slavia Veneta (Beneška Slovenija, in Slovenian). This region, which back in history was always separated from other Slovenian provinces, came first under the Patriarchal of Aquileia (Friuli), and since 1420 AD it belonged together with Friuli to the Republic of Venice. When after 1500 AD the nearby County of Goerz passed over to the dominion of the Habsburgs and their Austrian empire, Schiavonia obtained a very strategic position. As to assure the loyalty of its inhabitants, the Republic of Venice granted them an extensive autonomy.
The autonomy was based on the ancient Slovenian law (jus gentium), in sense of which the inhabitants of the villages elected through the assembly (sosednja) their mayor (zupan) and his assessors (prisedniki). The representatives of villages elected then a grand mayor (veliki zupan), who became the head of the region, as well as his board (banka) composed of 12 assessors. The powers of authority over administration and justice was in the hands of the mayors. - The coat of arms of Schiavonia was until very recently not known to the public. But it was in its fullest existence all that time, and can be found in the manuscript of Vincenzo Jacopi (1672 - 1726), kept in the library of Udine.
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One of the assemblies (sosednja) of Schiavonia held at the stone table under the linden, close to the village church. The chairperson was the mayor (zupan) of the village. Illustration by M. Tomasetig, taken from Slavia (Cividale, 1997). |
The role of the autonomous Schiavonia was to guard the frontier toward Austria. The inhabitants were holding their assemblies under the linden, the ancient Slovenian tree of life. And they were still doing so until after 1797, when the Republic of Venice was invaded by Napoleon and ceased, they continued even after 1814, when this territory came under the occupation of Austria. But since 1866, when this region was annexed to the new constituted country of Italy, the assemblies of the people there were suppressed.
Italy was hostile to Slovenian people of Schiavonia and did not recognize the Slovenian language. The Italian nationalists asserted with "scientific" arguments that the people did not speak Slovenian, but a Slav dialect. In schools only Italian was to be spoken, while the Slovenian language was proclaimed as an inferior speech. And so it remained until today. Moreover, after WW1 the Fascist regime in Italy put an enormous pressure on local churches. In 1933 it reached its peak, when even the Archbishop of Udine, who was also competent for Schiavonia, issued a new prohibition: In the parishes of Schiavonia it was from now on neither allowed to pray in Slovenian nor was it permitted to preach sermons in their Slovenian language. The divine services had to be held in Italian. A fact, which was sanctioned by the Vatican in order to connive with the Italian regime of that time.
However, the prohibition continued for an entire decade even after WW2, until democracy was installed in Italy. Already in the seventies the Slovenian language was permitted again in churches, but by that time Schiavonia was economically already a ruined area.
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The Bourbons
"Little St. Denis" at Kostanjevica (Nova Gorica) - Slovenia
Coat of arms of the Bourbons, the royal family of France (King Louis XIV)
by Dr. Jožko Šavli
The House of Bourbons reigned in France from 1589 to 1792, and then came into power again in 1814 until 1830. One branch of the family ruled in Spain from 1701 to 1808, from 1814 to 1868, and from 1874 to 1931. They also exercised their sovereignty over Naples, Sicily, and the Duchy of Parma from 1735 to 1860.
Charles X, the French king, was the ruler over France from 1824 until 1830. - Charles and his brother Louis XVIII escaped France after 1789, when their country suffered from unrest and disturbances in those times, and they did not return before Napoleon was defeated in 1814. First the elder brother Louis ascended the throne and was followed by his younger brother Charles. The latter ruled, it is said, in quite an absolute fashion. However, this fact did certainly not kick-off the July Revolution in 1830, but it was rather instigated by various interest groups. Charles X preferred to abdicate, as to obviate the dimensions of an unforeseen bloodshed, and went into exile, first to Scotland and then to Prague.
The monastery of Kostanjevica, Nova Gorica.
The Bourbons vault and their coat of arms (above), and Sveta Gora (left).
Six years went by, when he and his court took lodgings in Goerz (Gorica, in Slovenian; Gorizia, in Italian), at that time an idyllic town under the wings of the Austrian Monarchy. Unfortunately, Charles X died of cholera soon after his arrival, while residing as a guest in the palace of the Counts of Coronini, in 1836. His remains were buried in the Franciscan monastery in Kostanjevica, founded on a hill in the eastern part of Goerz. His body lies in a stone sepulcher in the vault under the church dedicated to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
His French royal court, also being in exile, remained in Goerz after his death. Its members took residence in the palace of the Counts of Strassoldo for quite some time until they left Goerz for Frohsdorf near Vienna in the years to come. However, the royal members eventually also passed away one by one, and their remains were transferred to the monastery of Kostanjevica, where they fo
