Church of St. Thomas, Ratece
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. Thomas in Rateče
, Kranjska Gora
, Slovenia
, is one of the oldest churches in the upper Sava Valley, confirmed by written documents and excavations as well as the church's original furnishings.
The oldest written document mentioning Rateče is the Vidimus (from Latin: "we saw") by the first Ljubljana
Bishop Sigmund Lamberg, which is preserved today in the kapitelj archive of the Ljubljana archdiocesan archives. It is a parchment document created at the time of Bishop Lamberg's visit to Kranjska Gora and is dated January 28, 1467. The Vidimus is a transcript of three manuscripts from the year 1390 (dated May 30, November 12, and December 8) addressing a change in the parish to which the church in Rateče belonged. The church, which until that time had been an affiliate church of the parish of Maria Gail near Villach
(Beljak) in Carinthia
, was taken from that parish and transferred to the parish of Kranjska Gora in Carniola
under a grant by the regent Count Frederick III of Ortenburg
. On 8 December 1390, Jan Soběslav, the ppPatriarch of Aquileia]] confirmed this change.
An even older but, unfortunately, undated document, is the so called Rateče or Klagenfurt Manuscript, one of the oldest written documents in the Slovene language. It contains the prayers Our father
, Hail Mary
and the Apostles' Creed
. It is written on parchment paper with ornamented initial letters in red and blue. It was discovered in 1880 at Klagenfurt
in Carinthia, where it is kept in the archives of the Carinthian Historical Society. On the basis of linguistic analysis and information taken from Bishop Lamberg's Vidimus, historian Ivan Grafenauer
claims that the document was created around the year 1370. His determination is that it was written around that time; the words it contains, however, point to roots dating back to the eight century. The document was bound into a mass book, used by the vicar
from Maria Gail on his visits to Rateče.
On the back cover of the same manuscript there is another written record, which contains the names of the members of the Brotherhood of the Mother of God in 1467. Among them are the names of priests (Nikolaj of Naklo) and a number of surnames which are still found among inhabitants of Rateče today (Pintbah and Rogar, among others).
Between 1972 and 1976 archeological digs were carried out under the church's foundation. Upon uncovering the late medieval stone floor, the archeologists discovered in the sanctuary the foundation of a semicircular Romanesque
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. On the south side of the nave, they uncovered even older wall foundations, which might suggest a pre-Romanesque phase of construction. In another area of the nave, they found a fragment of a ceramic jug typical of the Roman era crafting. In the sanctuary the excavators also found 25 preserved Roman-era graves with accompanying burial items. The method of burial suggests early Slovenian customs. Romanesque elements were found in the walls of the nave as well, A Romanesque window from the 12th or early 13th century was uncovered in the south wall. In the middle of this wall was also found an entrance with a wooden beam which was scorched by a fire in 1693.
The church has a Gothic
sanctuary, which replaced the Romanesque sanctuary in the mid-15th century. Adjacent to it is a Romanesque bell tower, which some have dated to 1360; in any case, it clearly was built in the 14th century. It houses a bell from the year 1521, on which is written in Gothic minuscule: + iesus + maria + anno + XXI + lucas + marcus + ioannes + matheus. In the belfry there is also a steel bell which was poured in a foundry in Jesenice and blessed on February 22, 1922. It pitch is a C and it weighs 242 kg. As of October 1, 2000, it is flanked by two bronze bells (weighing 198 kg and 136 kg), which were poured by the bell specialists Perner in Passau
, Germany. They were consecrated by the Archbishop of Belgrade Msgr. Stanislav Hočevar.
Ratece
-External links:** *...
, Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora is a town and a municipality on the Sava Dolinka River in the Upper Carniola region of northwest Slovenia, close to the Austrian and Italian borders.Kranjska Gora is best known as a winter sports town, being situated in the Julian Alps...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, is one of the oldest churches in the upper Sava Valley, confirmed by written documents and excavations as well as the church's original furnishings.
The oldest written document mentioning Rateče is the Vidimus (from Latin: "we saw") by the first Ljubljana
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia. It was erected as the Diocese of Ljubljana by Pope Eugene IV on 6 December 1461 and was immediately subject to the Holy See from its creation until erected...
Bishop Sigmund Lamberg, which is preserved today in the kapitelj archive of the Ljubljana archdiocesan archives. It is a parchment document created at the time of Bishop Lamberg's visit to Kranjska Gora and is dated January 28, 1467. The Vidimus is a transcript of three manuscripts from the year 1390 (dated May 30, November 12, and December 8) addressing a change in the parish to which the church in Rateče belonged. The church, which until that time had been an affiliate church of the parish of Maria Gail near Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
(Beljak) in Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
, was taken from that parish and transferred to the parish of Kranjska Gora in Carniola
Duchy of Carniola
The Duchy of Carniola was an administrative unit of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy from 1364 to 1918. Its capital was Ljubljana...
under a grant by the regent Count Frederick III of Ortenburg
Grafschaft Ortenburg
The Ortenburger were a medieval noble family in the Duchy of Carinthia, with roots in Bavarian nobility. An affiliation with the Counts of Ortenburg-Neuortenburg, a branch line of the Rhenish Franconian House of Sponheim, is not established. Little is known about their reasons for settlement in...
. On 8 December 1390, Jan Soběslav, the ppPatriarch of Aquileia]] confirmed this change.
An even older but, unfortunately, undated document, is the so called Rateče or Klagenfurt Manuscript, one of the oldest written documents in the Slovene language. It contains the prayers Our father
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
, Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
and the Apostles' Creed
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
. It is written on parchment paper with ornamented initial letters in red and blue. It was discovered in 1880 at Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
in Carinthia, where it is kept in the archives of the Carinthian Historical Society. On the basis of linguistic analysis and information taken from Bishop Lamberg's Vidimus, historian Ivan Grafenauer
Ivan Grafenauer
Ivan Grafenauer was a Slovenian literary historian and ethnologist of Carinthian Slovene origin.He was born in the village of Micheldorf near Hermagor in Carinthia, now part of Austria. At that time, Micheldorf was the westernmost Slovene-inhabited village, not only in Carinthia, but in all the...
claims that the document was created around the year 1370. His determination is that it was written around that time; the words it contains, however, point to roots dating back to the eight century. The document was bound into a mass book, used by the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
from Maria Gail on his visits to Rateče.
On the back cover of the same manuscript there is another written record, which contains the names of the members of the Brotherhood of the Mother of God in 1467. Among them are the names of priests (Nikolaj of Naklo) and a number of surnames which are still found among inhabitants of Rateče today (Pintbah and Rogar, among others).
Between 1972 and 1976 archeological digs were carried out under the church's foundation. Upon uncovering the late medieval stone floor, the archeologists discovered in the sanctuary the foundation of a semicircular Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. On the south side of the nave, they uncovered even older wall foundations, which might suggest a pre-Romanesque phase of construction. In another area of the nave, they found a fragment of a ceramic jug typical of the Roman era crafting. In the sanctuary the excavators also found 25 preserved Roman-era graves with accompanying burial items. The method of burial suggests early Slovenian customs. Romanesque elements were found in the walls of the nave as well, A Romanesque window from the 12th or early 13th century was uncovered in the south wall. In the middle of this wall was also found an entrance with a wooden beam which was scorched by a fire in 1693.
The church has a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
sanctuary, which replaced the Romanesque sanctuary in the mid-15th century. Adjacent to it is a Romanesque bell tower, which some have dated to 1360; in any case, it clearly was built in the 14th century. It houses a bell from the year 1521, on which is written in Gothic minuscule: + iesus + maria + anno + XXI + lucas + marcus + ioannes + matheus. In the belfry there is also a steel bell which was poured in a foundry in Jesenice and blessed on February 22, 1922. It pitch is a C and it weighs 242 kg. As of October 1, 2000, it is flanked by two bronze bells (weighing 198 kg and 136 kg), which were poured by the bell specialists Perner in Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
, Germany. They were consecrated by the Archbishop of Belgrade Msgr. Stanislav Hočevar.