Janez Svetokriški (1647 – 17 October 1714) was a Slovene
preacherPreacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
and
writerA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
in the
BaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period.
Svetokriški was born as Tobia Lionelli to a Slovene mother and an Italian father in the town of Sveti Križ (Holy Cross) in the
Vipava ValleyThe Vipava Valley is a valley located in the Slovenian Littoral, between the towns of Nova Gorica and Vipava.-Geography:It is a narrow valley, serving as the main passage between Friulian lowland and central Slovenia, and thus also an important corridor connecting Northern Italy to Central Europe...
,
County of GoriziaThe County of Görz was a county based around the town of Gorizia in the present-day Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy.Count Meinhard, descendant of the Bavarian Meinhardiner noble family with possessions around Lienz in Tyrol, is mentioned as early as 1107...
(now known as
Vipavski KrižVipavski Križ , named Sveti Križ till 1955, is a settlement built on a small hill in the Vipava Valley in the Ajdovščina Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It is one of the historically most interesting places of the area. There is evidence of habitation on the hill in pre-Roman period...
in the municipality of
AjdovščinaAjdovščina is a small town and a municipality with the same name and a population of 7000 , located in the Vipava Valley , Slovenia....
,
SloveniaSlovenia , 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...
). He took the name Janez Svetokriški (John of St. Cross) upon joining the
Order of Friars Minor CapuchinThe Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
, in reference to his native town, and probably also to the Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross.
He served in various monasteries in the
Slovene LandsSlovene Lands or Slovenian Lands is the historical denomination for the whole of the Slovene-inhabited territories in Central Europe. It more or less corresponds to modern Slovenia and the adjacent territories in Italy, Austria and Hungary in which autochthonous Slovene minorities live.-...
, including the Capuchin monastery of St. Francis Assisi in his native town, and in
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He wrote several sermons, which he published in a series of five books entitled
Sacrum promptiuarium (The Holy Guide). One of his most well known sermons is
Na noviga lejta dan ("On New Year’s Day"). The publication of these books was financed by members of the nobility and benefactors from within the Church.
His 'Holy Guide' was published between 1691 and 1707. The first two volumes were published in
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, the remaining three in
LjubljanaLjubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. They are written in the Slovene dialect of the
GoriškaGoriška is a traditional region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. The name means "the Gorizia region" because it is named after Gorizia, Italy. It is part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral . Its principal urban center is Nova Gorica...
region, with strong influence of the neighbouring
Inner Carniolan dialect, with numerous
GermanismGermanism can mean or be confused with any of the following:* German loan words and expressions in English* Pan-Germanism* Germanisation* Germanism...
s and
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
quotations. The sytnatx presents a typically Baroque style, with references to the Classical tradition.
Svetokriški's texts provide excellent insight in the lingusitic situation of the Slovene language around the end of the 17th century, as well as the wider cultural position of Slovenes and the Slovene culture of the late Baroque period.
Svetokriški died in
GoriziaGorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
, where he had spent the last years of his life.