Šempeter v Savinjski dolini
Encyclopedia
Šempeter v Savinjski Dolini is a village
in the municipality
of Žalec
in east-central Slovenia
. It lies on the left bank of the Savinja
River to the east of Žalec. The Slovenian A1 motorway
crosses the territory of the settlement to the northwest of the village core. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria
. The entire municipality of Žalec is now included in the Savinja statistical region
.
The local parish church
from which the settlement gets its name is dedicated to Saint Peter
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
. It is built on the eastern edge of the village and was originally a 13th-century Romanesque
church that was partially rebuilt in the Gothic
and Baroque
periods and most recently in 1913. It contains a statue of Mary dated to 1320. Most of rest of the church furnishing dates to the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
necropolis. The Aquilea-Emona
-Celeia-Poetovio Roman road ran through the area and the location at Šempeter is in line with the Roman custom of burial grounds
near main roads outside their cities. It was used between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD and is associated with the nearby Roman town of Celeia
. At some point in antiquity the area was flooded and covered with gravel
from the Savinja River, thus preserving the site until it was discovered by chance in 1952 when a statue of a seated woman was found when digging up an orchard
. The site was excavated between 1952 and 1956 and again in 1964, when a further section of the necropolis was uncovered. Some graves have aediculae
with sculpture
s and relief
s that are displayed in situ
in the archaeological park under the auspices of the Celje regional museum
. Some of the reliefs depict myths
associated with resurrection
, such as the story of Hercules
rescuing Alcestis
or the story of Orpheus
and Eurydice
A number of grave goods
were also excavated. The smaller finds are kept at the museum in Celje. The full extent of the site has not been investigated because parts of the burial ground extend under the present-day settlement.
Four km north of the village is a karst cave
known as Hell Cave
. Since 1972 over 1 km of the cave has been made accessible to the public.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Žalec
Žalec
Žalec is a town and municipality in central Slovenia. It lies in the valley of the lower course of the Savinja River to the west of Celje. The primary economic activity of the region is growing hops, which is reflected by the city's coat-of-arms. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower...
in east-central 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...
. It lies on the left bank of the Savinja
Savinja
The Savinja is a river in northeast Slovenia which flows mostly in the Upper and Lower Savinja valley and through the cities of Celje and Laško. The Savinja is the main river of the Savinja Alps . It flows into Sava River at the town of Zidani Most. It has often flooded, such as in the 1960s,...
River to the east of Žalec. The Slovenian A1 motorway
A1 motorway (Slovenia)
The A1 motorway is 236,1 km long, connecting Šentilj and Koper/Capodistria . It passes several important Slovenian cities, including Maribor, Celje and Ljubljana all the way to the Slovenian Littoral and Koper, with its important port.Construction began in 1970 and the first section was...
crosses the territory of the settlement to the northwest of the village core. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
. The entire municipality of Žalec is now included in the Savinja statistical region
Savinjska statistical region
The Savinja statistical region is a statistical region in Slovenia. The largest town in the region is Celje. It is named after the Savinja River....
.
The local parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
from which the settlement gets its name is dedicated to Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Celje ; is a diocese located in the city of Celje in the Ecclesiastical province of Maribor in Slovenia.-Leadership:* Bishops of Celje ** Anton Stres...
. It is built on the eastern edge of the village and was originally a 13th-century 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,...
church that was partially rebuilt in the 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....
and Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
periods and most recently in 1913. It contains a statue of Mary dated to 1320. Most of rest of the church furnishing dates to the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Roman necropolis
Šempeter is best known for its RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
necropolis. The Aquilea-Emona
Emona
Emona or Aemona, short for Colonia Iulia emona, was a Roman castrum founded in 14-15 AD, possibly by the Legio XV Apollinaris , on a territory already populated by ancient settlers of uncertain origin...
-Celeia-Poetovio Roman road ran through the area and the location at Šempeter is in line with the Roman custom of burial grounds
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
near main roads outside their cities. It was used between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD and is associated with the nearby Roman town of Celeia
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
. At some point in antiquity the area was flooded and covered with gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
from the Savinja River, thus preserving the site until it was discovered by chance in 1952 when a statue of a seated woman was found when digging up an orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
. The site was excavated between 1952 and 1956 and again in 1964, when a further section of the necropolis was uncovered. Some graves have aediculae
Aedicula
In religion in ancient Rome, an aedicula is a small shrine. The word aedicula is the diminutive of the Latin aedes, a temple building or house....
with sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s and relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
s that are displayed in situ
In situ
In situ is a Latin phrase which translated literally as 'In position'. It is used in many different contexts.-Aerospace:In the aerospace industry, equipment on board aircraft must be tested in situ, or in place, to confirm everything functions properly as a system. Individually, each piece may...
in the archaeological park under the auspices of the Celje regional museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. Some of the reliefs depict myths
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
associated with resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
, such as the story of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
rescuing Alcestis
Alcestis
Alcestis is a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her story was popularised in Euripides's tragedy Alcestis. She was the daughter of Pelias, king of Iolcus, and either Anaxibia or Phylomache....
or the story of Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
and Eurydice
Eurydice
Eurydice in Greek mythology, was an oak nymph or one of the daughters of Apollo . She was the wife of Orpheus, who loved her dearly; on their wedding day, he played joyful songs as his bride danced through the meadow. One day, a satyr saw and pursued Eurydice, who stepped on a venomous snake,...
A number of grave goods
Grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods are a type of votive deposit...
were also excavated. The smaller finds are kept at the museum in Celje. The full extent of the site has not been investigated because parts of the burial ground extend under the present-day settlement.
Four km north of the village is a karst cave
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
known as Hell Cave
Pekel cave
Pekel Cave is a karst cave near Šempeter v Savinjski dolini in Slovenia. The cave is known as Jama Pekel because one of the rocks near the entrance was thought to look like the Devil.-Description:The cave is 1,159 m long and has two levels...
. Since 1972 over 1 km of the cave has been made accessible to the public.