The monastic heritage of Slovenia

his is the fifth bocklet in the collection of guides "On the trail of the Slovene cultural heritage", entitled the Cultural Heritage of Monastic T Orders. It is being published in the year in which we recall symbolically the 1250th anniversary of the Christianisation of the Slovenes and the 1200 anniversary of the Čedad synod, the purpose of which was to ac­ celerate the Christianisation of these lands with the aid of monks from the Benedictine monastery of St. Ivan by Trieste.

Christianity had already taken firm hold in these lands from the 4th cen­ tury onwards, to which the four dioceses known to date, and more than thirty archeologically verified early Christian churches bear witness.

The creation of western monasticism, to which St. Benedict provided the foundations, belongs to the "new Europe" which emerged after the migration of peoples. The monastic orders of Cistercians and Carthu­ sians developed from the reforms of the Benedictines at the end of the 1Oth and the beginning of the 11th centuries. Monasticism further spread after the period of the founders of the orders, almost throughout the entire European space, providing it with an indelible historical seal.

A new spiritualism began to appear from the 13th century onwards, which gave rise to yet other forms of monastic life, more in accordance with the needs of the emerging middle classes, although because of their more contemporary mission, they are no longer considered to be within the circle of monastic orders.

Monastic, as well as secondary, orders greatly reshaped this land. It is known that at the time of their disestablishment, at the time of Emperor Joseph Il, there were seventeen monasteries and two convents in Slove­ rua.

In view of the rich development of monasticism in our history, the pur­ pose of this guide is to present only the monasteries of the monastic or­ ders, and the way in which our civilisation was moulded and reinforced.

The monks who were first sent among us by the Archbishop of Salzburg and the Patriarch of Aquileia undoubtedly had an exceptionally impor­ tant role in the evangelisation of our forebears. In the 8th century, the first Suffragan Bishop, in the person of the Irish monk, St. Modest, was sent to Gospa Sveta, precisely for the Karantanians, the Slovenes.

South of the Drava, on the territory of the Patriarch of Aquileia, a church organisation was created on Slovene ethnic lands in the 1Oth and 11th centuries which was based on strong prafaras (extended parishes), within the framework of eight archdeaconates. The Saltzburg archdio­ cese organised church life with the institution of a suffragan diocese. The result of this was the very la te founding of the Ljubljana diocese on the territory of the Aquileian patriarchy. The resultant gap was filled by monasteries, which began to appear on the territory of today's Slovenia from the 11th century to the start of the 15th century. Seven monastic foundations were established; the Benedictines in Gornje Grad, the Cis­ tercian abbeys in Stična and Kostanjevica, and the Carthusian monas­ teries in Žiče, Jurklošter, Bistra and Pleterje.

The Abbey of Stična, which was established at the time of the founder of the order, St. Bernard, in 1130, is above all of great importance for Slovene history, not just because of its religious mission but because of its exceptional all round economic, educational and cultural role.

We know from more recent church chronicles that there are twelve male and sixteen female orders of the most varied mission in Slovenia, includ- 9 ing the Cistercian Abbey of Stična and the Charterhouse at Pleterje which, with their origins rooted in the past, confront post-industrial so­ ciety. Both monasteries are an ever greater challenge to modem man, whose discoveries, succcesses and activities have brought him to the limits of knowledge and science, but at the same time to estrangement from himself.

The European Heritage Days, which are devoted this year to our mon­ astic heritage, were initiated by the Council of Europe with the aim of rediscovering something of forgotten values, exploring our many com­ mon roots, and above all, through greater knowledge of each other, to achieve also greater mutual understanding and respect.

Silvester Gaberšček State Secretary for Culture

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