Franc Avsec (20 August 1863, Gotna Vas – 9 March 1943, Lesce) was a

Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Sloven ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

expert,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

, and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

Life

Avsec attended secondary school in

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; sl, Novo mesto; also known by other alternative names) is a city on a bend of the Krka River in the City Municipality of Novo Mesto in southeastern Slovenia, close to the border with Croatia. The town is traditionally considered t ...

. He studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1888. After his ordination he served as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in various locations, and then starting in 1899 as a

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in Velike Brusnice, from 1900 to 1919 in

Podkum Podkum ( or ; german: Sankt Georgen''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 88.) is a settlement in the Municipality of Zagorje ob Savi in cen ...

, and then until his death in Lesce. He developed an interest in church art as a student. In the locations where he served, he drew plans of the churches, and studied the history of the buildings and conservation issues. In 1904 he was named an honorary conservation expert for the Vienna Central Commission for the Preservation of Monuments (''K. K. Zentralkommission für Denkmalpflege''); in 1913 he became a trustee of the Provincial Conservation Office for Carniola and later for the Historical Monuments Office for Slovenia. The valuable material he collected is kept at the Archepiscopal Archives of Ljubljana and the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia.

Work

Avsec published the articles “Pogled na cerkvene umetnine in nasvet” (A View on Church Art and a Recommendation, 1898) and “Stara kartuzijanska cerkev v Pleterjah” (The Old Carthusian Church in Pleterje, 1907) in the periodical ''Izvestju društva za krščansko umetnost'' (Newsletter of the Christian Arts Society). In addition he inventoried and sketched historical buildings; he measured and sketched several hundred churches, including all the churches in Ljubljana, the Zagreb Cathedral, the major churches in

Kranj Kranj (, german: Krainburg) is the third-largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 37,941 (2020). It is located approximately northwest of Ljubljana. The centre of the City Municipality of Kranj and of the traditional region of Upper Carniol ...

and the vicinity, all of the churches in the Radovljica area, the cathedral in

Gornji Grad Gornji Grad (literally, 'upper castle' or 'upper town') may refer to: * Gornji Grad, Gornji Grad, a settlement in Slovenia and the eponym of the Municipality of Gornji Grad * Gornji Grad, Zagreb, a historic district of the Croatian capital, also k ...

, and elsewhere. He edited the

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

newsletter ''Piščalka'' (The Whistle, 1905–1906, vol. 5 onwards) and wrote articles for it. He also published the brochure ''Proti alkoholu – brez dvoma!'' (Against Alcohol: Without Doubt!; 1906). In addition, he applied his efforts to building cisterns, waterworks, and roads.''Slovenski biografski leksikon 1925–1991.'' (2009). Electronic edition. Ljubljana: SAZU.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avsec, Franc 1863 births 1943 deaths 19th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Slovenian editors Slovenian writers Slovenian art historians Conservator-restorers People from the Municipality of Zagorje ob Savi 20th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests