Rosalnice ( or ; german: Rosalnitz
[''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v dravnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 10.]) is a
village on the left bank of the
Kolpa River, east of the town of
Metlika in the
White Carniola area of southeastern Slovenia, on the border with Croatia. The
railway line from
Novo Mesto to
Karlovac
Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705.
Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...
runs through the settlement before it crosses the Kolpa River into Croatia. The entire area is part of the traditional region of
Lower Carniola and is now included in the
Southeast Slovenia Statistical Region.
Name
Rosalnice was attested in historical sources as ''Rosendorf'' in 1490 (and as ''Rosaniz'' and ''Rasaniz'' in 1610). The origin of the name is uncertain. It may be derived from ''*rosále'' 'Pentecost', or less likely from Latin ''rosalia'' 'rose garden'.
History
Archaeological finds show that the area has been settled since
Roman times. An ancient
burial ground
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
was partly destroyed when local houses were being built, but 20
graves
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as gravey ...
were properly
excavated.
Pilgrimage churches
The village is best known for its three
pilgrimage churches on the northeastern edge of the settlement. Unusually, the three churches are built within a single walled enclosure. The northernmost church is dedicated to
Our Lady of Sorrows. It was built in around 1383 and its nave was
vaulted in the late 17th century. The middle church is called ''
Ecce Homo'' and was built in the early 16th century. It was restyled in the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
in the 17th and 18th centuries. The third church is dedicated to
Our Lady of Lourdes and has a
Late Romanesque nave with a 15th-century
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
sanctuary, but was extensively rebuilt in the following centuries. On the exterior wall of the sanctuary some
wall paintings dating to the 16th century, depicting the
crucifixion and
Saint Christopher
Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...
, are preserved. The churches are collectively known as the ''Three Parishes'' ( sl, Tri fare), but are not
parish churches per se and belong to the
Parish of Metlika.
The early history of the development of the complex is not well documented in written sources, so numerous theories have arisen as to the origins of the three churches. Based on
Valvasor's account as well as other sources, some authors have suggested the site was established by the
Knights Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
in the late 12th century when they were granted the parish of
Črnomelj with all its filial churches. Rosalnice as a village (''Rosendorf'') was first mentioned in written sources dating to 1490, but a church on the site is mentioned in a charter issued by the
Patriarch of Aquileia dating to 1228. It is likely the Rosalnice church was the seat of one of the early parishes in White Carniola. Others suggest that the churches were founded in the early 13th century, when the Counts of Višnja Gora or Andechs annexed White Carniola. Another theory is that they were founded before or after the foundation of the
Bishopric of Zagreb in 1093, which laid claim to jurisdiction over this territory. In any case only one church is mentioned in early documents. Continuous
Ottoman raids in the 15th century led to the relocation of the parish to the town of Metlika. Rosalnice was then established as a monastic complex. Refugee
Franciscan friars from
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
fled here in the early 15th century and remained here until their retreat to
Novo Mesto in 1469. After this the complex developed as an important pilgrimage centre and the central church was built. Pilgrimages were at their height in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Other features
Three concrete
bunkers, dating to the
Second World War, and remnants of the old border line between the
Kingdom of Italy and the
Independent State of Croatia between 1941 and 1943 are preserved in a field east of the village.
Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 11067 Yugoslavia was restored and the border was moved after the war.
References
External links
*
Rosalnice on Geopedia
{{Metlika
Populated places in the Municipality of Metlika