Tobia Lionelli (1647 – 17 October 1714) was a Slovene–

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

preacher and writer 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 ...

period. His

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

s had a crucial role in the affirmation of Slovene as a language. He is also known by his

monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...

John Baptist of Sveti Križ in Vipava ( la, Joannes Baptista à Sancta Cruce Vippacensi; later Slovenized as ', ', or ').

Life

Lionelli was born to a Slovene mother and an Italian father in the town of Sveti Križ (now

Vipavski Križ Vipavski Križ (; it, Santa Croce di Aidussina) is a settlement on a small hill in the Vipava Valley in the Municipality of Ajdovščina in the Littoral region of Slovenia. There is evidence of habitation on the hill in the pre-Roman period. The ...

) in the

Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; sl, Vipavska dolina, german: Wippachtal, it, Valle del Vipacco) is a valley in the Slovenian Littoral, roughly between the village of Podnanos to the east and the border with Italy to the west. The main towns are Ajdovš ...

County of Gorizia The County of Gorizia ( it, Contea di Gorizia, german: Grafschaft Görz, sl, Goriška grofija, fur, Contee di Gurize), from 1365 Princely County of Gorizia, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. Originally mediate ''Vogts'' of the Patriarchs of ...

. A recent theory conjectures that he was actually born as Ivan Hrobat, the illegitimate son of Katarina Hrobat and a nobleman of the Lanthieri family, and that the surname Lionelli was purchased to avoid embarrassment.Kmecl, Matjaž. 2005. ''A Short Cultural History of the Slovenes''. Ljubljana: Slovene PEN. He took the name "Joannes Baptista à Sancta Cruce Vippacensi" upon joining the

Order of Friars Minor Capuchin The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. O.F.M. Cap.) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of Three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFM Obs., now OFM ...

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 Lands The Slovene lands or Slovenian lands ( sl, Slovenske dežele or in short ) is the historical denomination for the territories in Central and Southern Europe where people primarily spoke Slovene. The Slovene lands were part of the Illyrian provinc ...

, including the Capuchin monastery of St. Francis Assisi in his native town, and in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Lionelli died in

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...

, where he had spent the last years of his life.

Work

Lionelli wrote over 230 sermons, which he published in a series of five books entitled ' (The Holy Handbook). One of his best-known sermons is ' (On New Year's Day). The publication of these books was financed by members of the nobility and benefactors from within the Church. Lionelli's ''Sacrum promptuarium'' was published between 1691 and 1707. The first two volumes were published in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, the remaining three in

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 ...

. They are written in the

Brda dialect This article uses Logar transcription. The Brda dialect ( , ), or Gorizia Hills dialect, is a Slovene dialect spoken in the Gorizia Hills in Slovenia and Italy. It is known for extreme vowel reduction in final position. It borders the Natis ...

of Slovene, with strong influence of the neighbouring

Inner Carniolan dialect This article uses Logar transcription. The Inner Carniolan dialect ( , ) is a Slovene dialect very close to the Lower Carniolan dialect, but with more recent accent shifts. It is spoken in a relatively large area, extending from western Inner ...

, with numerous Germanisms and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

quotations. The syntax presents a typical

Baroque style 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 ...

, with references to Classical tradition.

References

* Snoj, Marko (2006). ''Slovar jezika Janeza Svetokriškega'' (''Dela'', 49/7; 49/8). Ljubljana: Založba ZRC. 2 zv. .

External links

Joannes Baptiſta à S. Cruce Vippacenſi. 1691. ''Sacrum promptuarium'', Vol 2. Venice.Joannes Baptiſta à S. Cruce Vippacenſi. 1696. ''Sacrum promptuarium'', Vol 3. Ljubljana.Joannes Baptiſta à S. Cruce Vippacenſi. 1707. ''Sacrum promptuarium'', Vol 5. Ljubljana.Janez Svetokriški
A News Report by Jože Možina from a symposium on Janez Svetokriški. 1999. RTV Slovenia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lionelli, Tobia 1647 births 1714 deaths 17th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests 18th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Slovenian writers Slovenian people of Italian descent People from the Municipality of Ajdovščina Capuchins Sermon writers Baroque writers Slovenian Friars Minor