Spodnje Škofije (; locally also ''Prva Škofija'', it, Scoffie former Italian name: ''Albaro Vescovà'') is a settlement in the

City Municipality of Koper The City Municipality of Koper (; sl, Mestna občina Koper, it, Comune città di Capodistria) is one of twelve city municipalities of Slovenia. It lies at the coastline of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Slovenia and was established in 1994. ...

in the

Littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. A major border crossing on the

Highway 5 Route 5, or Highway 5, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * Asian Highway 5 * European route E05 * European route E005 Argentina * National Route 5 Australia New South Wales * M5 Motorway (Sydney) * The De ...

into Italy was located here, with the Italian side known as Rabuiese.

Name

The name ''Spodnje Škofije'' literally means 'lower Škofije' (in contrast to neighboring Zgornje Škofije; literally, 'upper Škofije'). Spodnje Škofije is also known locally as ''Prva Škofija'' 'first Škofija' ('second', 'third', and 'fourth' Škofija are hamlets of Zgornje Škofije). The name ''Škofija'' (literally, 'diocese') is derived from the common noun ''škof'' 'bishop', and the numbering refers to tenant farms originally owned by the Diocese of Koper.

History

Historically linked to

Muggia Muggia ( vec, label=Venetian, Triestine dialect, Muja; german: Mulgs; fur, Mugle; sl, Milje) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the south-west of the Province of Trieste, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the border with Slovenia. Lying ...

(now in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), it was under the rule of the

Patriarchs of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

during most of the Middle Ages, until passing under Venetian rule in the 15th century. It remained part of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

until its dissolution in 1797. After that, it passed under the Habsburg monarchy, the French Empire, before being absorbed into the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

in 1813. During the Austro-Hungarian period, it was part of the province of Istria within the Austrian Littoral. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, 63.3% of the population was ethnically Slovene, while 34.6% were

Istrian Italians Istrian Italians are an ethnic group from the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic region of Istria in modern northwestern Croatia and southwestern Slovenia. Istrian Italians descend from the original Latinized population of Roman Empire, Roman Istria#Early h ...

. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, it became part of Italy and it was incorporated in the

Province of Trieste The Province of Trieste ( it, Provincia di Trieste, sl, Tržaška pokrajina; fur, provinzia di Triest) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Trieste. It had an area of and it had a ...

. After the war, it was part of the

Free Territory of Trieste The Free Territory of Trieste was an independent territory in Southern Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, facing the north part of the Adriatic Sea, under direct responsibility of the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath ...

and it was under Anglo-American military administration until 1954, when it was ceded to

Socialist Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...

. During the Ten Day War, fighting between the Yugoslav federal army and Slovenian defense troops took place near Škofije.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the settlement is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.Roman Catholic Diocese of Koper List of Churches May 2008

References

External links

Spodnje Škofije on Geopedia
Populated places in the City Municipality of Koper Italy–Slovenia border crossings {{Koper-geo-stub