Goče (, german: Gotsche) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the hills southwest of Vipava in the traditional Inner Carniola 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, and ...

. It is now generally regarded as part of the

Slovenian Littoral The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...

. It includes the hamlets of Bešenca, Na Grofovem, Na Jagni, Pod Strmcem, and V Gasah.

Name

The name ''Goče'' is derived from the personal name *''Gotъ''. Other Slovenian toponyms presumably based on this name are ''

Gotenica Gotenica (; in older sources also ''Gotnica'', german: Göttenitz,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 36.Ferenc, Mitja. 2007. ''Nekdanji ...

'', ''Gotna vas'' (a suburb of

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 ...

), ''

Gotovlje Gotovlje () is a settlement in the Municipality of Žalec in east-central Slovenia. The A1 motorway crosses the territory of the settlement north of the village core. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now in ...

'', and '' Gotenc''. Locally, the name is pronounced ''Γûəče'' , with the adjective form ''γûški'' and demonym ''Γučân'' .

History

Goče was very wealthy in the past; this is indicated in part by houses with dates from the 17th and 18th centuries carved into their door casings. Near Saint Andrew's Church some of the old buildings are built so close together that the streets are barely 1 m wide. Oral tradition states that the houses were built so compactly because the land belonged to the church, exempting the residents from military service.

Churches

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 activitie ...

in the settlement is dedicated to

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...

and dates from 1630. It belongs to the Koper Diocese. A small church built on a hill above the village also belongs to this parish and is dedicated to

Our Lady of the Snow The Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major (''In Dedicatione basilicae S. Mariae'') is a feast day in the General Roman Calendar of the Catholic Church, optionally celebrated annually on 5 August with the rank of memorial. In earlier edit ...

.Koper Diocese list of churches
The bell tower contains a bell cast in Goče in 1706. The village cemetery is south of the settlement. It has chapel dating from 1687 that is a prime example of the Karst Renaissance style. Between the church and the cemetery there is an altar-like wayside shrine from the end of the 17th century. Its relief carvings are heavily damaged.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Goče include: *

Franc Ferjančič The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...

(1867–1943), writer * Alfonz Furlan (1856–1932), local historian and religious writer * Ivan Mercina (1851–1940), campanologist and composer

References

External links

Goče on Geopedia
*
Populated places in the Municipality of Vipava {{Vipava-geo-stub