Stomaž () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the hills north of the

Vipava Valley The Vipava Valley (; , , ) 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 Ajdovščina and Vipava. Geography The narrow valley of the Vipav ...

in the

Municipality of Ajdovščina The Municipality of Ajdovščina (; ) is a municipality with a population of a little over 19,000 located in the Vipava Valley, southwestern Slovenia. The municipality was established in 1994. Its seat is in the town of Ajdovščina. , its mayor ...

in the

Littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral 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 i ...

region of

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

. It is made up of several smaller hamlets: Brith, Dolenja Vas (), Hrib, Ljubljanica, Griže, Črnigoji, Bratini, and Batagelji.

Name

Stomaž was attested in written sources in 1523 as ''Sannd Thomas''. The Slovene name ''Stomaž'' is derived from ''*šent Tomaž'' 'Saint Thomas', referring to the patron saint of the local church. This was contracted to ''Štomaž''. The name of the settlement was changed from ''Štomaž'' to ''Stomaž'' in 1987.

History

In the past, there were seven mills along Kranjšček Creek in the village; the last one stopped operating in 1944. During the Second World War,

Partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

forces encamped at the Hribar Mill along Kranjšček Creek. They fled an Italian raid in February 1943. Until 1959, when a water main was installed from Pikovca Springs east of Stomaž, the village relied on rainwater for its water supply.

Mass graves

Stomaž is the site of four known

mass graves A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...

from the Second World War. The Stomaž 1–4 mass graves () are all located east of the settlement. They are connected with the murder of 13 or 14 Slovene civilians in the fall of 1943. The first grave lies in the bushes in the ravine of Vrnivec Creek, about 90 m north of the house at Štomaž no. 8. No information is available except locals' reports that the creek once washed a human skull out of the grave. The second grave is located about north of the house at Stomaž no. 8. It contained the remains of 11 victims; one is said to have been exhumed and reburied elsewhere. The third grave is located below a tree at the edge of the woods, about north of the house at Stomaž no. 9. It contains the remains of a girl from Zalošče. The fourth grave is located below a path on the edge of the woods near the house at Stomaž no. 9 and is marked with a cross. It contains the remains of a schoolteacher from

Ajdovščina Ajdovščina (; ,trilingual name "Haidenschaft, Aidussina, Ajdovščina" inGemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgegeben von der K. ...

or the vicinity and his wife.

Church

The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

, from which the settlement gets its name, is dedicated to Saint Thomas and belongs to the Koper Diocese.Koper Diocese list of churches

Recreation

Stomaž is a popular starting point for hikers heading to Mount Čaven (1,185 m). The village offers views of the

and

References

External links

*
Stomaž on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Ajdovščina {{Ajdovščina-geo-stub