Sveti Miklavž (, sometimes ''Vrh svetega Miklavža'' or simply ''Vrh'',''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 23. ) is a former settlement in the

Municipality of Moravče A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

in central

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 now part of the villages of Hrib nad Ribčami, Katarija,

Spodnji Prekar Spodnji Prekar (; ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 22.) is a small settlement in the hills above the left bank of the Sava River in th ...

, Velika Vas, Zalog pri Kresnicah, and Zgornji Prekar. The area is part of the traditional region of

Upper Carniola Upper Carniola ( ; ; ) is a traditional region of Slovenia, the northern mountainous part of the larger Carniola region. The largest town in the region is Kranj, and other urban centers include Kamnik, Jesenice, Jesenice, Jesenice, Domžale and ...

. The municipality is now included in the

Central Slovenia Statistical Region The Central Slovenia Statistical Region () is a Statistical regions of Slovenia, statistical region in central Slovenia. Geography This is the second-largest region in terms of territory. It has a total area of 2,555 km2, with a central po ...

Geography

The old village core of Sveti Miklavž lies in the extreme south of the village of Katarija, on the Cicelj Ridge, which separates the Sava Valley from the Moravče Valley.

History

The core settlement of Sveti Miklavž had a population of 34 living in four houses in 1880, and 25 living in four houses in 1900. The territory of Sveti Miklavž was split between what are now six villages (Hrib nad Ribčami, Katarija, Spodnji Prekar, Velika Vas, Zalog pri Kresnicah, and Zgornji Prekar) in 1953, ending its existence as an independent settlement.

Church

The local

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

is dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

and belongs to the Parish of Moravče. It dates to the mid-15th century. Saint Nicholas was the patron of boatmen on the Sava River. The church was referred to as the "Guardian of the Upper Sava" () because the boatmen believed that they were protected as long as they had the church in their sight. The church is vaulted, with a rectangular nave and a shallow chancel. Tradition states that the church was built to replace an older church that stood in Velika Vas but was burned by Ottoman forces. A less accessible location was selected for the new church, at a site where a pagan temple formerly stood. The remains of a fortified wall surround the church, and the building has frescoes dating from the 15th and 16th centuries that have been whitewashed over. The main altar features a painting by Franz Götzl and the side altars have Baroque paintings.

Other cultural heritage

In addition to Saint Nicholas' Church, two other sites in Sveti Miklavž are registered as cultural heritage: *The Vrh Svetega Miklavža archaeological site contains traces of prehistoric and late Roman-era settlement, as well as a medieval fortified wall. *The Mežnar chapel-shrine stands along the road below Saint Nicholas' church. It is a square, closed masonry shrine with a gabled roof. Its semicircular niche contains a statue of the Virgin Mary, and the sides feature paintings of Saint Nicholas and Saint Martin. It dates from the mid-19th century.Slovenian Ministry of Culture register of national heritage
reference number ešd 29378 File:Katarija Slovenia - shrine 1.JPG, Mežnar chapel-shrine

References

External links

*
Sveti Miklavž on Geopedia
Populated places in the Municipality of Moravče Former settlements in Slovenia {{Moravče-geo-stub