Vače
Encyclopedia
Vače is a settlement in the Municipality
of Litija
in central Slovenia
. Traditionally the area was part of Lower Styria
and is now included with the rest of the municipality into the Central Slovenia statistical region
.
The settlement is best known as the location where one of the archaeological treasures
of Slovenia, the Hallstatt-period
Vače situla
, was discovered in 1882. It is a bronze
vessel with a triple figurative frieze
. A monument with a much enlarged copy of the situla, set on a millstone
, stands in the village. The original is kept in the National Museum of Slovenia
. Another important finding was the Vače belt-plate
, which is kept by the Naturhistorisches Museum
of Vienna
.
The local parish church
is dedicated to Saint Andrew
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana
. It was built in 1844 on the site of an earlier building that was destroyed by fire.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Litija
Litija
Litija is a town and a municipality in central Slovenia. It is located in the valley of the river Sava, to the east of the capital Ljubljana. Traditionally, the area was situated on the border between the historical provinces of Carniola and Styria. Most of the municipality belonged to the...
in central Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Traditionally the area was part of Lower Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
and is now included with the rest of the municipality into the Central Slovenia statistical region
Osrednjeslovenska statistical region
The Central Slovenia statistical region is a statistical region in central Slovenia. It includes the Slovene capital Ljubljana and is the most densely populated area of Slovenia. In terms of size it is the second largest region. It has good traffic connections in all directions and is economically...
.
The settlement is best known as the location where one of the archaeological treasures
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
of Slovenia, the Hallstatt-period
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Central European culture from the 8th to 6th centuries BC , developing out of the Urnfield culture of the 12th century BC and followed in much of Central Europe by the La Tène culture.By the 6th century BC, the Hallstatt culture extended for some...
Vače situla
Vače situla
The Vače situla is the most decorated of four situlas found near Vače, Slovenia. The Vače situla dates from the turn of the 6th century BC and is one of the oldest situla objects of the northern Illyrians...
, was discovered in 1882. It is a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
vessel with a triple figurative frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. A monument with a much enlarged copy of the situla, set on a millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
, stands in the village. The original is kept in the National Museum of Slovenia
National Museum of Slovenia
The National Museum of Slovenia is located in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is situated in the Center district of the city near the Tivoli Park....
. Another important finding was the Vače belt-plate
Vače belt-plate
The Vače belt-plate is one of the best examples of Illyrian art and of toreutic technique. The Vače belt-plate was discovered in the Hallstatt archaeological site of Vače in Slovenia where several Illyrian situlae have been found. It dates to the 5th century BC and is displayed in the...
, which is kept by the Naturhistorisches Museum
Naturhistorisches Museum
The Naturhistorisches Museum Wien or NHMW is a large museum located in Vienna, Austria.The collections displayed cover , and the museum has a website providing an overview as a video virtual tour....
of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
The local parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
is dedicated to Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Ljubljana is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Slovenia. It was erected as the Diocese of Ljubljana by Pope Eugene IV on 6 December 1461 and was immediately subject to the Holy See from its creation until erected...
. It was built in 1844 on the site of an earlier building that was destroyed by fire.