Videm, Dobrepolje


Videm is a village in the Municipality of Dobrepolje in Slovenia. It is the administrative centre of the municipality. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now included in the Central Slovenia Statistical Region. Videm consists of two hamlets: Mali Videm is the core of the settlement around Holy Cross Church, and Veliki Videm is located to the northwest, along the road toward Predstruge.

Geography

Videm stands at the northern end of the Dobrepolje karst polje. Gorica Hill rises east of the village, and Videm Hill, also known as Little Hill, rises to the west. Three permanent springs known as the Videm Springs are located in the western part of the settlement.

Name

Videm was first attested in written sources in 1355 as ze dem Wydem. The name comes from the Slovene common noun videm 'church property', borrowed from Middle High German videme 'church property'. In the past the German name was Widem.

History

A part-time school was established in Videm by 1793 in the old sexton's house. This was torn down between 1837 and 1857, and a school building was built at the site. A new school building was built in 1908. The village was burned by German forces during an offensive in the fall of 1943.

Church

The local parish church is dedicated to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ljubljana. It was built in 1844 on the site of a medieval building. The church contains artworks by several Slovene artists, including the wood carver Franz Jontez, the sculptor Ivan Zajec, the painters Matevž Langus and Štefan Šubic, and the artists Tone Kralj and France Kralj. The front of the church is decorated with a depiction of the crucifixion above the door and the motto "V tem znamenju boš zmagal" in capital letters below a gable stylized as a pediment supported by four pilasters. The church is surrounded by a cemetery.

Other cultural heritage

Notable people that were born or lived in Videm include: