Komenda was first mentioned in written sources in 1147–54 asde sancto Petro (and ashospitale Sancti Petri in 1296,in der pharren von Sand Peter in 1322, andcomendator ad S. Petrum in 1446). The name of the village is identical to the Slovene common nounkomenda 'commandry', referring to a property and residence owned by theKnights Hospitaller from 1223 to 1872. The nounkomenda is borrowed (probably via GermanKommende) from Medieval Latincommenda 'entrusted property'.[5] In the past the German name wasCommenda.[2]
Komenda is the site of amass grave from the period immediately after the Second World War. The Svešek Alder Mass Grave (Slovene:Grobišče Sveščeva jelša) is located at the edge of the Svešek Alder Woods (Sveščeva Jelša) along a forest road northwest ofŽeje pri Komendi. It contains the remains of 10 to 15 prisoners fromKamnik murdered in May and June 1945. Their nationalities and whether they were soldiers or civilians is unknown.[6]
Above the settlement is a complex with a castle, theparish church dedicated toSaint Peter, a parsonage, stables, and a cemetery. A church in Komenda was first referred to in documents dating to 1147. In 1726 the old church was pulled down to make way for the new building. The current one was built in theBaroque style and completed in 1729. It was based on plans by the architectGregor Maček Jr. The interior and the surroundings were redesigned in the first half of the 20th century based on plans by the architectJože Plečnik.[7]
In addition to Saint Peter's Church, several other structures in Komenda have protected cultural monument status:
The commandery of the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Šmid Manor (Slovene:Šmidova graščina), is located immediately northwest of Saint Peter's Church. It is a two-story structure with four wings and an irregular interior courtyard. Its foundations date to the 13th century, and it was renovated in 1872 and again in 1909.[8] ThePartisans burned it in 1944, setting a fire in each room, which destroyed all of the furnishings and badly damaged the frescoes and Gothic stonework.[9]
The Glavar House (Slovene:Glavarjeva hiša) is located at Glavar Street (Glavarjeva cesta) no. 77. It is a two-story structure that Peter Pavel Glavar had built in 1752. Glavar's coat of arms stands above the door casing, and the exterior has three frescoes painted by Franc Jelovšek (1700–1764).[10]
The Glavar Hospital (Slovene:Glavarjeva bolnišnica) is located south of the cemetery at Glavar Street (Glavarjeva cesta) nos. 104 and 106. It is a two-story building with nine bays, a vaulted interior, and an arcaded walkway in the rear. It was built at the bequest of Peter Pavel Glavar to serve the poor, infirm, and aged. The hospital operated from 1805 to 1947.[11]
^Savnik, Roman, ed. 1971.Krajevni leksikon Slovenije, vol. 2. Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije. pp. 185–186.
^Snoj, Marko. 2009.Etimološki slovar slovenskih zemljepisnih imen. Ljubljana: Modrijan and Založba ZRC, p. 197.
^Ferenc, Mitja (December 2009)."Grobišče Sveščeva jelša".Geopedia (in Slovenian). Ljubljana: Služba za vojna grobišča, Ministrstvo za delo, družino in socialne zadeve. RetrievedOctober 6, 2023.
Slovenia
![The Baroque portal of the house and library of Peter Pavel Glavar, designed by Franc Jelovšek [sl]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKomenda_Glavar.jpg)
![The cemetery with a Gothic memorial column (1510) erected by the Knights Hospitaller[14]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKomenda_Cemetery.jpg)
Media related toKomenda at Wikimedia Commons
