The Baptism on the Savica (Slovene: Krst pri Savici) is a long two-part epic-lyric poem written by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren. According to the literary historian Marko Juvan, the work may be considered the Slovene national epic.[1] It is a narration about a hero and the woman he loves in the time of violent Christianisation of the predecessors of the Slovenes.
The poem was written in the Bohorič alphabet from July 1835 until January 1836 and self-published in April 1836. It was printed in 600 copies in Ljubljana by Josef Blasnik.
The poem comprises over 500 verses and has three parts. The first part of the poem, added approximately ten years later, is a sonnet dedicating the work to Prešeren's late friend Matija Čop. The second part, the Introduction (Uvod), describes the final battle between Christians and pagan Slavs, led by the hero Črtomir. It is composed of 25 three-line and one four-line stanza and segues directly into the poem's third part, the Baptism (Krst), focusing on the reunion of Črtomir and Bogomila, who had been the priestess of the goddess Živa but is now a Christian. She persuades Črtomir to be baptised too. Part three is composed of 53 ottava rimas. It has less of an epic character than the second, as it mainly focuses on the emotions of individuals. The epics themes include Slovene identity in the context of the nation's conversion to Christianity.
A motif from the poem is depicted in the bronze relief on the right side of the pedestal of Prešeren Monument at Prešeren Square, the main square in Ljubljana. It is titled Farewell (Slovo) or Črtomir and Bogomila (Črtomir in Bogomila). It was created by the sculptor Ivan Zajec in 1901.[2][3] It has a Classicist composition, a Realist cadre, an impressionist final touch, and emphasises Prešeren's Romantic poetry with its content.[4]
