Grgar


Grgar is a village in western Slovenia in the Municipality of Nova Gorica. It is located under Holy Mount, above the Soča Valley and below the Banjšice Plateau.

Name

Grgar was mentioned in written sources 1370 as Gaergaer and in 1389 as Grêgôr. For phonological and morphological reasons, the latter transcription appears to be a hypercorrection and not connected with Saint Gregory or the name Gregor 'Gregory'. Instead, the name may be derived from another Romance base, perhaps *gregārius 'shepherd'.

Mass graves

Grgar is the site of two known mass graves associated with the Second World War. The Podgomila Shaft Mass Grave, also known as the Miljavec Shaft Mass Grave, is located on the left side of the road to Grgarske Ravne, about north of Grgar. It contains the remains of Home Guard and Italian prisoners of war, and Slovene and Italian civilians murdered in May 1945. The Jošč Shaft Mass Grave is located on the left side of the road to Grgarske Ravne, about north of Grgar. It contains the remains of unknown victims.

Church

The parish church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint Martin and belongs to the Diocese of Koper.

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Grgar include: