The Baptism on the Savica () is a long two-part epic-lyric poem written by the Slovene Romantic poet France Preà ¡eren. According to the literary historian Marko Juvan, the work may be considered the Slovene national epic. 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 BohoriÃÂ alphabet from July 1835 until January 1836 and self-published on 14 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 Preà ¡eren's late friend Matija ÃÂop. The second part, the Introduction (), describes the final battle between Christians and pagan Slavs, led by the hero ÃÂrtomir. It is composed of 25 three-line and one four-line stanza and segues directly into the poem's third part, the Baptism (), focusing on the reunion of ÃÂrtomir and Bogomila, who had been the priestess of the goddess à ½iva but is now a Christian. She persuades ÃÂrtomir 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 Preà ¡eren Monument at Preà ¡eren Square, the main square in Ljubljana. It is titled Farewell () or ÃÂrtomir and Bogomila (). It was created by the sculptor Ivan Zajec in 1901. It has a Classicist composition, a Realist cadre, an impressionist final touch, and emphasises Preà ¡eren's Romantic poetry with its content.