Lipsenj

Lipsenj is a small village between Žerovnica and Gorenje Jezero on the eastern edge of Lake Cerknica in the Municipality of Cerknica in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia.

Geography

In addition to the main settlement, Lipsenj includes the hamlets of Podšteberk and Sveti Štefan.

Name

Lipsenj was attested in written sources in 1425 as Lubssem. The medieval transcriptions of the name indicate that it developed from *Ljupsenj. This may have developed from the unattested hypocorism *Ľubosenъ, referring to some early inhabitant of the place.

Church

The church in Lipsenj, located in the former village of Sveti Štefan, is dedicated to Saint Stephen. It is a chapel of ease and belongs to the Parish of Grahovo. The church was mentioned in written sources in 1526 and it was remodeled in the Baroque style in the 18th century. The church has an attached bell tower, an octagonal nave topped by a cupola, a polygonal chancel walled on three sides, and a sacristy. The interior furnishings of the church are late Baroque. There is a small cemetery next to the church.