Matija Majar

Matija Majar, also spelled Majer (7 February 1809 – 31 July 1892), pseudonym Ziljski, was a Carinthian Slovene Roman Catholic priest and political activist, best known as the creator of the idea of a United Slovenia.

During his studies in Klagenfurt, he came under the influence of Anton Martin Slomšek, a Roman Catholic priest and author who propagated the use of Slovene in the public sphere.

Influenced by the Illyrian Movement in Croatia, especially by the Slovene-Croatian poet and activist Stanko Vraz, Majar started developing Pan-Slavic ideals.

Because of his radical political activity, Majar was transferred from Klagenfurt to the remote parish of Hohenthurn (Slovene: Straja vas) on the border with Friuli.

After more than decade in isolation, in 1867 Majar took part in a journey to Moscow later nicknamed the "Slavic Pilgrimage", where he presented the Gail Valley at the Ethnographic Exhibition.