The ''Academia Operosorum Labacensium'' (Academy of the Industrious Residents of Ljubljana)—a forerunner of the modern

Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( sl, Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members ...

—was founded in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

in 1693 as an association of 23 scholars. Most of the members, which included 13 lawyers, six

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

s, and four

medical doctors Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

, were ethnically Slovene. The newly founded library became an important centre of activity for its members. The ''Operosi'' were very influential in the development of the arts in Ljubljana and throughout the Slovene cultural area. The members of the academy adopted the Latin name ''apes'' (bees) and the academic tag ''Nobis atque aliis – operosi''. Every year they held an annual meeting, as well as four other academic meetings, where they discussed their research. Its purpose from the beginning was to promote scholarship in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, philosophy, and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. In 1701, the academy merged with the ''Academia incoltorum'' (Academy of Fine Arts) and ''Academia philharmonicorum'' (Academy of Music). At the time of its greatest activity, around 1714, it was an international association of 42 members from Carniola and the counties of central

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

assembled under the patronage of Bishop Franz Karl von Kaunitz. It fell into decline in the summer of 1725, but was revived in 1781, thanks to the efforts of Slovene Enlightenment figures. It was only active for another 20 years or so and thereafter declined again because the members' outlooks and expectations were too much at variance.

Presidents

* Janez Krstnik Prešeren (1656–1704), the first president of the academy. * Marko Gerbec, president from 1712 to 1713. {{authority control History of Ljubljana Learned societies of Slovenia History of science and technology in Slovenia Carniolan culture 1693 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1752 disestablishments Academies of sciences Scientific organizations established in 1693