| Official Name: | Šempeter pri Gorici |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Slovenia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Slovenia |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Traditional region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Littoral |
| Subdivision Type2: | Statistical region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Gorizia |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Šempeter-Vrtojba |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3694 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Coordinates: | 45.9284°N 13.6378°W |
| Elevation M: | 72 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Cfa |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
Šempeter pri Gorici (in Slovenian pronounced as /ʃɛmˈpeːtəɾ pɾi ɡɔˈɾiːtsi/ or pronounced as /sl/, also generally known simply as Šempeter; Italian: San Pietro di Gorizia) is a town and the administrative seat of the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the Slovene Littoral region of Slovenia. There is a border crossing into the Italian town of Gorizia.
Through most of its history, it was linked to the town of Gorizia (Slovenian: Gorica), which is now in Italy, whence also its name, literally meaning 'St. Peter near Gorizia'. Since 1947, it has been gravitating towards the newly established town of Nova Gorica, with which it forms a continuous conurbation.
In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and then of the County of Gorizia. In 1500, it came under Habsburg rule, and it remained part of the Habsburg Monarchy until 1918, excluding a short French interim between 1809 and 1813.
During the Austrian administration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it formed an independent municipality. According to the last Austrian census of 1910, more than 97% of its inhabitants were ethnic Slovenes.[2] During World War I, it was almost completely destroyed during the Battles of the Isonzo. In August 1916, it was seized by the Italian Army, but it was recaptured by the Austro-Hungarians in November 1917. After the war, it was again occupied and later annexed by Italy. In the 1920s, it was rebuilt according to the plans of the architect Max Fabiani.
In 1924 and 1947, it was an integral part of the Municipality of Gorizia, and it effectively became a suburb of Gorizia. During World War II, it became an important center of Yugoslav Partisan resistance. In May 1945, the Yugoslav Partisans took control of the town. From June 1945 to September 1947, it was under Anglo-American military administration, and it was annexed to Yugoslavia in 1947.
In the 1950s and 1960s, when the town of Nova Gorica was still largely under construction, several important institutions were headquartered in Šempeter, including the Nova Gorica Grammar School and the Gorica Football Club.
Since the 1970s, the regional Franc Derganc General Hospital of Nova Gorica with a maternity ward has been located in Šempeter. Thus, most of the younger inhabitants of Nova Gorica and the wider Goriška area were born in Šempeter pri Gorici.
Notable people that were born or lived in Šempeter pri Gorici include: