History

“A Short History Of Krapanj”

“From many sources too many to mention ……”
Edited by Peter

Krapanj is an Island in the Sibenik achipelago, covering an area of only 0.36 km2; it is the smallest inhabited island in the Adriatic and is only 400 m off the shore. Due to the alleyways and stone houses, the atmosphere on this island has remained almost preserved. The moment you get off the ferry in Krapanj’s port, time stops and Krapanj starts telling its story. If you want to ask someone something about this island, its enough just to in one of the coffeehouses on the island for a while, and you will soon know everything. In the morning, most of the people living on Krapanj will say hello to you. They are happy to make passing comments on the weather, wind or about their daily chores. It is wonderful to be on an island so close to the land, and enjoy its unspoiled insular atmosphere.
Torna Juric, a nobleman from Sibenik, and a descendant of the Subic family from Bribar, gave the island to the Franciscans, the Brothers of the Bosnian vicary. He had bought the island from the Kaptol od Sibenik with intention to build a chapel there. He only had one condition: only the Friars minor were to live on this island and no one else. Only the Franciscans were allowed to inhabit the island. Very soon, the monestery came under the possession of the St. Jerome’s province of Dalmatia. Since the 16th century Turk invasions in these areas were very fierce, the Francinscans allowed peope living on the neighbouring mainland to build their own settlement, southeast of the monastery. When Turks invaded the country, the Franciscans used armed force to defend themselves. Today, the settlement is overlooked by a beautiful pine forest, which also contributes to the feeling of peace dominating the island.
After the death of Torna Junic, his three sons wanted to build a monestery, and Pope Eugene IV gave them permission to do so. The Holy Cross monstery was built in 1450 and creates a special separate unity on the island.. since the work of the Franciscan friars was closely connected to the inhabitants of the island, in 1652, the monestery was given a parish, and the friars began offering spiritual and other assistance to parishes on the mainland. The remains of the old church walls, in part, can be seen by the front door of the cloister. The church was expanded in 1937, and the wall bearing the consecration date (May 15, 1523) joins the new church building with the cloister.
The church is located on the northen side of the monastery, and its remaining three parts are residential. In the central part of the monastery, there is a wonderful cloister, and a well. The cloister got its final appearance in 1626. it is simple and finely made, full of semicircular arches and massive pillars, without any ornamation.
Since the monastery had been rebuilt, and expanded so many times over the years, the only original room remaining is the dining room. A very valuable painting of the Last Supper by the 16th century Italian artist Francesco da Santa Croce and six paintings belonging to the period from the 15th to 18th centuries are kept in that room. A very valuable Renaissance painting, the Black Madonna on the throne, a bible from 1473, 23 incunabula, and theological books from 15th to 18th centuries are also kept in the monastery. There is also an exhibition of sponge diving on Krapanj in the monastery museum.
More to follow later

Nekih 10 km od Sibenika k jugu lezi malo ostrvo Krapan (Krapanj). Jedva je dugo 1 Km, a siroko od 16 do 700m.
Nad morem je najvise do 1.5 m. Nema vrutka zive vode, a more naokolo vrlo slano. U kucne bunare se slije voda s krova. Selo ima lijepu veliku catrnu s naplavom, iz koje se u ljetno doba dijeli voda ograniceno.
Opcinsko je vijece glasovalo 27.11.1904., da se za cisternu potrosi 11.192 krune, a k tome da seljani doprinesu 3687 kruna u nadnicama, svaka 2 krune. Rad je zapoceo 1.3.1905. I bio svrsen do konca godine. Ali ogradni zid je od 1926. Sa sjev. Ist. Strane otocic je pun zelenih borova, a s ist.
Juzne seoske su kuce, gradene na jedan ili dva poda. Oko kuca su pregrade u kojima je svasta nabacano I vrtli s plitkom zemljom.
U uvali prema jugu podigli su seljani bezbroj malih pristanista, ogradenih suhom zutilovkom (brnistrom), gdje sigurno stoje povezane ladice. Pomorska vlada u Trstu dozvoli je 28.4.1910., da se naspe uvala Mudrag I ucini obala za parobrodica.
Opcinsko vijece I selo rado su pristali, da taj nasip pripadne istoj vladi. Nasuta je I druga uvala zvana Soline, a ime joj kaze, da se ondje nekad pravila so. Od Krapna do siben. Kopna ima preko mora 400 metara. Tu je promet cijelog dana, osobito izjutra I navecer, kad Ijudi idu I vracaju se iz polja sa svojim zivotinjama I bremenima. Selo ima preko 200 brodica.
Na samom otocicu nije se nasslo nikakvih starina. Jedino su krapanski ronioci kod bliznjeg otocica Oblika na dnu mora nasli oko 200 rimskih zara. (Mnogo ih je kupio Arheol. Muzej u Splitu.) Neke zare imaju natpis: Cerd, a to je rimska tvornica, koja je postojala do oko g. 25. Po Kristu.
Prije naselja sav je otocic bio zelena suma, kao smaragd. Bila je }} na diku pokrajine {{, kaze stari rukopis.
Otocic je pripadao sib. Kaptolu, koji ga je prodao g. 1436. Tomi Juricu sib. Plemicu. On vuce svoju lozu od bribirskih Subica. Toma je na otocicu stao graditi kapelu, ali u to umre. U svojoj oporuci odreduje, da se Krapan preda franjevcima bosanske vikarije. Kasnije je otocic presao u ruke fratara provincije sv. Jeronima. Pet sinova pok.
Tome I vise franjevaca sastadose se 5. XII. 1446. Kod siben. Biskupa. Bastinici utvrdise s fratrima, da se osim njih na otocicu ne smije nitko naseliti, da ne smiju zemlijiste nikome ni prodati niti darovati, pace da ne dozvole ikomu pasti blago. Ali s vremenom sila je bila jaca od zakona (ugovora). Radi turske pogibelji razni zitelji s kopna predose na otocic kao sigurno zakloniste.
Oko g. 1500. U Krapnu ima 200 seoskih kuca. Od 1511. Do 1530. Naseli se 45 obitelji seljaka iz Grebastice, Vrhpoljca I Donjeg polja. Neke su izbjeglice dosle I g. 1544. Kad je poceo rat g. 1570. Ponovno su izbjeglice presle u Krapan. Nekima su fratri dozvolili da podignu kuce, pa su ostali zauvijek. Ali vec 1575. Postoji }}duga pravda{{ adi vlasnosti zemlijista, koja su dosljaci zauzimali. Kasnije su dolazili na Krapan I drugi bjegunci iz dalmatin. Zagore I Bosne.
Za njihovu vecu sigurnost podignuta ie oko g. 1640. Na kopnu na brodarici ili Bilom brigu kula sa dvoristem, u kojem su drzali zivotinje. Naseljenici nisu htjeli fratrima nista placati, ni za podignute kuce ni za vrtle, pa je bilo pravdanja osobito g. 1654. Do 1663. Pucanstvo iz Vrhpoljca preslo je u Krapan 1645. Radi Turaka, ali im se osvecivalo po poljima. Zalazili su sve do Klisa hvatajuci turske robove. God. 1646. Dodose Turci u velikom broju do obale Krapna plivajuci na kozama (mjesinama). Krapljani se pobojase I prenesose iz kuca u samostan I crkvu svoje stvari. Turci nisu nasli plijena, pa su palili kuce. Seljaci iz samostana I fratarske kule (torre forte) stali su pucati na Turke, koji su htjeli razbiti vrata crkve I samostana.
Neki Krapljani poginuse, jer nisu vise imali puscanog praha, ali su se junacki borili. Grad. Knez posalje im u pomoc dvije lade, pa se Turci uklonise. Bilom ih je mnogo ranjenih I 1000 mrtvih. Iste su godine 1646. Krapljani uz druge borili se kod Vodice, pa ih o. A. Kacic zove vitezovima.
Jos I g. 1774.