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Pag (town)
Encyclopedia
Pag is the largest town
on the island of Pag
, with a population of 3,121 (2005), located at 44.44°N 15.06°E. Whole municipality has a population of 5,100.
took Pag from the Byzantine
authority and appointed a Croatian district Prefect as the administrator of the town.
In 1244 Hungarian
-Croatian king Béla IV granted Pag the status of a free royal town. After the rebellion against Zadar, Pag obtained partial autonomy, and Ludovic I acknowledged its full autonomy in 1376 as to all other Dalmatia
n towns. In the battles against Zadar which took place in 1394 Pag suffered a heavy defeat and devastation, and the inhabitants moved to a new location, where the present Pag was founded.
In 1403, the king Ladislav sold his share of Dalmatia, Pag included, to Venice
and thus sentenced Pag to a centuries-long life under the Venetian rule. In 1433 Pag received the Town Statute, one of the first documents of that sort in Croatia.
In the middle of the 15th century, Ottoman
threat kept rising and therefore the inhabitants of Pag decided to build a new town. The construction works began on today’s location of the town, on 18 May 1443. The urban plans of the new town were developed in Venice respecting the principles of architecture and urbanism of that time. Giorgio da Sebenico, a great constructor and sculptor participated in the development of the urban plan.
In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the town of Pag had 4700 inhabitants. In later years, and especially in 1905, following the emergence of a blight, which had destroyed the vineyards, the number of population started declining. Many inhabitants emigrated, mostly to the USA, Canada
and Australia
.
During World War II
, a concentration camp was set up on the island of Pag by the Croatian Ustaše
puppet regime. It held about 8,500 people: 4,500 Serbs, 2,500 Jews, and 1,500 Communists. When the Ustaše learned in 1941 that the island of Pag was to be transferred to Italian control, they killed all of the prisoners.
Another wave of depopulation of town and island Pag took place at the end of the Second World War. In this period, the nobility completely ceased to exist.
During the Croatian War of Independence
in 1991, the only link between southern and northern Croatia was the island Pag, thanks to the bridge that connects it to the mainland on the south and a ferry line on the north of Pag.
The Collegiate Church is a three-nave basilica with three apses. The simple front is decorated with a Gothic portal, a Renaissance rosette and unfinished figures of the saints. In 1466 Juraj Dalmatinac became supervisor of the construction works on the church, while the building itself was carried out by his disciples; finished not before the beginning of the 16th century; restored in the 18th century, when the stucco work on the ceiling was performed. The church accommodates valuable works of art: the altar painting Our Lady of the Rosary, the Gothic wooden cross, and the silver processional crucifix and reliquaries are safeguarded in the treasury. The bell tower with its present height was erected in 1526.
In the Benedictine
church of St. Marguerite, constructed after the plan of Juraj Dalmatinac, a silver processional cross and reliquaries are kept. The church of St. George, bearing Renaissance
features, is a work of local masons from the 16th century.
There are several houses and smaller palaces with Renaissance façades, portals and coats of arms of local noble families in the town.
The Old Town includes partially preserved walls and the main church, a three-nave basilica built in the Romanesque style; the fronts of the Romanesque and Gothic styles were built in 1392 by the sculptor Paul from Sulmona. The ruins of a Franciscan
monastery from 1589 are near the church.
Town Pag is also place of origin of Paška čipka, famous lacework whose first mention is related to sisters of Order of Saint Benedict
in 1579.
extraction, fishing
and agriculture
have been the basis of survival on the island throughout the centuries. The tradition of salt extraction most probably originates from the times of the first settlement in this area.
These traditional activities have been maintained until the present day. Now, around 40,000 sheep are kept on the island. Also, around 33,000 tons of salt are produced yearly, making 2/3 of the total production in Croatia. The salt basins are spread over 3.01 square kilometres (301 ha).
The most important economic activity, not only for the inhabitants, is tourism
. Tourism on the island of Pag has seen a boom in the last decades. A large, well-maintained public beach, particularly suitable for families with children, lies not far from the centre of the town. The famous lacework
of Pag, the best-known national lacework, is produced here, and in the local cheese-monger's shop one of the most famous authentic national sorts of cheese - Paški sir
- may be found. The prominent national costumes are also categorized as national souvenirs. The present rich touristic offering of Pag, which - along with the impressive landscape - stone lace in the sea - make Pag and the Pag Bay an exquisite tourist resort.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
on the island of Pag
Pag (island)
Pag is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea. It is the fifth-largest island of the Croatian coast, and the one with the longest coastline....
, with a population of 3,121 (2005), located at 44.44°N 15.06°E. Whole municipality has a population of 5,100.
History
The mediaeval Pag emerged near the salterns where the abandoned Old Town used to be, 3 km south of the present location. According to historical documents, the name Pag was mentioned for the first time in the 10th century. In 976, the Croatian king Stjepan DržislavStjepan Držislav
Stephen Držislav was a King of Croatia from 969 AD until his death in 997. He was a member of the Trpimirović dynasty. He ruled from Biograd with Godemir as his Ban.-Early period:...
took Pag from the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
authority and appointed a Croatian district Prefect as the administrator of the town.
In 1244 Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
-Croatian king Béla IV granted Pag the status of a free royal town. After the rebellion against Zadar, Pag obtained partial autonomy, and Ludovic I acknowledged its full autonomy in 1376 as to all other Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n towns. In the battles against Zadar which took place in 1394 Pag suffered a heavy defeat and devastation, and the inhabitants moved to a new location, where the present Pag was founded.
In 1403, the king Ladislav sold his share of Dalmatia, Pag included, to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and thus sentenced Pag to a centuries-long life under the Venetian rule. In 1433 Pag received the Town Statute, one of the first documents of that sort in Croatia.
In the middle of the 15th century, Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
threat kept rising and therefore the inhabitants of Pag decided to build a new town. The construction works began on today’s location of the town, on 18 May 1443. The urban plans of the new town were developed in Venice respecting the principles of architecture and urbanism of that time. Giorgio da Sebenico, a great constructor and sculptor participated in the development of the urban plan.
In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, the town of Pag had 4700 inhabitants. In later years, and especially in 1905, following the emergence of a blight, which had destroyed the vineyards, the number of population started declining. Many inhabitants emigrated, mostly to the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a concentration camp was set up on the island of Pag by the Croatian Ustaše
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
puppet regime. It held about 8,500 people: 4,500 Serbs, 2,500 Jews, and 1,500 Communists. When the Ustaše learned in 1941 that the island of Pag was to be transferred to Italian control, they killed all of the prisoners.
Another wave of depopulation of town and island Pag took place at the end of the Second World War. In this period, the nobility completely ceased to exist.
During the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
in 1991, the only link between southern and northern Croatia was the island Pag, thanks to the bridge that connects it to the mainland on the south and a ferry line on the north of Pag.
Cultural heritage
In 1443 the new town was founded and built according to new principles of town-planning. The longitudinal and the transversal streets, the latter known as Vela ulica, intersect at a right angle, forming in this way a rectangular square with the Collegiate Church, the Duke's Palace and the unfinished Bishop's Palace, which, as well as the town walls, were built by the famous mason and sculptor Giorgio da Sebenico.The Collegiate Church is a three-nave basilica with three apses. The simple front is decorated with a Gothic portal, a Renaissance rosette and unfinished figures of the saints. In 1466 Juraj Dalmatinac became supervisor of the construction works on the church, while the building itself was carried out by his disciples; finished not before the beginning of the 16th century; restored in the 18th century, when the stucco work on the ceiling was performed. The church accommodates valuable works of art: the altar painting Our Lady of the Rosary, the Gothic wooden cross, and the silver processional crucifix and reliquaries are safeguarded in the treasury. The bell tower with its present height was erected in 1526.
In the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
church of St. Marguerite, constructed after the plan of Juraj Dalmatinac, a silver processional cross and reliquaries are kept. The church of St. George, bearing Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
features, is a work of local masons from the 16th century.
There are several houses and smaller palaces with Renaissance façades, portals and coats of arms of local noble families in the town.
The Old Town includes partially preserved walls and the main church, a three-nave basilica built in the Romanesque style; the fronts of the Romanesque and Gothic styles were built in 1392 by the sculptor Paul from Sulmona. The ruins of a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery from 1589 are near the church.
Town Pag is also place of origin of Paška čipka, famous lacework whose first mention is related to sisters of Order of Saint Benedict
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
in 1579.
Economy
Traditionally, cattle and sheep breeding, along with saltSalt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
extraction, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
have been the basis of survival on the island throughout the centuries. The tradition of salt extraction most probably originates from the times of the first settlement in this area.
These traditional activities have been maintained until the present day. Now, around 40,000 sheep are kept on the island. Also, around 33,000 tons of salt are produced yearly, making 2/3 of the total production in Croatia. The salt basins are spread over 3.01 square kilometres (301 ha).
The most important economic activity, not only for the inhabitants, is tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Tourism on the island of Pag has seen a boom in the last decades. A large, well-maintained public beach, particularly suitable for families with children, lies not far from the centre of the town. The famous lacework
Lacework
Pag lace is a type of lacework from Pag on the island of Pag, requires a needle, thread and backing which is a round or square hard stuffed pillow....
of Pag, the best-known national lacework, is produced here, and in the local cheese-monger's shop one of the most famous authentic national sorts of cheese - Paški sir
Paški sir
Paški sir is a hard, distinctively flavored sheep milk cheese from the Croatian island of Pag...
- may be found. The prominent national costumes are also categorized as national souvenirs. The present rich touristic offering of Pag, which - along with the impressive landscape - stone lace in the sea - make Pag and the Pag Bay an exquisite tourist resort.