Visit Krapanj Island
“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 Franciscans 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.
