Izvorni znanstveni članak
Pilgrimages and Testamentary Bequests: Croatian Immigrants in Venice and the Shrine of Loreto (from the Fifteenth to the Sixteenth Century)
Lovorka Čoralić
orcid.org/0000-0002-9333-7221
; Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Of only a few cities in the Apennine peninsula can we say that they had such an important role in historical, cultural and ecclesiastical connections between Croatia and Italy as Loreto had. Situated in the Marche region, an area that had abundant economic and cultural ties with the Croatian coastal area throughout the centuries, Loreto has always been – as one of the leading Marian pilgrimage centres – a desirable destination for Croatian pilgrims. Undoubtedly, a contributing factor was the legend of the transfer of the cottage in Nazareth in which the Holy Family lived to Trsat (1291) and then shortly after to Recanati and Loreto (1294). In the course of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, a strong Croatian immigrant group was active in Loreto, and it had a confraternity of its own in Loreto’s central church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Furthermore, at the end of the sixteenth century, a Croatian Institute for the Education of Catholic Youth was founded, intended to prepare priests for missionary work across southeastern Europe.
The central topic of this article deals with Croatian immigrants in Venice and their connections with Loreto in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. On the basis of source material (notarial testaments from the State Archive of Venice), the first part of the article provides general information on Croatian immigrants, who maintained connections with Loreto (the origin of immigrants, their occupations, places of residence, connections with their fellow countrymen, religious life and other details). The second part of the article provides a detailed analysis of specific forms of mentioning of Loreto in their testaments. The point in question is the appointment of surrogate pilgrimages in Loreto, giving bequests to serve masses in Loreto’s Blessed Virgin’s Church and giving individual donations (mostly money) to the Shrine. All the aforementioned indicators confirm that Loreto from its beginnings as one of the leading European pilgrim sites had an especially important role for the Croatians, being thus a component that cannot be omitted from the research, one that deserves scholarly attention for both research into the history of the Church in Croatia and research into Croatian and Italian connections in general.
Ključne riječi
Loreto; Venice; pilgrims; the Late Middle Ages; the Early Modern Period; ecclesiastical history; Croatian history; Croatian-Italian connections
Hrčak ID:
95089
URI
Datum izdavanja:
28.12.2012.
Posjeta: 2.142 *