Atti, Vol. LV No. 1, 2026.
Original scientific paper
THE CULT OF SAINT NAZARIUS: AN ATTEMPT AT A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT THROUGH NAMES OF BAPTISED INHABITANTS OF KOPER (1550-1923)
Dean Krmac
; Centro di ricerche storiche - Rovigno Rovigno – Croazia
Danijela Doblanović Šuran
orcid.org/0009-0007-7963-1970
; Università degli Studi “Juraj Dobrila” Pola – Croazia
Abstract
The paper presents a quantitative analysis of the veneration of the cult of Saint
Nazarius in Koper/Capodistria drawing on the study of names given to persons born
between 1550 and 1923 in the parish registers containing over 70,000 baptism entries.
In just under four centuries, as many as 3,000 baptised persons were named
Nazarius (and its variants), which makes it the sixth most popular male name in
general. The trend is not linear over time: rare until the late seventeenth century,
the name was most popular during the era of Bishop Naldini (1686-1713) and
Borromeo (1713-1733), when the trend stabilised. In the nineteenth century, the
name was usually given as the first name, unlike the previous century. The veneration
seems to have been mostly rooted among lower classes: farmers, fishermen
and sailors chose the name with a frequency surpassing their demographic share.
On the other hand, noble families used it rarely. The choice of name also suggests
a strong family tradition with significant name repetition across several generations,
particularly common from the nineteenth century onwards. The impact of
the liturgical calendar is limited, while the godparent’s impact, although present,
is not dominant. The origin of the cult seems to have been civic, promoted by the
medieval elite. People adopted it in time, so that it became an element of identity
and reconciliation between the city and the countryside.
Keywords
Cult of Saint Nazarius, Koper/Capodistria, baptismal names, calendar, godparenting
Hrčak ID:
348674
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2026.
Visits: 53 *