Novalja () is a
town in the north of the island of
Pag in the
Croatian part of
Adriatic Sea. In recent times, Novalja has become famous because of the
Zrće Beach Zrće (, ) is a long pebble beach on the Adriatic island of Pag and is located on the Dalmatian coast. Zrće is located near the town of Novalja and the area of Gajac, about from the town's center. It is one of over 100 Blue Flag beaches in Croa ...
.
History
The earliest settlers on the island were an
Illyrian tribe that came to the region in the
Bronze Age; traces of their settlement can still be seen around Pag. In the 1st century BC, the
Romans took possession, and have left numerous archeological and cultural artifacts.
Novalja is the successor of a Roman city called
Cissa, considered by many scholars to be the seat of an ancient Christian
bishopric of that name. Others prefer to identify the see with an island city of the same name in
Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...
, close to present-day
Rovinj. A bishop of Cissa named Vindemius took part in some year between 571 and 577 in a
schism
A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
atic synod in Grado called by
Patriarch Elias of Aquileia. Arrested by the
Exarch of Ravenna he was forced to abjure his views on the
controversy of the Three Chapters
The Three-Chapter Controversy, a phase in the Chalcedonian controversy, was an attempt to reconcile the non-Chalcedonians of Syria and Egypt with Chalcedonian Christianity, following the failure of the Henotikon. The ''Three Chapters'' (, ''t ...
, but once free from
Byzantine Empire control reaffirmed his position and took part in another schismatic synod in 590. A bishop of Cissa called Ursinus took part in a synod at Rome in 680 and signed the acts. Soon after, Cissa ceased to exist, perhaps because of an earthquake. No longer a residential bishopric, Cissa is today listed by the
Catholic Church as a
titular see.
[''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 870]
The
Croats arrived in the 7th century along with the great migration and settled in the area. The island was for some time under the rule of the
Croatian kingdom. Yet the island was always fought over, and in the 11th and 12th centuries was divided between the communities of
Rab
Rab âːb( dlm, Arba, la, Arba, it, Arbe, german: Arbey) is an island in the northern Dalmatia region in Croatia, located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.
The island is long, has an area of and 9,328 inhabitants (2 ...
and of
Zadar. Novalja was given to the community and diocese of Rab by Croatian
King Petar Krešimir IV. From the 12th to 14th centuries, Novalja, along with other
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...
n towns and islands, was fiercely contested between the
Republic of Venice and the
Croatian-Hungarian rulers. For four centuries from the start of the 15th century it was held by Venice, until Venice lost its independence.
Austria and
France then fought over the Dalmatian area with victory going to the Austrians.
The island passed from Austria to the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia after
World War I, and then to the
Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945). After the Second World War it returned to Yugoslavia and, when this broke up, it became part of the new state of
Croatia. Unusually, the island is divided between two counties, with Novalja and
Stara Novalja being part of the northern
Lika-Senj County.
Population
Villages
*
Caska
*
Gajac
*
Kustići
*
Lun
*
Metajna
Metajna is a village in Croatia, in the municipality of Novalja, with a population of 236.
It is located in the Bay of Pag on the island of Pag.
The Slana concentration camp was about 5 km away from the village, which operated during the be ...
* Novalja
*
Potočnica
*
Stara Novalja
*
Vidalići
Vidalići ( Italian: ) is a coastal village on the Croatian island of Pag, in Lika-Senj County. Administratively, it is part of the town of Novalja
Novalja () is a town in the north of the island of Pag in the Croatian part of Adriatic Sea. In ...
*
Zubovići
Gallery
File:Pogled iz Novalje.jpg
File:U Novalji 2021.jpg
File:Spomenik u Novalji.jpg
File:Crkva u Novalji.jpg
File:Crkva u Novalji 2021.jpg
File:St.-Catherine's-church-in-Novalja.jpg
File:Hrvatski grad Novalja.jpg
File:NOVALJA.jpg
File:Caska - plaža.3.jpg
File:Dr. Franjo Tuđman - poprsje u Novalji.2.jpg
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Croatia
Pag (island)
Populated places in Lika-Senj County
Populated coastal places in Croatia
Cities in ancient Illyria
Illyrian Croatia
Catholic titular sees in Europe
Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Croatia