Janjevci
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Janjevci (, sq, Janjevët, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Janjevci, Јањевци) or Kosovo Croats ( sq, Kroatët e Kosovës, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kosovski Hrvati, Косовски Хрвати) are the
Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...
community in
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
, inhabiting the town of
Janjevo Janjevo () or Janjevë (in Albanian) is a village or small town in the Lipljan municipality in eastern Kosovo. The settlement has a long history, having been mentioned for the first time in 1303 as a Catholic parish. The town was prior to the K ...
and surrounding villages near
Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
, as well as villages centered on Letnica near
Vitina Viti ( sq-definite, Vitia) or Vitina ( sr-Cyrl, Витина), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjilan in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Viti has 4,924 inhabitants, while the municipality has 46,987 inhabita ...
(Šašare, Vrnez, and Vrnavokolo), who are also known as ''Letničani''.


Identity and culture

The Janjevci declare as ethnic Croats, and derive their ethnonym (''Janjevci'') from their traditional community centre, in
Janjevo Janjevo () or Janjevë (in Albanian) is a village or small town in the Lipljan municipality in eastern Kosovo. The settlement has a long history, having been mentioned for the first time in 1303 as a Catholic parish. The town was prior to the K ...
. It is believed that the community descends from migrating merchants from the
Republic of Ragusa hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century , currency = ...
(Dubrovnik and its hinterland) who settled the area in the 14th century
medieval Serbia Serbia in the Middle Ages refers to the medieval period in the history of Serbia. The period begins in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe, and lasts until the Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second half ...
. The first written mention of Catholics in Janjevo is a letter written by Pope
Benedict XI Pope Benedict XI ( la, Benedictus PP. XI; 1240 – 7 July 1304), born Nicola Boccasini (Niccolò of Treviso), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 October 1303 to his death in 7 July 1304. Boccasini entered the ...
in 1303, mentioning Janjevo as the center of the Catholic parish of St. Nicholas. Together with the
Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
from
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
, they worked the Serbian mines. The Croatian population of Shasharë is believed to be of partial Saxon origin. They have maintained their Catholic faith until today. The community speaks the Prizren-South Morava dialect. Janjevci have adopted the tradition of celebrating "Slava" - patron saint of the family. Most of the families together celebrate
Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
(December 6th and May 9th) along with
Saint Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Dioclet ...
,
Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...
and
Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...
. Traditional "''
Pogača Poğaça is a type of bread baked in the ashes of the fireplace, and later on in the oven, similar to focaccia. Found in the cuisines of the Balkans, it can be leavened or unleavened, though the latter is considered more challenging to make. It i ...
''" and a candle are blessed by a priest and used at the family gathering at the evening before the main feast. The parish church celebrates it's feast day on the day of
Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari The Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari is a religious and folk holiday among the East Slavs and, to a lesser extent, the South Slavs and Eastern Romance peoples. It is celebrated on May 9 each year. For Old (Julian) ...
(May 9th in byzantine calendar) which is known among Janjevci as "''sveti Nikola ljetni" (also "župna slava" or "dan župe").'' Community also celebrated
Saint George's Day Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia. Sai ...
(known among Janjevci as "''Đurđevdan") -'' an important holiday, especially for teen Janjevci who would prepare a special celebration called "''rifana".''


Demographic history

In 1948, there were 5,290 Croats (0.7%) in Kosovo; in 1971 there were 8,264; in 1981 - 8,718 (0.6%); in 1991 - 8,062 (0.4%). During and after the
Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...
, most of the community had fled to Croatia. 1998 estimations had their number at only 1,800, of which 350 lived in Janjevo. In 2008, there were only 300 Croats estimated to live in Janjevo. In 2011, about 270 Croats lived in the area. The Croatian government has planned to resettle the remaining Janjevci in Kosovo to Croatia. According to the Kosovan 2011 census, there was a total of ca. 400 Janjevci, of whom 80 remain in the
Vitina municipality Viti ( sq-definite, Vitia) or Vitina ( sr-Cyrl, Витина), is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjilan in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Viti has 4,924 inhabitants, while the municipality has 46,987 inhabita ...
.


Janjevci community in Croatia

Janjevci families started migrating to
SR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Social ...
, part of Yugoslavia, in the 1950s, mostly settling in
Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
. By the beginning of the 1970s, there was a large community of Janjevci along and within the vicinity of Konjšćinska Street in Dubrava, a district in the eastern part of Zagreb. They have since turned this area into a vibrant shopping district. During the
Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
, a significant part of the Janjevci emigrated to Croatia in several waves (1992, 1995, 1997, 1999), and Letničani were settled by the authorities in
Voćin Voćin is a village and municipality in western Slavonia, Croatia, located southwest of Slatina and east of Daruvar. The population of the municipality is 1,911, with 956 people living in Voćin itself (census 2021). Geography Voćin, a pilgrima ...
and
Đulovac Đulovac (German: ''Wercke'', Hungarian: ''Gjulaves'', ''Gyula'' in Middle Ages) is a municipality in Slavonia, in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County of Croatia. There are 3,640 inhabitants, 79.5% of which are Croats. History In the late 19th and earl ...
(western
Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
) and Janjevci in
Kistanje Kistanje ( hr, Kistanje, hr, sr-Cyrl, Кистање) is a village and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. Geography Kistanje is located in the microregion of Bukovica, in Zagora. Kistanje is from county seat Šibenik, from Kni ...
(the
Dalmatian hinterland The Dalmatian Hinterland ( hr, Dalmatinska zagora; it, La Morlacca or ) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name ''zagora'' means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is t ...
) in the abandoned homes of
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
. Following the end of the
Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...
from June to October 1999, the Janjevci population of Kosovo dropped from 700 to 360. Ongoing acts of violence and harassment from Kosovo Albanians and general uncertainty instigated the mass exodus. In April 2017, 196 displaced Letničani, composed of 41 families who were waiting on homes promised by the state, were finally given newly built houses in the settlement Dumače, in the municipality of
Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 , causing ...
. According to records in 2002, there are 966 families of Janjevci in Croatia, with the majority of them residing in the capital Zagreb (669 families), and the rest in other parts of Croatia (297 families).


Famous people

* Roko Glasnović - Croatian Roman Catholic prelate *
Anton Glasnović Anton Glasnović (born 18 January 1981) is a Croatian sports shooter who competes in shotgun events. His biggest success to date was reaching the trap final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. His also won a gold medal in team trap along wit ...
, Croatian sports shooter and World Championships silver medalist *
Josip Glasnović Josip Glasnović (born 7 May 1983) is a Croatian sports shooter who competes in shotgun events. His biggest success was the gold medal in trap at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He reached the trap final at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, w ...
, Croatian sports shooter and Olympic champion *
Petar Palić Petar Palić (born 3 July 1972) is a prelate of the Catholic Church who is currently the bishop of Mostar-Duvno and apostolic administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan since 2020. Palić descends from the Kosovo Croat family, being born in Pristina. Aft ...
, Croatian Roman Catholic prelate *
Željko Glasnović Željko Glasnović (born 24 February 1954) is a former Croatian military officer and politician. He was a member of Croatian Parliament's club called Independents for Croatia. Biography He was born in Zagreb in 1954. His late father was from Janj ...
, Croatian military officer and politician * Marijan Brkić Brk - Croatian guitarist and producer * Mario Petreković - croatian television actor and presenter


See also

* Gorani, Slavic Muslim community in Kosovo *
Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Ovo je najstarija hrvatska dijaspora koja postoji od 14. stoljeća
{{Slavic ethnic groups Croatian diaspora Ethnic groups in Kosovo Slavic ethnic groups South Slavs Catholic Church in Kosovo