Mrkan is a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n island in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

, located off the

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 coast, near

Cavtat Cavtat (, it, Ragusa Vecchia, lit=Old Ragusa) is a village in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast south of Dubrovnik and is the centre of the Konavle municipality. History Antiquity The original city was ...

. The island is uninhabited.

Geography

Its northeast coast is overgrown with dark green bushes, and the southwest coast has steep and high gorges. Mrkan is protected as a special ornithological reserve, a nesting place for the .

History

A memorial-type sanctuary was erected on Mrkan in the time of early Christianity. On its ruins, the

pre-Romanesque Pre-Romanesque art and architecture is the period in European art from either the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom in about 500 AD or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the 11th century Romanesqu ...

church of St. Michael was built with a dome typical of southern Dalmatia, also in ruins now. Next to the ruins of the church are the remains of a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery. It is believed that it was the regional monastery of St. Mary of

Lokrum Lokrum (, it, Lacroma) is an island in the Adriatic Sea from the city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. It stretches from northwest to southeast and receives regular ferry service from the Old City port. Austrian archduke (and short-lived Emperor of M ...

. The monastery was first mentioned in written sources in 1218, and the last abbot was Mato Grubiša Ranjina. It is known that the last monk's name was Petar. He moved to Lokrum in 1296. Bishop of Trebinje Salvije also stayed on Mrkan for some time. He was expelled from

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...

in 1253 by King

Stefan Uroš I Stefan Uroš I ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – May 1, 1277), known as Uroš the Great (Урош Велики) was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers ...

of Serbia, and 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 = ...

gave the bishop the Mrkan monastery with a church and the neighboring islet of Bobar. Thus the Diocese of Trebinje changed its name to Trebinje-Mrkan. It is not known how long the bishop sat on Mrkan, but it is known that in part of the ruins of the Benedictine monastery there was a bishop's summer house, which is now also a ruin. It is assumed that there were as many as three early Romanesque churches on Mrkan – St. Michael's, St. Mary's, and St. Mark's after whom the island got its name. From 1377, Mrkan was used as a

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

island for ships arriving in

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

from areas where the plague was present.

Notes

References

Journals

* {{refend Islands of Croatia Islands of the Adriatic Sea Landforms of Dubrovnik-Neretva County