Osor () is a village and a small port on the

Cres Cres (; dlm, Crepsa, vec, Cherso, it, Cherso, la, Crepsa, Greek language, Greek: Χέρσος, ''Chersos'') is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern islands in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from Rijeka, ...

island in

Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Primorje-Gorski Kotar County ( hr, Primorsko-goranska županija, ) is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner, the surrounding Northern Croatian Littoral, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar. Its center is Rijeka. The ...

in western

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 ...

, population 60 (2011 census). Osor lies at a narrow

channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

that separates

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

s Cres and

Lošinj Lošinj (; it, Lussino; vec, Lusin, earlier ''Osero''; german: Lötzing; la, Apsorrus; grc, Ἄψορρος) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the ...

. The channel was built in Roman times to make sailing possible. Now the islands are connected with a rotating bridge. Originally Cres and Lošinj were one island, Osor, before the channel was cut.

History

The first settlements of the area date in the prehistoric times. In Roman times, Osor, then called Apsoros ( grc, Ἄψωρος), also used to refer to the whole island of

, was an important center of trade on the route to the ports of Northern

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, 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) ...

. After the fall of

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, Osor became a part of

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and was a seat of

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

since the 6th century. In 840 it was burned down by

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

, in the 10th century, it came under Croatian rule. In the 14th century it was under the rule of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. From the 15th century on, Osor lost its strategic and commercial importance. Due to

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

, it was ultimately abandoned as the administrative center of the island in favor of the town of

. In the 19th century the island was under the rule of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and after

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

part of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Osor-Ossero was a part of the Republic of Yugoslavia. Today, Osor is a tourist-oriented town in the Republic of Croatia, with sculptures of

Ivan Meštrović Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's ...

and others scattered around the center. Several camping sites are located in the surroundings.

Ecclesiastical history

Residential Bishopric

The

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of what was called in Latin Absorus was founded circa 600, maybe as early as the 6th century, as a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

of the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Late

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Dalmatia Inferior Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stretc ...

's capital

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in t ...

(later of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

), but the first bishop of the see whose name is known was Dominicus in the last third of the 9th century. It has also bee called Absor and Lusin. The diocese was from 1146 a

of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zadar/Zara. Its cathedral, the Church of the Assumption, was built in 1463–1497. The area was taken by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1621 and held for a short time, during which its Christians travelled to

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

to fulfil their Easter duty of Confession and Communion. Absorus ceased in 1828 to be a residential see, when its territory was added to that of the Croatian

diocese of Krk The Diocese of Krk ( hr, Krčka biskupija; la, Dioecesis Veglensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church active on the Croatian islands of Krk, Rab, Cres and Lošinj, as well as a few smaller ones and also a mis ...

. ;''Suffragan Bishops of Osor'' (all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

; ''very incomplete : first centuries unavailable) * ... * Lovro (1042? – 1059), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

(Croatia) (1059 – 1099) * Michele,

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachin ...

(O.F.M.) (1290? – ?) * Giacomo (? – ?) * Angelo, O.F.M. (1295.10.02 – 1300?) * Bonifacio (1315? – ?) * Guglielmo (1325? – ?) * Cipriano (1335? – death 1337?) * Crisogono (1343.01.06 – ?) * Martino (1346.03.08 – ?) * Matteo Cernota (1347.10.29 – 1357.07.19), later Bishop of

(Croatia) (1357.07.19 – ?) * Bonifacio (1357.07.19 – ?), previously Bishop of

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 ...

(Bosnia and Herzegovina) (? – 1344.02.06), Bishop of

(Croatia) (1344.02.06 – 1357.07.19) * Michele da Zara, O.F.M. (1374.06.17 – ?) * Tommaso (? – ?) * Pactius (1390? – ?) * Mauro Rassoli (1399.05.17 – death 1410?) * Isidoro,

Benedictine Order , 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 ...

(O.S.B.) (1410.11.19 – 1411) * Vito da Cherso, O.F.M. (1412.10.24 – ?) * Pietro Leon (1436.02.06 – 1445.06.04), later Bishop of Ceneda (Italy) (1445.06.04 – 1474) * Simone de Valle (1445.06.09 – ?) Simon, Bishop of Ossero was an auditor in the case of John Myssenden Vicar of Leatherhead against the Priory of Leeds near Maidstone in 1446. The Register of Letters to England Scotland and Ireland reports the case. * Domenico (1449.07.28 – ?) * Antonio di Pago (1451.01.12 – 1471.03.29), later Bishop of

Kotor Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...

(Montenegro) (1471.03.29 – ?) * Marco Negro (1471.03.29 – death 1485.07.20), previously Bishop of

(Montenegro) (1459.11.07 – 1471.03.29) * Giovanni Robobello (1485.11.05 – 1491.01.06), later Bishop of

Feltre Feltre ( vec, Fèltre) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwes ...

(Italy) (1491.01.06 – 1494.12.19), Metropolitan Archbishop of Zadar (Zara) (Croatia) (1494.12.19 – 1503) * Giovanni Giusto (1491.01.06 – ?) * Andrea Corner (1512.11.06 – death 1514) * Giovanni Battista Garzoni (1514 – death 1516) * Andrea Peveraro (1517.07.24 – death 1527) * Antonio de Cappo (1527.12.26 – death 1553) * Marco Fedeli-Gonzaga (1553 – 1574.12.01), succeeding as former

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Osor (? – 1553); later Bishop of Mantova (Mantua)) (Italy) (1574.12.01 – death 1583.09.29) * Coriolano Garzadoro (1575.01.19 – 1614) * Ottaviano Garzadoro (1614.03.17 – death 1633) * Marc'Antonio Verità (1633.07.18 – death 1650.10.15) *

Giovanni de Rossi Giovanni Battista (Carlo) de Rossi (23 February 1822 – 20 September 1894) was an Italian archaeologist, famous even outside his field for rediscovering early Christian catacombs. Life and works Born in Rome, he was the son of Commendatore C ...

(1653.11.10 – death 1667), previously Bishop of Kefalonia–Zakynthos (insular Greece; 1640.12.03 – 1645.07.10),

Bishop of Chiron The Diocese of Chiron or Diocese of Chersonissos (Latin: ''Dioecesis Chersonesus'') was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Chersonissos in the north of Crete, bordering the Aegean Sea.Zadar (Zara) (Croatia) (1745.11.22 – death 1771.05.07) * Niccolò Dinarico (Dinarić) (1745.11.22 – 1757.01.03), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

(Croatia) (1757.01.03 – 1764) * Bonaventura Bernardi (1757.01.03 – death 1781.02.21) * Simone Spalatin (1781.06.25 – death 1798.02.10), previously Bishop of Korcula (1775.03.13 – 1781.06.25) * Francesco Pietro Raccamarich (1801.07.20 – 1815.01.21), previously Bishop of

(Montenegro) (1796.06.27 – death 1801.07.20)

Titular see

It is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a ''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 947 since 1933, when the diocese was nominally restored as a

titular bishopric A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

Osor, also named Absorus in Latin and Ossore in Curiate Italian. It has had the following incumbents of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rank : * Titular Bishop Karl Moser (1969.07.09 – 1991.09.29), as Auxiliary Bishop of Wien (Vienna) (Austria) (1969.07.09 – 1991.09.29) * Titular Bishop (1993.03.04 – ...) Peter Henrici,

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

(S.J.), Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...

(Switzerland)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic with incumbent bio links
{{Coord, 44, 42, N, 14, 24, E, region:HR_type:city, display=title Populated places in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Seaside resorts in Croatia Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Croatia Cres Illyrian Croatia