Sumartin (, Previously known as Sv. Martin) is a port

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

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 ...

on the island of

Brač Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide. The island's talle ...

. It is the youngest village on the island of

and administratively belongs to Municipality of Selca. According to 2011 census, it has a population of 491. Village was founded on 11 November 1646 - the feast day of Saint Martin - by the refugees from 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 and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

who fled from the Ottomans. It is connected by the D113 highway and by ferry.

History

Sumartin was established at the time of

Cretan War (1645–69) Cretan War may refer to multiple wars involving the island of Crete, including: * Cretan War (205–200 BC), a war between King Philip V of Macedon and Rhodes * Cretan War (1645–69), a war between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire Se ...

, also known as the

War of Candia War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

, in 1646. when a group of

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friars accompanied by a number of refugees reached the easternmost tip of the island of

by boats as they were fleeing from

Makarska Riviera The Makarska Riviera is a part of the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, about 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) long and only several kilometers wide, squeezed under towering mountain Biokovo. Sunny climate and long pebbly beaches make this region a ...

due to Ottoman raids. The newly formed village was established around the already existing abandoned small church of St. Martin which had been previously damaged but repaired by the refugees upon their arrival. As the settlement was growing in size, Franciscan friars decided to stay and began receiving more lands encouraged by Venetian military officer

Leonardo Foscolo Leonardo Foscolo (1588. - 1660.) was a Venetian commander. During the Cretan War (1645–1669), Leonardo Foscolo seized several forts, retook Novigrad, temporarily captured the Knin Fortress, and managed to compel the garrison of Klis Fortress ...

who endowed them by special document which highlights their merits. Meanwhile, local population gained momentum in developing and expanding their settlement by cultivating surrounding fields and vineyards. The development of the settlement can be noticed in the church visitations which mention the following number of inhabitants of the settlement over the course of several decades: 104 in 1678; 200 in 1702, 300 in 1712, 352 in 1760 and finally 370 in 1764. Population continued to grow until 1784 when a plague stroke the village halving the number of inhabitants. Meanwhile, in 1738 the monastic choir in

Sinj Sinj (; it, Signo; german: Zein) is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,478 and the population of the administrative municipality, which includes surrounding villages, is 24, ...

declared monastic community of Sumartin as the real monastery. This act influenced the further development of the newly formed village and the desires to build a large enough building which would serve as a monastery were growing bigger. The construction finally commenced in 1747 as the foundation of Franciscan friary was laid down by a famous Croatian poet fra

Andrija Kačić Miošić Andrija Kačić Miošić (; 17 April 1704 – 14 December 1760) was a Croatian poet and Franciscan friar, descendant of one of the oldest and most influential Croatian noble families - Kačić. Biography Born in Brist near Makarska, he became ...

. Monastery was erected at the same place where the small medieval church of St. Martin was located. Since he was a monk himself,

spent several years of his life in Sumartin (1745-1750).

Sources

* Brački zbornik br. 6, Dasen Vrsalović-Povijest otoka Brača, Skupština općine Brač, Supetar 1968.

References

Populated places in Split-Dalmatia County Brač {{SplitDalmatia-geo-stub