Vrana ( hr, Vrana, la, Aurana or ) is a historic settlement located north of the Vrana Lake, from

Pakoštane Pakoštane is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Zadar County. It is a tourist town with many gravel beaches and pine woods. Geography According to the 2011 census, there are 4,123 inhabitants, in the following naselja, settlements: ...

, a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast, in

Zadar County Zadar County ( hr, Zadarska županija ) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar. Geography Among the largest towns in the county of Zadar are: Zadar, Benkovac, Bibinje, ...

, Dalmatia,

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 ...

. Today it is a small rural settlement.

History

The significance of Vrana to the medieval Croatian history was closely connected with three religious communities: the Benedictines, the Knights Templar, and the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. The arrival of these three orders in Vrana and their cultural and political influence was conditioned by the medieval circumstances in Croatia and by the Roman Pope. Vrana had become one of the most important centers of political life, especially in the period from 1070. After the pope's deputies crowned him as the king of Croatia, King Zvonimir Dmitar in 1076 donated the city of Vrana and

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

of St. Gregory, as a sign of loyalty to Pope Gregory VII. Vrana was the first permanent diplomatic headquarters of the pope's deputies in the entire Slavic region. ''Insignia of Croatian Kingdom'' were held within Vrana's walls for a long time. Consequently,

Coloman of Hungary Coloman the Learned, also the Book-Lover or the Bookish ( hu, Könyves Kálmán; hr, Koloman; sk, Koloman Učený; 10703February 1116) was King of Hungary from 1095 and King of Croatia from 1097 until his death. Because Coloman and his younge ...

in 1102 came to the coronation in

Biograd Biograd na Moru (), shortened to simply Biograd (), is a town in northern Dalmatia, Croatia and is significant for being another capital of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of the Zadar County. It is located on th ...

, as the nearest royal residence. In the 12th century, the church

Priory of Vrana The Priory of Vrana ( lat, prioratus Auranae, hu, vránai perjelség, hr, vranski priorat) was a monastery near the Croatian town Vrana established as priory of Templars by the Hungarian king Béla II at the beginning of the 12th century. At th ...

donated this property to Knights Templar. At that time, Vrana was fortified with

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

s and

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

s and a moat. There are assumptions that the present ruins of a fortified facility above the village were part of a fortified town with a church. After Knights Templars, Vrana was the property of the Knights Hospitallers from 1312. 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) ...

conquered Vrana in 1527, and it remained under their control for a century, before 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, ...

took it in the Candian War briefly in 1647 and

Morean War The Morean War ( it, Guerra di Morea), also known as the Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War, was fought between 1684–1699 as part of the wider conflict known as the " Great Turkish War", between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Military ...

finally. In October 1683, the population of

Venetian Dalmatia Venetian Dalmatia ( la, Dalmatia Veneta) refers to parts of Dalmatia under the rule of the Republic of Venice, mainly from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Dalmatia was first sold to Venice in 1409 but Venetian Dalmatia was not fully consolidated ...

, principally Uskoks of Ravni kotari, took arms and together with the

rayah A raiyah or reaya (from , a plural of "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing, subjects, nationals, flock", also spelled ''raiya'', ''raja'', ''raiah'', ''re'aya''; Ottoman Turkish رعايا ; Modern Turkish râiya or reaya; related to the Arabi ...

(lower class) of the Ottoman frontier regions rose up, taking

Skradin Skradin ( it, Scardona; grc, Σκάρδων) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, with a population of 3,825 (2011 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and ...

, Karin, Vrana,

Benkovac Benkovac () is a town in the interior of Zadar County, Croatia. Geography Benkovac is located where the plain of Ravni Kotari and the karstic plateau of Bukovica meet, 20 km from the town of Biograd na Moru and 30 km from Zadar. Th ...

and Obrovac.

Attractions

* Benedictine monastery or fortress Vrana * Vrana Lake ''(Vransko jezero)'' *

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

Jusufa Maškovića

Notes

* The Benedictine monastery in Vrana kept the crown of Croatian kings. * According to legend, the Croatian Knights Templar buried the great treasure in Vrana. * In Vrana were born two famous 15th-century Croatian masters of the Renaissance: Lucijan Vranjanin ''(Luciano Laurana or Lucijan the builder)'' and sculptor Franjo Laurana Vranjanin ''(Francesco Laurana)''. From Vrana comes the great theologian ''Thomas Ilirik''.

References

External links

* http://hakave.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1419&Itemid=151 * http://www.templari.hr/slike/Vrana_i_templari.pdf * http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/1999%5C09%5C05%5C21A21.PDF {{Authority control Populated places in Zadar County Castles in Croatia Archaeological sites in Croatia Medieval sites in Croatia

History

Attractions

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links