Ilača () is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in eastern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, southeast of

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

. The village is connected with the rest of the country by the D46 state road connecting it with the town of

and continuing into

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

as the State Road 120 to the nearest town of

Šid Šid ( sr-cyr, Шид, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Srem District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It has a population of 12,628, while the municipality has 27,894 inhabitants (2022 census). A border crossing betw ...

History

The village of Ilača developed from an earlier Sveti Ilija (Saint Eliah) settlement which was mentioned for the first time in 1404. Old village was located about two kilometres north of the contemporary settlement at an low uphill of

Vukovar Plateau Vukovar Plateau (, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Вуковарски равњак, separator=" / ", Vukovarski ravnjak) is a low loess plateau in eastern Croatia in the region of Syrmia named after the town of Vukovar. The eponymous town of Vukovar originally de ...

but following the 1699

Treaty of Karlowitz The Treaty of Karlowitz, concluding the Great Turkish War of 1683–1699, in which the Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy League at the Battle of Zenta, was signed in Karlowitz, in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy (present-day ...

and the Ottoman retreat villagers moved into the somewhat lower Bosut fields (

Spačva basin The Spačva basin ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Spačvanski bazen, Спачвански базен) is a geographic microregion in eastern Croatia and northwest Serbia. The region is located in the southwestern part of Syrmia—the latter being divided by ...

). In 1736 local census 56 Catholic households were recorded, some of them earlier local inhabitants with others moving in from

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

, Gorjani,

Komletinci Komletinci () is a village in eastern Croatia located east of Otok. The population is 1,649 (census 2011). Name The name of the village in Croatian is plural. Demographics 1991 census 1910 census According to the 1910 census, settl ...

Apševci Apševci () is a village in Syrmia in easternmost part of Croatia along the state border with Serbia. It is administratively part of the Nijemci Nijemci (, ) is a Settlement (Croatia), village and a municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in ...

Kukujevci Kukujevci ( sr-cyr, Кукујевци) is a village located in the municipality of Šid, Srem District, Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011 census, it has a population of 1,955 inhabitants. Name The name of the village in Serbian language, Serbian is ...

and

Batrovci Batrovci () is a village located in the municipality of Šid, Srem District, Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, it has a population of 259 inhabitants. A border crossing between Serbia and Croatia is located in the village, on European route E70. Na ...

Education

The village hosts a branch of Ilača–Banovci Elementary School (). Since 2002, the school administration has been based at the location in Ilača. The local school in Ilača has the most students. Classes in Ilača are conducted in Croatian and in Latin script. The editorial office of the school newspaper ''Jeka'' (Echo) is also located in Ilača . Other local schools that are part of the same administration are located in Banovci and Vinkovački Banovci.

Religion

Ilača apparitions

Ilača is the most important

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

site in the historical region of

Syrmia Syrmia (Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is div ...

. The Marian

Ilača apparitions Ilača () is a village in eastern Croatia, southeast of Vinkovci. The village is connected with the rest of the country by the D46 state road connecting it with the town of Vinkovci and continuing into Serbia as the State Road 120 to the neares ...

were reported in 1865, seven years after the famous

Lourdes apparitions The Lourdes apparitions are several Marian apparitions reported in 1858 by Bernadette Soubirous, the 14-year-old daughter of a miller, in the town of Lourdes in Southern France. From 11 February to 16 July 1858, she reported 18 apparitions ...

. Shepard from Ilača Petar Lazin claimed that he saw a water on the middle of the field road although there was no rain, and that once he made a whole the water source started there that haven't stop since that time. At the same night, another villager, young Đuka Ambrušević saw a Virgin Mary with a child in his dream and she told him that it is her water spring, that he need to build a small wall around it so that stock don't drink from it. When he woke up he saw the image from his dream next to his bed. Initially church authorities tried to prevent congregation from pilgrimage. Later it was permitted by progressive bishop

Josip Juraj Strossmayer Josip Juraj Strossmayer, also Štrosmajer (; ; 4 February 1815 – 8 April 1905) was a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church, politician and benefactor (law), benefactor. Between 1849 and his death, he served as the Bishop of Đakovo, Bishop ...

. In 1866 small chapel was built next to the spring, and in 1870 construction of a church started. Ilača became target of pilgrimage for

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

as well as for

Eastern-rite Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

Pannonian Rusyns Pannonian Rusyns (), also known as Pannonian Rusnaks (), and formerly known as ''Yugoslav'' Rusyns (during the existence of former Yugoslavia), are ethnic Rusyns from the southern regions of the Pannonian Plain (hence, ''Pannonian'' Rusyns). Th ...

. During the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

church was destroyed by tanks of

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

active in the area of self-proclaimed Serbian Autonomous Oblast of

SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia The Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srpska autonomna oblast Istočna Slavonija, Baranja i Zapadni Srem, Српска аутономна област Источна Славонија, ...

. Once the

UNTAES The United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) was a UN peacebuilding transitional administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, in the eastern parts of Croatia (m ...

finished its peace mission in the Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia in 1998 pilgrimage started once again to take place.

Gallery

Image:Ilača-Илача 12.JPG Image:Ilača-Илача 11.JPG Image:Ilača-Илача 02.JPG

References