Ravno
Ravno ( sr-cyrl, Равно) is a village and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ravno was a separate municipality until 1963, when it became a part ...
municipality, in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
Geography
Zavala is situated in the south-western expanse of
Popovo polje
Popovo Polje ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Popovo polje, Попово поље, , is a '' polje'' (karstic field) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in a southernmost region of the country, near the Adriatic coast. Its size is .
Popovo polje ...
, within the southernmost reaches of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. The village is also located approximately 400 meters away from the
Vjetrenica
Vjetrenica ( sr-cyrl, Вјетреница, ; ) is the largest cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the most biodiverse cave in the world. It is part of the Dinaric Alps mountain range, which is known for its karstic and speleological features. ...
cave. The village of Zavala also encompasses the hamlet of Mareva Ljut, contributing to the diversity and character of this geographical region.
History
Zavala was part of the medieval ''
župa
A župa, or zhupa, is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavs, South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "county" or "parish". It was mentioned for the first t ...
'' (county) of Popovo, mentioned in a charter issued by Grand Prince
Miroslav of Hum
Miroslav Zavidović ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Завидовић) was a 12th-century prince of Zachumlia from 1162 to 1190, an administrative division (appanage) of the Grand Principality of Serbia ('' Rascia'') covering Herzegovina and souther ...
to the Church of St. Peter by the
Lim river
The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим, ) or Vermosh River () is a river that flows through Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is long.Nikolić noble family, and then the
Sanković noble family
The Sanković family was a powerful Bosnian noble family active in the 14th and start of the 15th century in Herzegovina#History, Hum, serving the Serbian and Bosnian monarchies. Their seat was in Glavatičevo, where the family burial place is al ...
. Throughout the 15th century, until the region fell to the Ottoman Empire, the Kosača family held possession of Popovo. The Klisura fort was built by the Kosača on the hills above Zavala in the early 15th century.
The Eastern Orthodox Zavala monastery was established around 1514. Two years later, in 1516, the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
ordered the destruction of Catholic churches built before the conquest of Herzegovina. For this reason, many Catholics Catholics in Zavala converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. The proximity of the Zavala monastery was the main factor in their conversion.
From 1961 to 1991, Zavala was the seat of the Zavala municipality.
East Herzegovina
East Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Istočna Hercegovina, Источна Херцеговина) is the eastern part of the historical Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, part of the Republika Srpska entity. Major ...
. It was first mentioned in 1514, when the monastery purchased a vineyard in Orahov Do. First restoration was in 1587 and the church was vividly painted in 1619 by
Georgije Mitrofanović
Georgije Mitrofanović ( sr-cyr, Георгије Митрофановић; 1550–c. 1630) was a Serbian Orthodox monk and painter, remembered best for his work on the Morača monastery church and the frescoes (wall paintings) inside the Kru ...
. The monastery is also known as the place where
Basil of Ostrog
Basil of Ostrog (, ; 28 December 1610 – 29 April 1671), also known as Vasilije, was a Serbian Orthodox bishop of Zahumlje who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Life Early life
Stojan Jovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Стоја ...
, from nearby
Mrkonjići
Mrkonjići ( sr-cyrl, Мркоњићи) is a village in the municipality of Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast ...
, entered into monasticism.
Anthropology
The families of Zavala before the Yugoslav wars were the Vukanović,
Korać Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include:
* Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people
* Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager
* Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player
* Vitomir Ko ...
, Čalank, Andrić, Jović, Srba,
Šešelj Šešelj is a Serbo-Croatian surname, borne by Croats and Serbs, found in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. It may refer to:
* Vojislav Šešelj
Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a S ...
, Tupajić, Turanjanin, Nedić, Vulić. These have mostly left for
Trebinje
Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...
.
Demographics
In the 1991 census, the village itself had 105 inhabitants, of whom 89 were ethnic Serbs, 12 Croats, and 4 Yugoslavs.
According to the 2013 census, its population was 186.