Dominicans in medieval Bosnia

First mention of Dominicans presence in Bosnia is dated to 1233, while fewer information are actually known to researchers to this day. There, according to Dominican Stjepan Krasić, and historian expert on Dominican order activity in medieval Bosnia, Salih Jaliman, order established two monasteries, with locations, where these existed until 1241 and Mongols invasion, still unknown. It is known that order attempted to build a church somewhere in Vrhbosna, with exact location again unknown, but after a Mongolian invasion deep mistrust and discord started developing between Dominicans on one side and Bosnian medieval ruling elite and Bosnian Franciscans on the other. This lead Dominicans to decide to remove seat of Bosnian diocese from Bosnia altogether, and move it to Đakovo in Hungary, where it stayed until 1881. Until cca 1380 Province of Budapest had jurisdiction over activities in Bosnia, and since 1380 Province of Dalmatia, but all organized activities ceased already in the second half of the 13th century, giving a way to individual priests practices during the 14th and 15th century.^[2][3][4]

Hungarian Province

On the second General Chapter of the Order in 1221, Saint Dominic entrusted his associate Paul the Dalmatian to implant the Order in the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia. In the Middle Ages the Dominicans spread to all Croatian areas. First they came in Dubrovnik in 1225 and at the beginning of the 14th century they began to build the monumental complex of the Convent and church of Saint Dominic. During the 13th century they established monasteries in Nin (1228), Čazma (1229), Dubica (1235), Zagreb (before 1241), Virovitica (before 1242), Zadar (1244), Split, Croatia (1245), Pag (c. 1250), Ulcinj (1258), Trogir (1265), Bihać (1266), Kotor (1266), Skradin (before 1312) and Brskovo (1285). In the 14th century several convents were established: Požega (1303), Hvar (1312), Šibenik (1346), Bosanska Krupa (before 1357) and Senj (before 1378) and Krk (before 1380).^[5] Until 1380 the Croatian convents were part of the Hungarian Province with vicars for the area along the Adriatic Sea.

Dalmatian Province

Pope Urban VI recognized complete autonomy of the Dalmatian Province in the bull Sedis Apostolicae of March 3, 1380. Newly erected Province of Dalmatia covered convents along the eastern Adriatic and had its headquarters in Zadar. During the 15th and 16th century numerous convents were established: Rab (1426), Čiovo (1432), Gruž (1437), Bol (1474), Rijeka (1477), Korčula (1501), Budva (1513) and others.^[5]

Dubrovnik Congregation

Dominican Priory in Dubrovnik (1225)

Following the process of reform in the Order, the reformed Congregation of Dubrovnik was founded in 1486, uniting three priories in the territory of the Republic of Ragusa: St. Dominic's Priory in Dubrovnik, Holy Cross Priory in Gruž and St. Nicholas' Priory in Lopud. Congregation spread with the foundation of new priories: on the island Ruda (1535), in Župa dubrovačka, Broci (1628), Viganj (1671) and Orašac (1690).^[5]

The rise and fall of the Dalmatian province

In the mid 15th century, the Province had about seventy convents and 2,000 members, but that number has started to decrease drastically due to the Ottoman invasion. Turkish raids in Bosnia, Slavonia, Lika and Dalmatia had destroyed almost completely the Dominican presence there. So in 1573 Dalmatian province had only a hundred members in eight convents. To 1583. number of convents increased to thirteen. During the 17th century the number of convents and members remained largely the same.

Since the Republic of Dubrovnik was spared of the Turkish conquest nor convents of the Dubrovnik congregation were not destroyed. Until the second half of the 17th century, the Congregation flourished and had seven convents, but after the devastating earthquake from 1667, the Congregation, because death of many members and significant material damage, experienced its decline.

Extensive damage to the Province inflicted the laws that Venetian Republic began to introduce during the 18th century and that restricted many of the rights of the religious orders. With the arrival of the French government in Dalmatia in the early 19th century, the state occupied and abolished many convents including that of Zadar, seat of the Province through the centuries and place where a university existed from 1389 until the abolishment of the convent in 1807. After Austria took over Dalmatia in 1814 situation insignificantly improves. Province in 1833 had had only six convents and 21 members.

Since the Dubrovnik congregation was threatened with extinction, with only 10 members in several rooms in two occupied convents (Dubrovnik and Gruž), the unification of the Congregation with the Dalmatian province was decided in 1835. The seat of the Province is then moved to Dubrovnik.^[5]

Former convents

Brinje

Nin

Vrhbosna

Dubica

Zadar

Pag

Bihać

Požega

Ptuj

Hvar

Šibenik

Gorjani

Otoka kod Krupe

Rab

Subotica

Virovitica

Čazma

Former convents

Incomplete list of former convents of the Croatian Dominican Province:

Convent		Location	Established	Abolished	Notes
		Nin	1228	after 1646
		Čazma	1229	1552
		Ptuj	1230	18th century
		Vrhbosna	1233	1242	Dominican friar Ponsa, Bishop of Bosnia, had built cathedral of Saint Peter in Vrhbosna between 1238 and 1244.
	St. Nicholas Convent	Dubica	1235	15th century
		Virovitica	1242	1553
	St. Dominic's Convent	Zadar	1244	1807	The University of Zadar, the first university in Croatia, was founded in 1396 in the St. Dominic's Convent.
		Pag	c 1250	after 1646
	Saint Anthony's Convent	Bihać	before 1266	1578	In the late 16th century when the Ottomans conquered Bihać, the Saint Anthony's church was converted into a mosque (Fethija).
		Požega	before 1303	1529
	St. Mark's Convent	Hvar	1313	1806	St. Mark's church was the seat of the Great Council, therefore, noble families had there their tombs and altars.[6]
	St. Dominic's Convent	Šibenik	1346	1974
		Gorjani	before 1347	16th century
		Otoka kod Krupe (Bosanska Otoka)	1357	15th century
		Rab	before 1380	before 1613
		Brinje	1520	16th century
		Subotica	1945	1948