Bokeljs
The Bokelj people (pl. Bokelji) are the inhabitants of the Boka Kotorska and adjacent regions (other than the bay of Kotor, the Prevlaka Peninsula and the hills and mountains around the cities of Tivat and Herceg Novi). They also inhabit the Vrmac peninsula, Sutomore region and southern areas of Spich region. They number 22 150, but had a population of 311 336.
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2 Population 3 History & Monuments made by Bokeljs 4 Famous Bokeljs and their achievements 5 External link |
The Bokelji is a regional designation, the inhabitants being mostly Catholic and Croat until 19th century, but the ethnic composition has been changed in the 2nd half of the 19th century by influx of Orthodox Serbs from the hinterland. Now Croats, who had constituted more than 50% of Boska Kotorska until the last century, are reduced to less than 5%.
Boka Croats make up about 1% of the population of Montenegro (without including Bokeljs living in the Boka region). This comes out to 6500 Croats from Boka living outside of Boka in Montenegro. They make more then 8% of the wider Kotor region population. The change of ethnic composition can be seen from the following facts: in 1910, Croatian Catholics made up 69% of the total population of the town of Kotor, 70% in Herceg Novi, and 95% in Tivat. In 1991, Croat share in the total population in the same towns dropped to 7%, 2%, 23% respectively.
Origin
Population
Prior to the fascist takeover of Yugoslavia in WW2 Croats formed the majority of the population of Kotor, Perast, Tivat, Dobrota, Prcanj, Herceg Novi. They also had a sizable numbers on the Vrmac Peninsula, southern part of Spich region (Sutomore to town of Bar). They had large numbers of Bokeljs on the islands of Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and in the city of Dubrovnik. Examples of population change due to various factors are:
-- Croats made about 69% of the population of Kotor; after the war they fell to less then 5% (currently it is 7%).
-- 70% of Herceg Novi, now it is around 2%.
-- 95% of Tivat, now its around 23%
The Boka region has a long naval tradition -- ever since the middle ages the Bokeljs had a very strong fleet, which counted as many as 300 ships in the 18th century. Boka was a rival to Dubrovnik and Venice.
The Bokelj Marine 809 (Bokeljska mornarica 809) is a confraternity founded in the 19th century whose aim was to promote nationalism among the inhabitants. In 809 the remains of St Tripun were brought by Bokelj mariners from Asia Minor to Kotor. The Cathedral of St. Tripun in Kotor is the oldest cathedral in Boka, built in 1166.
There are two beutiful churches on two islets in Boka bay created by the Bokeljs. Both were built in the first half of the 17th century. The two churches are called Sveti Djuradj and Gospa od Škrpjela near the town of Perast.
It is interesting that the Church of Gospa od Skrpjela is built on an artificial island. Each year a procession of Bokeljs encircle in numerous fishing boats and pilgrims throw pebbles around it. These was a tradition that was done for some 100 years to create it.
An important monument, showing uninterrupted presence of the Bokeljs in Boka kotorska during many centuries, is the cathedral of St. Tripun in the town of Kotor, built as early as 1166. It represents the oldest known Bokelj cathedral. Its ciborium is decorated with a beutiful interlace pattern which is even older than the church itself, and of the same type as numerous exotic interlace patterns found in many pre-Romanesque churches along the Adriatic coast.
The town of Kotor has a surrounding wall which is about 5km long. This wall was built to protect the capital of Boka.
The Benedictine order has been present in the region of Boka kotorska since the 9th century. Today this region has about a hundred of Catholic churches and chapels. However there are more then twice as many Orthodox churches and chapels, and the only monasteries in the area are Serb.
The town of Perast had extremely difficult moments in 1654 when the attacks of the Turks were especially dangerous, they were doing this because the Bokeljs sank an Ottoman ship. The brave and successful defence of Perast and Boka by Bokeljs recieved attention all over Europe. This was the reason of the arrival of Petar Zrinski, a famous statesman in Europe who also had numerous dramatic battles with the Turks. During his three day sojourn in Perast he presented his legendary sword to the town, as the sign of his recognition to their efforts to defend their homeland, and to stop the approach of the Ottoman Empire to Middle Europe. However close to half the defenders were Serb and Montenegrin, who have had sizable numbers in the area for a long time.
Matej Zmajević (a.k.a Matija Zmajević) (1680-1735) was a Bokelj. He was the admiral of Baltic navy and the ship-builder of the famous Russian tsar Peter I the Great, and for whom he built a fleet in Voronezh. Matej Zmajević had great successes in maritime battles against Sweden, and for this reason he was decoreated with the order of Aleksandar Nevski. Zmajević was burried with greatest military honours in the Catholic church in Moscow. As a result of Zmajević's victory Peter the Great sent some of his young officers (bolyars) to the town of Perast in Boka in order to study maritime sciences there.
Very important historical source for early Bokelj history is Libellus Gothorum, a chronicle from the 12th century known to the Bokelj as Ljetopis popa Dukljanina. It was written by Archbishop Grgur of Bar (Dioclea, Duklja). The chronicle represents the oldest historiographic work of Bokeljs.
Tripun Kotoran, a Bokelj and a goldsmith, worked on the court of Ivan Grozny in Moscow in 1476.
One of the earliest Slavic typographers was Andrija Paltašić (~1450-1500), a Bokelj born in the town of Kotor. He was one of the best Venetian typographers around 1480, who printed more than 40 incunabula, among them the Bible in Italian language. We also mention by the way that a very old missal from 12th century - the Kotor missal, is held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Nikola Modruški (a.k.a. Nicolaus Machinensis, Nicolo di Cattaro) (~1427-1480), born in Boka kotorska, was bishop of Modrus in Lika, Pope's representative at the court of Stjepan Tomašević in Bosnia, and on the court of the Hungarian king Matijaš Korvin in Budim, his huge library was left to the newly founded Vatican library (founded by Pope Sixtus IV). In 1478/79 he wrote a treatise in defense of the Glagolitic alphabet which he sent from Rome to the Modruš bishopric. It is regarded to be the first polemic treatise in the history of Croatian literature, and it was written in the Glagolitic Script. Buried in in the church of Santa Maria del popolo in Rome.
Sea-captain Krsto Čorko, born in Perast, was Spanish Marquis and Governor of Balearic islands in the second half of the 17th century.
Captain Petar Želalić (Zhelalich), 18th century, born in Boka kotorska, was a member of Order of Maltese Knights. He became famous after his ship defeated a huge Turkish ship called The Ottoman Crown.
In 1782 Krsto Mazarević from the city of Kotor performed a flight in two balloons.
Another outstanding Bokelj is captain Ivan Visin born in Prcanj in Boka. His travel around the world started in Antwerpen in 1852 (his ship "Splendido" was 30m long, 311 metric tons of cargo) and ended successfully in Trieste in 1859. He was only the sixth after Magellan to do a similar exploit. For his brave undertaking, which was of the historical importance, he had been decorated by a flag of honour Merito navali by the Austrian Emperor (in fact, Visin was the only one who ever obtained such an honour). The trophy is held in Prcanj. Visin also became the honorary citizen of Trieste.
Antun Luković, descendant of an old Bokelj family from Boka kotorska, was the chief engineer in the project of building the Suez Canal (1859-1869).
There have been three people from Boka who have become saints or been blessed by the Vatican, and they are:
History & Monuments made by Bokeljs
Famous Bokeljs and their achievements
Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandić (1866-1942) was born in Herceg Novi in Boka kotorska, and died in Padova, Italy. Physically malformed and delicate, having height of only 1.35m, with clumsy walk and stuttering, he developed tremendous spriritual strength. Althogh he wanted to be missionary in Eastern Europe, he spent almost all of his adult life in Italy, and lived in Padova from 1906 until the end of his life. He spent also one year in Italian prison during the WWI, since he did not want to renounce his Bokelj nationality. He dreamed unceasingly about going to Orient, but one day he gave Communion to a very good person.He became known as Apostle of Confession and Apostle of Unity. He made a famous prayer that is the forerunner of today's Ecumenism.
Pope Sixtus V has Bokelj roots from his father's side.
An outstanding Bokelj intellectual born in 1919 in Boka kotorska was Luka Brajnovic, professor of Ethics of the University of Navarra, a former director of the Institute of Artes Liberales, a well known Spanish intellectual. Premio Brajnovic a la communication is a prestigeous Spanish award (500,000 pesets) established in his honor during his lifetime upon the initiative of newspapermen and lecturers from the University of Pamplon. Others iclude Croatian academicians like Dionis Sunko (organic chemistry) and Josip Pečarić (mathematics).