History of the city Pag
The town of Pag is historically and culturally the most interesting place on the island. Pag remembers a long and stormy history, full of ups and downs.
The oldest name Pag is the one preserved in the work of the Roman writer Pliny in the 1st century. Cissa ( Kissa ), most likely of Illyrian origin. Later, Croats changed that name to Caska; and the settlement of the same name still exists today in the Bay of Pag. Today’s name Pag (island and town) has been interpreted by some as a derivative of the Greek word pege, due to the numerous water sources, but the generally accepted opinion is that the name Pag originated from the Latin word pagus, which means village.
Archaeological research confirms the existence of a larger settlement within the triangle of Sveta Jelana-Milac-Košljun as far back as antiquity. Since that time, the town of Pag has already moved twice. From ancient times until the end of the 4th century, the city existed in a place called Caska (Latin: Kissa or Cissa). Caska sank due to an earthquake, so the people of Pažan moved to a locality much further south, to a place that is now called the Old Town. The new city of Pag was founded on the place where it is still located today on May 18, 1443. The construction was carried out according to the architectural and urban plan made by one of the greatest Croatian builders, Juraj Dalmatinac. But even before that last relocation in the 10th century, the town of Pag was completely urbanized; it has city walls, towers, fortresses, squares, churches, monasteries, folk settlements and palaces. The inhabitants of the city were engaged in trade, fishing, cattle breeding, were sailors and salt producers. In 1192, the Church of St. Marije, which dominates the area of the Old Town even today.
One of the most significant events that the city remembers is the Charter of the Free Royal City, which Bela IV presented to the city on March 30, 1244, after he returned to the throne, as a sign of gratitude that the people of Pažan provided him with refuge and helped him defend against the enemy cavalry that attacked him. attacked. This was followed by faster economic and cultural development. One of the most significant tragedies for the city happened on March 23, 1393. whenever the numerically superior army of Zadar attacked the city of Pag from all sides, penetrated into its interior and caused a lot of damage, burned many buildings and killed a large number of inhabitants. In the same year, at the General Croatian Assembly in Nin, Pag judge Belota Dobrinić advocated for the city’s autonomy; he leads a rebellion for which he was sentenced to death and executed. But his efforts bore fruit and the city of Pag became autonomous, and until the first half of the 15th century in Pag, trials and decisions were made on the basis of the “Compendium of Customary Law”, which, after the Vinodol Code, is the second such collection of documents in the history of Croatia. The city of Pag received its first City Statute in 1433. In a large procession, carrying with him the miraculous St. On September 18, 1474, the people of Križ, Pažan, moved to a new town. The procession was led by the Duke of Pag. Strong and powerful walls, reinforced with nine towers, surrounded Pag and defended it from any attack. This ensured peace for the population and progress for the city. At that time, Pag’s economic ties with other areas were developing, and many residents of Pag went to famous universities throughout Europe.
Despite the relocation, the people of Pažan did not forget the Old Town. In 1589, the Franciscans built their monastery there. The remains of that monastery are still visible today.
On the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the people of Pag go to the Old Town to pray to the miraculous statue of the Mother of God from the Old Town. In a solemn procession, this miracle-working statue is taken to the town of Pag and installed in the Congregational Church of the Assumption of Mary, from where it returns to its sanctuary on the feast of Our Lady, September 7.
In the 16th century, the construction of Solanski magazines and warehouses began, and in 1792 the city got its first gymnasium. The Lace School was founded by Frane Budak who, as mayor, renovated and strengthened the water supply system, arranged the city’s environment and tried to introduce electricity to the city, but this remained unfulfilled. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first major emigration of the population to the USA, Canada and Australia took place, at the same time, the development of a new economic branch that was unknown in the city until then – tourism, and the city received its first tourist prospectus. Tourism, as a new economic branch, gives momentum to the general development, so Pag is expanding urbanally beyond the framework of the old city core. New parts of Pag are being created: Vodice, Blato, Murvica, Varoš, Bašac, Bošana and Sv.Jelena. In 1968, the then modern hotel “Bellevue” with 370 beds was opened, beaches, car parks, roads were improved. Pag is becoming an attractive tourist destination.
Source: pag.hr