Ilovik
Encyclopedia
The islands of Ilovik and Sveti Petar are located in Croatia
south of the island Lošinj
(Lussino), separated by the strait of Ilovik .
s). The coast is accessible from all sides with many secluded bays. The largest bay with a sandy beach is Paržine, located on the south-eastern part of the island. Paržine is connected to the village by a road, as is the beach Parknu, which includes a World War II bunker. Beaches with easier access from the village include Harbac, Soto Pini and Sidro. Also at Soto Pini, which means 'under the pines' is a small soccer field where some intense games take place. The island also has a bocce court.
Ilovik and Sveti Petar are separated by an inlet which is 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long and 300 m (975 ft) wide. The location of the inlet offers a natural barrier from most winds, except partially from the jugo (south wind) and bura
. The convenient location of this harbor makes it a favorite rest stop between the northern and southern parts of the Adriatic. In only a few hours, you can reach Istria
, Rijeka
, Krk
, Rab
, Pag
, Kornati
and other mid-Dalmatia
n destinations.
In the town you will find a well-stocked store, post office
, currency exchange office and several restaurants.
Ilovik is connected daily by ship with Mali Lošinj
and several times a week with a catamaran
to Rijeka
and Zadar
. The ferry service is run by the nautical company, Jadrolinija
. In the summer months, numerous tour boats from Veli Lošinj
and Mali Lošinj
make daily stops in Ilovik.
in various colors, bougainvillea
, palm trees, and two century-old eucalyptus
trees. It is because of the abundance of flora that this island has been nicknamed "The Island of Flowers". Olive trees and grape vines still populate the island and are cultivated by inhabitants for personal use. Pine trees are found throughout the island, the most impressive of which are found on the north east side.
The oldest traces of civilization are from the Ilirian tribe Liburni. Visitors can also see evidence of the presence of the civilization of Ancient Rome
on the island. The remains of Roman buildings, mosaics, coins, a burial sarcophagus as well as an underwater archaeological site have been located in this area.
One of the more fascinating aspects of Ilovik's culture are the burial rites. After church services are held on the main island of Ilovik in the church of Saints Peter and Paul (Sveti Petar i Sveti Pavao), the body is taken by boat to the cemetery, which is located across the water on another small island named Sveti Petar. The walls enclosing the present-day cemetery date back to the 11th century and were part of a Benedictine
monastery
. Sveti Petar also houses a summer monastery for monks of the Franciscan Order and the remnants of a small castle, which was built in 1600 by the Republic of Venice
. The castle was erected by Filippo Pasqualigo to defend the area from pirates (uskoks). The first Croats arrived on Ilovik at the end of the 18th century from Veli Losinj
. This marked the beginning of the modern- day Ilovik.
The oldest recorded name of this island, Neumae Insulae(translated from Latin: Island with No Name), is from AD 1071. In the 13th century it is mentioned as Sanctus Petrus de Nimbis (translated from Latin: Saint Peter of the Cloud) and later San Pietro dei Nembi (translated from Italian: Saint Peter of the Cloud) . The Croatian inhabitants named the smaller island Sveti Petar (Saint Peter), more known as 'Priko' the larger Tovarnjak ("Donkey" in English), and finally Ilovik i Sveti Petar. Locals call it San Piero.
. For remaining inhabitants their main occupations continue to be fishing, sheep herding, agriculture and more recently tourism
. Common family names are Baričević, Belanić, Budinić, Mezić, Raguzin, and Simičić. Because of the Italian occupation and emigration to the United States, many of these names of certain families have been Italianized and Anglicized to Bellani, Belanich; Budini, Budinich; Mezzich, Mezich; Simicich.
People from Ilovik who live in the United States
live in the New York City
- Long Island
/Astoria
area. Many others live in New Jersey
and Washington State. Each summer the island population will often double or triple in size when these expatriates return home with their families for vacation. People in the New York area have organized a club called the Ilovik Social Club.
. During Italian
occupation, the main language was Italian
.
The dialect of Ilovik is a unique one. It is based on the Istrian dialect of Istria
and is much comparable to it as well. It can be summed up as a combination of Italian and Croatian, considering many of the words are Italian. This dialect will only be understood around the Lošinj archipelago and Istria, and not on mainland Croatia.
. Many times during the nightlife, and at certain places, & events, such as in front of the church, or for Petrova (day of Sts. Peter and Paul) accordionists will gather to entertain the populous.
Ilovik also has its own traditional song, called "O Sanpjero" -
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
south of the island Lošinj
Lošinj
Lošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
(Lussino), separated by the strait of Ilovik .
Geography
The only village located on the island of Ilovik is also called Ilovik. The circumference of the island is 15.4 km (9.6 mi), and it occupies an area of 5.8 km² (1,433 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s). The coast is accessible from all sides with many secluded bays. The largest bay with a sandy beach is Paržine, located on the south-eastern part of the island. Paržine is connected to the village by a road, as is the beach Parknu, which includes a World War II bunker. Beaches with easier access from the village include Harbac, Soto Pini and Sidro. Also at Soto Pini, which means 'under the pines' is a small soccer field where some intense games take place. The island also has a bocce court.
Ilovik and Sveti Petar are separated by an inlet which is 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long and 300 m (975 ft) wide. The location of the inlet offers a natural barrier from most winds, except partially from the jugo (south wind) and bura
Bura
Bura may refer to several different things:* Bura , a genus of beetles* Boura , a city of Achaea, Greece* Bura , a figure in Greek mythology* Bura , a wind in the northern Mediterranean...
. The convenient location of this harbor makes it a favorite rest stop between the northern and southern parts of the Adriatic. In only a few hours, you can reach Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
, Rab
Rab
Rab is an island in Croatia and a town of the same name located just off the northern Croatian coast in the Adriatic Sea.The island is long, has an area of and 9,480 inhabitants . The highest peak is Kamenjak at 408 meters...
, Pag
Pag
Pag may refer to:*Pag , an island in the Adriatic Sea, part of Croatia*Pag , the largest town on the island of Pag* Pag, the ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-3 code for the Pangasinan languageSee also* PAG...
, Kornati
Kornati
The Kornati archipelago in Croatia is located in the northern part of Dalmatia, west from Šibenik, in the Šibenik-Knin county. With 35 km in length and 140 islands, some large, some small, in a sea area of about 320 km², Kornati are the densest archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea...
and other mid-Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n destinations.
In the town you will find a well-stocked store, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, currency exchange office and several restaurants.
Ilovik is connected daily by ship with Mali Lošinj
Mali Lošinj
-Mayors:*Hrvoje Lesic - *Mario Hofmann - *Dragan Balija - Alliance of Primorje-Gorski Kotar *Gari Capelli - Croatian Democratic Union -References:...
and several times a week with a catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
to Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
and Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
. The ferry service is run by the nautical company, Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija
Jadrolinija is a Croatian sea shipping company. It is a state-owned company and its main mission is connecting Croatian islands to the mainland by operating regular passenger and cargo transport services...
. In the summer months, numerous tour boats from Veli Lošinj
Veli Lošinj
Veli Lošinj , is a village on the island of Lošinj in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia.Veli Lošinj has a mild climate and caters to tourists. It is located 5 km from the town of Mali Lošinj. It was an important port and fishing centre until the late 19th century...
and Mali Lošinj
Mali Lošinj
-Mayors:*Hrvoje Lesic - *Mario Hofmann - *Dragan Balija - Alliance of Primorje-Gorski Kotar *Gari Capelli - Croatian Democratic Union -References:...
make daily stops in Ilovik.
Vegetation
The island is covered with Mediterranean vegetation. Throughout the town you will find oleanderOleander
Nerium oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, toxic in all its parts. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Nerium. It is most commonly known as oleander, from its superficial resemblance to the unrelated olive Olea, but has many other...
in various colors, bougainvillea
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina . Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus...
, palm trees, and two century-old eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
trees. It is because of the abundance of flora that this island has been nicknamed "The Island of Flowers". Olive trees and grape vines still populate the island and are cultivated by inhabitants for personal use. Pine trees are found throughout the island, the most impressive of which are found on the north east side.
History
Due to its geographic location, the harbor between Ilovik and Sveti Petar has been used as a safe anchorage since the ancient times. This also brought the first inhabitants to these islands.The oldest traces of civilization are from the Ilirian tribe Liburni. Visitors can also see evidence of the presence of the civilization of Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
on the island. The remains of Roman buildings, mosaics, coins, a burial sarcophagus as well as an underwater archaeological site have been located in this area.
One of the more fascinating aspects of Ilovik's culture are the burial rites. After church services are held on the main island of Ilovik in the church of Saints Peter and Paul (Sveti Petar i Sveti Pavao), the body is taken by boat to the cemetery, which is located across the water on another small island named Sveti Petar. The walls enclosing the present-day cemetery date back to the 11th century and were part of a Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. Sveti Petar also houses a summer monastery for monks of the Franciscan Order and the remnants of a small castle, which was built in 1600 by the Republic of Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
. The castle was erected by Filippo Pasqualigo to defend the area from pirates (uskoks). The first Croats arrived on Ilovik at the end of the 18th century from Veli Losinj
Veli Lošinj
Veli Lošinj , is a village on the island of Lošinj in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia.Veli Lošinj has a mild climate and caters to tourists. It is located 5 km from the town of Mali Lošinj. It was an important port and fishing centre until the late 19th century...
. This marked the beginning of the modern- day Ilovik.
The oldest recorded name of this island, Neumae Insulae(translated from Latin: Island with No Name), is from AD 1071. In the 13th century it is mentioned as Sanctus Petrus de Nimbis (translated from Latin: Saint Peter of the Cloud) and later San Pietro dei Nembi (translated from Italian: Saint Peter of the Cloud) . The Croatian inhabitants named the smaller island Sveti Petar (Saint Peter), more known as 'Priko' the larger Tovarnjak ("Donkey" in English), and finally Ilovik i Sveti Petar. Locals call it San Piero.
Population
The island population has been on a steady decline since the early 1960s when the heavily religious community was granted passports by the then extant Yugoslav government. Almost a quarter of the inhabitants left quickly with many crossing to nearby Italy where they were accepted as political refugees. Just under 100 people continue to live year round on the island of Ilovik, while three times that amount live in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For remaining inhabitants their main occupations continue to be fishing, sheep herding, agriculture and more recently tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Common family names are Baričević, Belanić, Budinić, Mezić, Raguzin, and Simičić. Because of the Italian occupation and emigration to the United States, many of these names of certain families have been Italianized and Anglicized to Bellani, Belanich; Budini, Budinich; Mezzich, Mezich; Simicich.
People from Ilovik who live in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
live in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
/Astoria
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
area. Many others live in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Washington State. Each summer the island population will often double or triple in size when these expatriates return home with their families for vacation. People in the New York area have organized a club called the Ilovik Social Club.
Dialect
The official language of the island of Ilovik is CroatianCroatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
. During Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
occupation, the main language was Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
The dialect of Ilovik is a unique one. It is based on the Istrian dialect of Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
and is much comparable to it as well. It can be summed up as a combination of Italian and Croatian, considering many of the words are Italian. This dialect will only be understood around the Lošinj archipelago and Istria, and not on mainland Croatia.
Music
Music on the island is an important aspect of life. One of the main modes of entertainment is one or more men playing the accordionAccordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. Many times during the nightlife, and at certain places, & events, such as in front of the church, or for Petrova (day of Sts. Peter and Paul) accordionists will gather to entertain the populous.
Ilovik also has its own traditional song, called "O Sanpjero" -
- Oj Sanpjero, misto moje
- Misto moje
- Misto moje
- Oj Sanpjero, misto moje
- Misto moje
- Misto moje
- O ljubavi, zavežena
- zavežena
- zavežena
- O ljubavi, zavežena
- zavežena
- zavežena
- Chorus
- Oj joj joj!
- Anđeliću moj
- Kad će doći ona ura da ćeš biti moj!