Jump to content

Čara

Coordinates: 42°55′45″N 16°53′43″E / 42.92917°N 16.89528°E / 42.92917; 16.89528
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 89.212.111.58 (talk) at 20:27, 26 March 2010. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Čara is located in Croatia
Čara
Čara (Croatia)

Čara (pronounced Tchara) is a village on the island of Korčula in Croatia. Korcula the island, is part of the Dalmatian coast and it belongs to the Dubrovnik-Neretva county. It has a population of 566 residents.[1] The village is situated twenty-five kilometers west of the old town of Korcula and is just above a field Čarsko Polje.[2] In the centre of the village is the parish church of St Peter (Sveti Petar), which was built in the 16th century. The church has a painting by the Renaissance Venetian painter Leandro Bassano [3] which is called "Visitation of Jesus Christ to His Disciples". The painting is placed above the church altar. Cara is 13 km west of Pupnat and 3.35 km east of Smokvica.

Cara is part of a wine growing region and it produces Posip and Marastina dry wines.[4] Cultivation of olives is also part of Cara's rich agriculture pallet. The wine cellar is located south of Cara towards the bays of Zavalatica and Zitna. The bays have become a tourist attraction in recent modern times. Zavalatica was a summer resort of the Croatian poet Peter Kanavelic.


History

The Greeks established two colonies on Korcula in the 6th century BC [5] and the 3rd century BC (Lumbarda Psephisma). There were Greek villas on the island and it is believed that the field below Cara, called Carsko Polje (Croatian/pronounced Charsko), its name is of ancient Greek origins. The Great Migrations of the 6th and 7th centuries brought the Slavic tribes invasions into the old Roman province of Dalmatia [6], which then was under Byzantine rule. The Croatians arrived along with other Slavic tribes and the Avars. [7] They settled in the region. It is believed that the islands off the coast were settled by the Croatians at a later stage. Korcula was settled by Croatians in the 8th century. Cara is one the oldest villages on the island of Korcula and as a settlement was established in the 8th and 9th century. Christianization of the Croatian rural inhabitants of the island Korcula begun in the 11th century (Chapel of Saints Cosmas and Damian/Kuzma i Damjan).[8] According to recent studies done at the University of Zadar, Croatians accepted Christianity fully in the 14th and 15th Century.[9]

The small church of Our Lady in Carsko Polje is mentioned in a manuscript of 1329. Tradition holds that in 1686 Our Lady appeared to a shepherd girl on the south side of Cara and since then pilgrims have come to this site every year, especially on July 25. In the church there is a painted relief of alabaster, of English origin, from the 14th or 15th century, with four scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary (the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, the gift of the Three Kings, and the Coronation).[10]

Korcula is mentioned during Republic of Venice's eastern expansion of Dalmatia.[11] In the late 900s Pietro II Orseolo the Doge of Venice attacked the Neretvians pirates and in the process secured Korcula.

In 1006, Petar Crnomir from Cara went to the town of Korcula (during a Venetian tax collecting period) to have a word with the local Venetian Authority. According to local tradition the meeting didn't go too well and Petar Crnomir was to be arrested, but instead avoided capture and fled the old town. The Venetian army launched a man hunt and caught up with him. During confrontation between him and the Venetians, he was mortally wounded. Shortly afterwards he died from his wounds. The family of Petar Crnomir and the village of Cara organised an armed rebellion against the Venetians. The Venetians were overwhelmed and had to bring in reinforcements from Split (Spalato) and the rebellion was crushed. The Crnomir family were killed and Cara was burned to the ground.[12] Kumpanija dance is performed in Cara on Saint Peter's Day in the memory of Petar Crnomir.

The Korcula Statute from 1214 [1] mentions Cara. In the Statute there are recommendations on the defense of the old town of Korcula as well as Blato, Smokvica, Pupnat and Zrnovo.

Cara used to be called Hara (Greek: Χαρα). The Austria-Hungary census registered Cara's name as Kcara.

Stone writings in Zavalatica

Inscribed stone scripts in the bay of Zavalatica were found in 1968. The stone writings were made in the 16th century and are dedicated to events from 889 AD.[13][14] Marinko Gjivoje [15] wrote about the find in 1972. The script was found in an old wine cellar (konoba) of the Banicevic family. It describes a clash between the Croatians and the Venetian army. The story has now become part of the Island of Korcula's rich oral stories.

The Venetian army was ambushed by the villagers of Cara and a Venetian Nobleman and his dog were killed. The Venetian army managed to regroup and subdued the Croats. There followed a famous interaction between the two groups before the Venetians executed the Croats. The Venetian's asked " Who killed the Nobleman?" The locals answered " The hammer did!". The Venetian's then asked "Who was carrying the hammer?" The locals answered back "We were all carrying a hammer".

Čara vernacular

  • Cara Speak: Alavia / English: It's Ok! / Croatian: U redu
  • Cara Speak: Bevanda / English: Wine with water / Croatian: Vino sa vodom
  • Cara Speak: Buža / English: Hole / Croatian: Otvor
  • Cara Speak: Cilo / English: Wine without water / Croatian: Vino bez vode
  • Cara Speak: Fumati / English: Smoking / Croatian: Pušiti
  • Cara Speak: Soldi / English: Money / Croatian: Novac
  • Cara Speak: Zrcalo / English: Mirror / Croatian: Ogledalo [16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Croatian Census 2001 (Popis stanovništva 2001)
  2. ^ Cara-Korculainfo.com
  3. ^ Dalmatia By Dmitar J. Culic
  4. ^ Cara-Korcula.net
  5. ^ An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation by Mogens Herman Hansen-2005.
  6. ^ JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com
  7. ^ A History of the Croatian People by Francis Ralph Preveden,1955
  8. ^ Chapel of Saint Kuzma and Damjan
  9. ^ University of Zadar-Sociogeographic Transformation of the Western Part of Korcula Island by Lena Mirosevic-2008/page 161
  10. ^ Otok Korcula, by Marinko Gjivoje, 2nd ed., Zagreb, 1969, page 344.
  11. ^ Venice, a Maritime Republic By Frederic Chapin Lane
  12. ^ History-Korcula.net Marko Marelic-S. Francisco/English Version-USA
  13. ^ History-Korcula.net Marko Marelic-S. Francisco-USA
  14. ^ History-Korcula.net Marko Marelic-S. Francisco/English Version-USA
  15. ^ Marinko Gjivoje-Archaeologist Imehrvatsko.net (twentieth century)
  16. ^ Marko Marelic- S. Francisco USACarski Vernacular.pdf

42°55′45″N 16°53′43″E / 42.92917°N 16.89528°E / 42.92917; 16.89528

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Čara&oldid=352215723"