Košljun

Košljun is a tiny island in the Adriatic Sea in a bay off the coast of Krk, near Punat in Croatia. The only inhabitants are a group of Franciscan monks living in St. Mary's Monastery.

History

The earliest known settlement on Košljun was a Roman-era fortified castle belonging to a citizen of the Roman settlement on Krk (Curicum). After this the settlement may have been abandoned, and the next solid evidence of inhabitation is a written record from 1186 implying the existence of a Benedictine abbey on the island. The Benedictines remained on the island until the fifteenth century. After the death of the abbot Dominik, a Venetian priest held the title of Abbot of Košljun, and the island was abandoned.

A pair of Franciscan monks complained to the Pope that the monastery was sitting empty. At their request, the Benedictine monastery was abolished and the island given to the Franciscans, whose monastery remains today.

References

*"Košljun: Spirituality, Culture, Nature" by Cedomir Miler, trans. Janet Tuškan