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Territorial Divisions of the Roman Catholic Church Republic of Croatia The Catholic Church in the territory of the Republic of Croatia presently encompasses fourteen dioceses and archdioceses constituting three Metropolises: Zagreb, Split and Rijeka; the independent archdiocese of Zadar and the Military Ordinariate. The Zagreb Metropolis consists of the Zagreb Archdiocese, the Pozega Diocese, the Varazdin Diocese, the Djakovo and Srijem Diocese and the Krizevci Greek Catholic Eparchy. The Split Metropolis consists of the Split-Makarska Archdiocese, the Sibenik Diocese, the Hvar Diocese, the Dubrovnik Diocese and the Kotor Diocese (the last of which is presently outside the borders of the Republic of Croatia). The Rijeka Metropolis consists of the Rijeka Archdiocese, the Krk Diocese, the Porec Diocese, the Pula Diocese and the Gospic-Senj Diocese. The Catholic Church among the Croatian nation also includes the Sarajevo Metropolis that is entirely within the territory of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and consists of the Sarajevo Archdiocese, the Banja Luka Diocese, the Mostar-Duvno Diocese and the Trebinje-Mrkan Diocese. Since 1995, the Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina has had its own independent conference of bishops. A significant number of Croatian Catholics live in the territories of the Belgrade Archdiocese, the Kotor Diocese and the Subotica Diocese. On all the continents except Asia, Croatian Catholic missions have been organized for emigrant Croatian Catholics. The Rijeka Metropolis: Deaneries of Istria:
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The bishop is Msgr. Ivan Milovan. The bishop emeritus (retired) is Antun Bogetic. Historical Background After centuries as separate dioceses, the dioceses of Porec and Pula were united under the administration of a single bishop in 1828. The diocese presently unites all the churches on the Croatian part of the Istrian peninsula. The Church has existed on the Istrian peninsula since the times of the early Christian martyrs. The first bishop of Porec was St. Maurus (sv. Mavro) who endured a martyred death in the late 3rd century. It appears that Pula had a bishop in the 4th century. Through history, due to changes in the political borders, the dioceses belonged to various metropolises (until 1751, they were under Aquilea, then under Videm-Udine, Gorizia and Venice). The present united diocese encompasses the former dioceses of Pican and Novigrad. After the Second World War, the Pazin Apostolic Administration was established in 1947, with jurisdiction over the central and northern parts of Istria that had belonged to the Trieste-Kopar Diocese since 1828. By a decision of Pope Paul VI in 1977, the Pazin Apostolic Administration was annexed to the Porec Diocese, finally uniting all the Istrian churches under a single bishop within the Porec-Pula Diocese. The Basilica of St. Euphrasius (sv. Eufrazije) in Porec is an architectural landmark of the highest category, with exquisite mosaics from the mid 6th century. Many inscriptions in the Old Croatian Glagolitic script have been preserved in the territory of Istria. |
The bishop is Msgr. Valter Zupan. Historical Background The Church was present on the island of Krk since the earliest Christian times, and is mentioned as a diocese under the jurisdiction of the Solin Metropolitan See, and then as a suffragan diocese of the Aquilean Patriarchate. In the territory of the present Krk Diocese, that includes the islands of Krk, Rab, part of Pag, Cres, Losinj, Ilovik/Sv. Petar, Susak, Unije, Velika Srakana and Mala Srakana, there were three dioceses: Krk, Rab and Osor. In 1828, the dioceses of Rab and Osor lost their autonomy and were merged with Krk. In the Krk Diocese, the most significant extant Croatian Glagolitic inscriptions and documents have been preserved (the 11th century Baska stone tablet, the Valun stone tablet, the Krk and Jurandvor fragments and a series of missals, breviaries and rituals written in the Old Croatian language). This territory used the Old Croatian language in the liturgy from the beginning and preserved it until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The Glagolitic alphabet was used in all areas of public life. A distinguished figure in the promotion and preservation of the Glagolitic alphabet was Bishop Anton Mahnic of Krk (1896-1920). It is important to mention that the Krk Diocese even had parishes with Glagolitic village chapters (Baska, Dobrinj, Omisalj and Vrbnik on the island of Krk; Beli, Lubenice and Valun on the island of Cres). These chapters fostered the Glagolitic liturgy and were centers of national spirit and thought. The chief patron saint of the diocese is St. Quirinus (sv. Kvirin), as well as St. Christopher and St. Gaudentius (sv. Gaudencije Osorski). In addition to the Krk Cathedral, dating from the Old Christian period and renovated in the Romanesque style, the Rab Cathedral is in the Romanesque style. The Osor Cathedral is in the Renaissance style, and there are a number of pre-Romanesque and Romanesque churches as well as those of other stylistic periods in the diocese. |
The archbishop is Msgr. Ivan Devcic. Historical Background The Rijeka Diocese was established during the period of Italian rule, on April 25, 1925, incorporating the former Krbava-Modrus Diocese, as well as the Ljubljana and Trieste Dioceses. When these territories were awarded to the former Yugoslavia by the peace treaty of 1947, Bishop Ugo Camozzo left with a number of Italian and Italianized priests for Italy, to be replaced by the appointed apostolic administrator, Msgr. Karlo Jamnik, who was followed in 1949 by Bishop Josip Srebrnic of Krk. Under his administration, the diocese was divided into the Slovenian and Croatian parts, of which the Slovenian part came under the Ljubljana Diocese and the Croatian under the Senj-Modrus Diocese. Reliable historical information on the existence of the Senj Diocese dates from the mid 12th century, although there are indications that it existed as early as the 5th century. The Krbava or Modrus Diocese was established in 1185 with the see in Udbina, and after 1460 with the see in Modrus. The see has changed several times and after the battle with the Turks on Krbavo Polje (1493), the bishop moved to a safer place (Novi Vinodolski). In 1630, it united with the Senj Diocese, i.e. Senj-Modrus, which had been established under that name in 1567. In the past, the use of the Croatian Glagolitic alphabet and worship in the Old Croatian language were widespread within the territory of the present archdiocese. In 1248, at the request of Bishop Filip of Senj, Pope Innocent IV granted permission for the use of the vernacular language in the liturgy, a unique privilege in the Catholic Church. This was the only such permission granted at that time. In 1483, the first Croatian missal was printed in Kosinje, by the first Croatian printers. In 1631, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith had a new Glagolitic missal and breviary printed (1648). The Rijeka-Senj Archdiocese and Metropolis were established on July 27, 1969, according to a bull issued by Pope Paul VI. The first archbishop of Rijeka-Senj to be appointed was Msgr. Viktor Buric (1969-1974), who was followed by Msgr. Josip Pavlisic (1914-2005), and Msgr. Anton Tamarut, who was the last archbishop of Rijeka-Senj. According to a decision by Pope John Paul II on May 25, 2000, it was divided into the Rijeka Archdiocese and the newly established Gospic-Senj Diocese. Within the new Gospic-Senj Diocese are the deaneries of Gospic, Ogulin, Otocac, Senj and Slunj, while the deaneries of Bakar, Crikvenica, Delnice, Opatija and Rijeka remain within the Rijeka Archdiocese. In Rijeka, the famous Bishop Simun Kozicic Benja opened his own Glagolitic printing shop and for a brief period issued a number of books in the Glagolitic script. The baroque Cathedral of St. Vitus (sv. Vid) was formerly the church of the Jesuit college, from which period also originates the Church of the Assumption of Mary (Uznesenje Marijino). |
The diocese encompasses an area of 8,200 km2. In 1991, the population was approximately 146,000, of whom 57,920 or 39% were of Serbian ethnic origin (Serbian Orthodox), and 80,380 or 56% were Croats (Catholic). Today the number of Catholics, counting refugees from Bosnia, is similar to that of 1991, and there are fewer persons of Serbian ethnic origin than previously. There are a total of 83 parishes, 33 diocesan priests and 8 religious. Historical Background In the territory of the new diocese, during the middle ages there were four diocesan centers: Senj, Krbava, Modrus and Otocac. Although the oldest extant written reference to the Senj diocese is in a letter from Pope Alexander III dated January 3, 1168 (or 1169), there are indications that the diocese existed in the 5th century. During the middle ages until the 12th century, it is not certain that there was an unbroken series of bishops of Senj. In 1185, the Split Parliament established the boundaries of this diocese, which included the parishes of Senj, Vinodol, Gacka and Buzane. The territory of the diocese was considerably diminished in 1461 when Prince Sigismund Frankopan established a separate diocese with a see in Otocac in one part of the Senj Diocese When this diocese was eliminated after eighty years in 1534, the territory reverted to the Senj Diocese. Until the establishment of the Krbava Diocese (1185), the bishop of Rab had jurisdiction over one part of this territory and the archbishop of Split had jurisdiction over the rest. The Krbava Diocesan see was in Krbava, where the newly appointed Bishop Matej built the cathedral. In approximately 1460, for the most part due to the Turkish threat, the see of the diocese was moved to Modrus, and the name was changed to the Modrus Diocese. After the tragic Battle of Krbava in 1493, Bishop Kristofor retreated to Novi Vinodolski. From the second half of the 16th century, the Holy See entrusted the administration of the Modrus Diocese to the bishop of Senj. In approximately the year 1630, Pope Urban VIII canonically united it "per aequalitatem iurium" with the Senj Diocese in the person of the same bishop. In the late 15tth century, especially after the Battle of Mohacs (1526), the Turks made incessant raids upon these regions and took control over all of Lika and Krbava in 1528, which remained in their hands for a century and a half. In 1689, they were liberated and became part of the Austrian Military Border Region, and the territory came under the jurisdiction of the Senj-Modrus Diocese. The territory of the new diocese was one of the centers of the use of the Galgolitic alphabet in liturgical texts, from which a rich Glagolitic culture developed, particularly in literature. The Glagolitic alphabet was used since the 10th century and in 1248 received confirmation by Pope Innocent IV in a letter to Bishop Filip of Senj. From 1991 to 1995, more than half of the territory of the new diocese was under occupation. Nearly all the Catholics were expelled and their churches and other church property were systematically destroyed. The territory of the Gospic-Senj Diocese contains great natural and cultural riches. It has approximately 100 km of coastline and in the hinterland are the world-famous Plitvice Lakes. The fertile flatlands are crisscrossed by numerous river valleys. The region is rich in forests, particularly Kapelsko Gorje and Velebit, a symbol of not only Lika but of all Croatia. Reprinted from:
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This page compliments of Marisa Ciceran Created:
Friday, May 14, 2004; Last updated:
Monday, October 22, 2007
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The
diocese covers a territory of 2,839 km2 with a population of
202,989, of whom 173,705 are Catholics. It is divided into 134 parishes
with 87 diocesan priests, 13 priests who are members of religious orders
and 35 nuns. Under the auspices of the united diocese, there is an
international neocatechumen school of theology in Pula. 
The
Krk Diocese covers a territory of 1,119.44 km2, with a
population of 40,000 inhabitants, including 35,507 Catholics. It is
divided into 51 parishes with 44 diocesan priests, 25 priests who are
members of religious orders and 81 nuns. 
Until
the division of the Rijeka-Senj Archdiocese into Rijeka and Gospic-Senj,
it encompassed a territory of 10,975 km2. In the territory of
the archdiocese lives a population of approximately 295,000, of whom
approximately 211,000 are Catholics. The archdiocese is divided into 84
parishes, in which there are 53 diocesan priests, 21 priests who are
members of men's orders and approximately 180 nuns. 
The
Gospic-Senj Diocese was established by a bull issued by Pope John Paul II
on May 25, 2000, by which the former Rijeka-Senj Archdiocese was divided
into two ecclesiastical units: the Rijeka Archdiocese and the Gospic-Senj
Diocese. Msgr. Mile Bogovic, formerly the auxiliary bishop of Rijeka-Senj,
was appointed as the first bishop of the new diocese, with its see in
Gospic. On July 25, 2000, the new diocese was formally established and the
first bishop of Gospic-Senj was installed.