FIFTH RESEARCH GROUP MEETING
On Friday, February 2nd 2024, the fifth and final meeting of the research team of the project "Adriatic Maritime Pilgrimages in the Local, National, and Transnational Context" (PILGRIMAR) took place.
During the meeting, the team members presented their work for the year 2023, and discussed the work and financial plan for the upcoming period.
ARCHIVE RESEARCH
During the period from November 20 to 24, 2023, archival research was conducted at the Archive of the Zadar Archdiocese. In addition to verifying previously examined collections (see reports from previous years), materials related to the Diocese of Nin were studied.
FOCUS GROUPS AND INTERVIEWS
In Perast, Montenegro, on April 29, 2023, a focus group was organized with relevant stakeholders from the local community to explore the impact of tourism on the maritime pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Rocks. A group interview was held on May 1, 2023, in Perast (Boka Kotorska, Montenegro). Local residents involved in organizing the maritime pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Škrpjela on the island located in the Bay of Kotor, participated in it. This pilgrimage is locally referred to as "Fašinada" and represents a valuable cultural heritage of the region, as it is being held for over 500 years. The aim of the group interview was to determine the attitudes of the local population regarding the possibilities and limitations of presenting and utilizing the maritime pilgrimage and the sanctuary of Our Lady of Šrpjela in the local community. Although the pilgrimage and sanctuary hold a special place in the religious life and cultural identity of Perast, their impact is also evident in the socio-economic life of the entire bay, especially from a tourism perspective. In addition to this, a survey was conducted among local residents and tourists to determine their views on the possibilities and limitations of using the maritime pilgrimage and the sanctuary of Our Lady of Škrpjela for tourism purposes.
The organization and implementation of the focus group was organised and conducted by Assistant Professor Dr. Tomislav Klarin and Associate Professor Dr. Mario Katić.
ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK 2023.
GOSPA O' TARCA (OUR LADY OF TARAC), KORNAT
In July 2023, ethnographic field research conducted on the island of Kornat focused on the aspect of practice occurring after the ceremony. While all members able to spare time and sail to Kornat participate in the church part, the organizers of hosting the priest and his guests were divided into four groups, each assigned to a specific year. This division involved three ports, but in the largest port, Velike Vruje, where approximately seventy families reside, the organizers were further divided into two groups or two years. This year's narrower research focus was directed towards understanding the extent to which families with dying members around the days of the solemn mass and lunch are involved in the organization. Additionally, attention was given to the organizational circumstance that subtly crept into the lunch arrangements - lunch at a restaurant.
By posing the question of how many expressions are irrevocably lost within these organizations and observing the absence of certain communities, an irreplaceable loss of the links maintaining the integrity of this pilgrimage structure becomes apparent.
GOSPA OD ZEČEVA (OUR LADY OF ZEČEVO), NIN
During 2023, four additional field studies were conducted in Nin, making a total of twelve since the beginning of the project.
At the end of April, observations of the celebration of St. Mark began, but due to adverse weather conditions, only interviews were possible, as there was no procession around the Church of St. Nicholas in Prahulje. Also, due to bad weather on August 5th, there was no suitable Mass or transfer of the statue to the islet Zečevo; instead, everything took place in the town of Nin.
The marking of Our Lady of Zečevo on May 5th was recorded through participation in a pilgrimage on foot to the island of Zečevo. On May 15th, during the established feast day in Nin, a solemn Mass was held, led by Monsignor Milan Zgrablić, the Archbishop of Zadar.
Final interviews were conducted with the most frequently interviewed informants, and the total number of interviewed individuals was concluded at 91. The research was carried out through interviews and the method of participant observation, based on which field notes were made.
GOSPA OD SNIGA (OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS), KUKLJICA
During June 2023, the process of interviewing locals with important roles in organizing and maintaining the procession of Our Lady of the Snow continued. The main part of the pilgrimage takes place in August when boats carry the statue of Our Lady in a procession to the votive church and then to the local church of St. Paul. The second part occurs in September when the statue returns to its original location. Both events were marked by on-site observation and the collection of visual material.
In August 2023, an agreement was re-established regarding participation in decorating the statue of Our Lady with local women. The process of interviewing, initiated in June, was resumed in September.
KRALJICA RIBARA (QUEEN OF FISHERMEN), PIŠKERA
During 2023, field research related to the pilgrimage from Sali to Piškera was conducted on two occasions. This year's research focused on the processuality of the pilgrimage, specifically on singing during the navigation towards and at Piškera bay. The research employed the mapping technique, generating material that opened up new questions and focuses in the study. It can be said that what started as an investigation into singing led to the observation of the processuality of the pilgrimage, raising questions about the determination of the community's space and its belonging.
Additionally, an opportunity arose to participate in the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Tarac from the side of Sali, during which the focus was also on singing, space, and belonging.
GOSPA OD ŠKRPJELA (OUR LADY OF ŠKRPJELA), PERAST
During April, May, and July of 2023, ethnographic field research was conducted in Perast. The research included the organization of a focus group and a group interview, as well as participation with observation in the commemoration of the Battle of Perast from 1654 and the Fašinada.
Additionally, there was participation in the filming of a documentary about Fašinada in collaboration with the Croatian Radiotelevision, Department of Cultural Programme.
FOURTH RESEARCH GROUP MEETING
On February 9th, 2023, in the lecture hall 125 on the New Campus of the University of Zadar, the fourth meeting of the research team of the Pilgrimar project was held. The team discussed activities of the third reporting period, as well as the work and financial plan for the fourth reporting period.
ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK 2022.
GOSPA O' TARCA (OUR LADY OF TARAC), KORNAT
The focus of this year's research was related to the hosting order, the priest and his church guests, the arrangement of the church, the preparation and organization of the ceremonial lunch of the pilgrims of Gospa o' Tarca as well as finding the reasons that led to the absence of the porat (pȍrat - naturally protected cove with houses of Kornati residents) Lučica in the hosting organization itself. In addition, the researcher addressed issues related to the increasingly frequent practice of organizing lunch in a restaurant, where she raised the question of how many autochthonous expressions are irretrievably lost within these organizations? Furthermore, by observing the absence of certain communities, one can see the irreparable loss of links that maintain the integrity of the structure of this pilgrimage.
KRALJICA RIBARA (QUEEN OF FISHERMEN), PIŠKERA
During 2022 PhD student Petra Valovičić conducted four ethnographic field studies in the area of Sali, Dugi otok and Piškera, the island of Jadra. In May, research focus was on singing within religious practices and in public spaces during significant celebrations. During the last week of July, the research was focused on the preparation and organization of the pilgrimage to Piškera, as well as participation and observation of the practice itself. Two weeks after the pilgrimage, a short ethnographic research was conducted during the Feast of the Assumption, within which the focus was on singing. The researcher used the short field in December to conduct interviews with pilgrims that are staying in the Kornati archipelago for three days, in order to gain an insight into their recent pilgrimage experience.
GOSPA OD ZEČEVA (OUR LADY OF ZEČEVO), NIN
During 2022, four ethnographic field surveys were conducted in the city of Nin. In addition to the feast and pilgrimage of Gospa od Zečeva in May (May 5th and May 23rd, according to custom, which is a variable date in relation to the Ascension of the Lord) and August (according to custom August 5th), the research also covered the celebrations of the patron saints of the city of Nin, Saint Marcela and of Saint Anselm (according to custom August 25th and 26th). The pilgrimage and the feast of Our Lady were held according to tradition by transporting the statue in kaići (little boats) to the islet of Zečevo for the Presentation on May 5th, and repeated for those coming from outside Croatia on August 5th and was accompanied by believers from Nin, the surrounding area and the diaspora. On Monday before the Ascension of the Lord (this year it was on May 23rd), several hundred believers gathered and a solemn procession was held through the city of Nin. The research was conducted using interviews and observation with participation. Together with some interlocutors, we are working on the text of a future small publication that will cover the traditions and way of life of people of Nin for the past 100 years based on collected field data, with special reference to the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Rabbits and the historical changes that are present in this maritime pilgrimage.
GOSPA OD SNIGA (OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS), KUKLJICA
In August 2022, in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan, PhD student Adriana Pojatina conducted field research, during which she focused on the main part of the pilgrimage to Gospa od Sniga. This year she had the opportunity to participate in the preparations for the procession and in the festival that was postponed for the previous two years, due to pandemic circumstances.
GOSPA OD ŠKRPJELA (OUR LADY OF ŠKRPJELA), PERAST
Mario Katic did another field research in Perast. This time he actively participated in the 571st Fašinada, that took place on July 22, 2022. Together with locals and other guests he was participating in the boat procession, sailing in a boat dating back in the year 1940. This enabled him to document Fašinada from the specific perspective of a direct participant.
FOCUS GROUPS AND INTERVIEWS
The group interview was held on May 13th, 2022, in the premises of the Jedro Center in the town of Murter, island of Murter. The group interview was attended by representatives of various organizations, associations and citizens related to the maritime pilgrimage to Gospa od Tarca (Our Lady of Tarac) on the island of Kornati in the Kornati National Park. The goal of the group interview was to determine attitudes about the possibilities and limitations of the presentation and use of the religious practice of pilgrimage in the local community of the island of Murter as well as for touristic purposes.
In addition, a questionnaire of the residents of Murter and Vruje, (Murter settlement on the island of Kornat) residents, as well as participants during the pilgrimage was conducted.
On May 20, 2022, a group interview was held in the premises of the Croatian Library and Reading Room in Sali, Dugi otok. Representatives of various organizations and citizens associated with the maritime pilgrimage Kraljica ribara (Queen of fishermen) in the bay of Piškera on the island of Jadra located in the Kornati National Park, participated in the group interview. A conversation was held with the locals about the pilgrimage in the context of tourism and everyday life, and the aim of the group interview was to determine attitudes about the possibilities and limitations of the presentation and use of the religious practice of pilgrimage in the local community of Sali as well as for touristic purposes. In addition a questionnaire was conducted to survey the local community and tourists.
THIRD RESEARCH GROUP MEETING
On February 10th, 2021, in the lecture hall 125 on the New Campus of the University of Zadar, starting at 8:00 a.m., the third meeting of the research team of the Pilgrimar project was held. The activities of the second reporting period, as well as the work and financial plan for the third reporting period were discussed. A special item on the agenda was the HRZZ instruction on the research data management plan (RPM).
SECOND RESEARCH GROUP MEETING
At the 2nd meeting of the research team, which took place on Friday, February 5th, 2021, in the lecture room 125 on the New Campus of the University of Zadar, starting at 9:00 a.m., the project manager's report for the first reporting period was discussed among the items on the agenda. Presented were also reports of the project collaborators for the first reporting period, on the work and financial plan for the second reporting period, and the planned implementation of activities for the third reporting period.
ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK
KUKLJICA - GOSPA OD SNIGA (OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS)
Ethnographic field research of the pilgrimage to Gospa od Sniga (August 5th) in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan began in August, 2020, when the statue of Our Lady was traditionally transported from the votive church to the local church of St. Paul. The research then continued in September, when the statue was returned to the votive church where it would remain until the next year.
PIŠKERA - KRALJICA RIBARA (QUEEN OF FISHERMEN)
During 2021, three field researches were conducted in Sali, Dugi Otok, along with participation in pilgrimage to Piškera on the Jadra island loacted in the Kornati archipelago. The research included three stages determined by the pilgrimage which is taking place on the last Saturday of July. The first field research was completed at the end of June, with the goal of getting to know the community and to lay foundations for further research. At the end of July and beginning of August, the second field research included participation in the Kraljica ribara pilgrimage or, more precisely, the pilgrimage "to Piškera". Third field, at the beginning of December, led to a deeper entry into the community.
THE ISLAND OF KORNAT - GOSPA O' TARCA (OUR LADY OF TARAC)
During 2021, an ethnographic study of the pilgrimage to Gospa o' Tarca on the island of Kornat was conducted. The research was carried out from the beginning of the preparations, the preparation of lunch, up to the participation in the pilgrimage. The ethnographic research was based in researching history and context of this locality, which opened up questions that were dealt with in the field. Some of them are dealing with the continuity of the cult, moving the date of its maintenance, the arrangement of the families organizing lunch for pilgrims, and so on. In addition, Kraljica ribara pilgrimage on Piškera was also discussed, in order to include perception of the locality by the Murter residents.
NIN - GOSPA OD ZEČEVA (OUR LADY OF ZEČEVO)
During 2021, the second part of the field research was carried out in Nin, as part of the PILGRIMAR project. The first celebration was traditionally held in May as the oldest part of the pilgrimage to Gospa od Zečeva. The second celebration was held on August 5th. It was introduced a few years ago along with the commemoration of Victory Day and Day of National Gratitude, Day of Croatian soldiers and 15th Anniversary of Storm operation. The researcher carried out participation with observation, becoming part of the researched terrain, along with personal participation in pilgrimage. As this was the second year of a continuous research, during the interviews some additional topics of the celebration of the holiday were opened, but still with reminiscence of past times. A closer field inspection showed the complexity of such cultural phenomenon and its interweaving with everyday life of the community, as well as with new residents and tourists visiting Nin. In addition to the observation of the ceremonial part of the pilgrimage, open interviews were conducted. In these interviews we learned more about the individual life stories of interlocutors (mainly residents of Nin and somewhat less tourists), as well as personal religious practices that shapes Gospa od Zečeva pilgrimage in Nin.
PERAST - GOSPA OD ŠKRPJELA (OUR LADY OF ŠKRPJELA)
During 2021, ethnographic field research was conducted in the area of Perast (Montenegro) throughout three campaigns. During the first field research, the researcher Mario Katić met the key actors of the pilgrimage organization, introduced himself to the local community and local relevant institutions. This period was chosen because one of the biggest festivals associated with the worship of Gospa od Škrpjela, the feast of Gospa Peraška, is held at that time. The feast is celebrated on May 15th, in memory of the Perast victory over the Ottomans in 1654. During the second field research, the preparations and maintenance of the maritime pilgrimage called Fašinada were observed. It is held in memory of the process of building the shrine of Gospa od Škrpjela after, according to tradition, the discovery of the miraculous painting on the rock in front of Perast. During the third field research, an aerial photographing of Perast, Gospa od Škrpjela as well as its surroundings was carried out.
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHIES OF THE LOCATION
During May, September and November of 2021, field research was carried out in the area of five localities that are the focus of this project. During those, aerial photographies of pilgrimage localities were taken, specifically the churches of Gospa od Zečeva (Our Lady of Zečevo) in Zečevo, Gospa od Sniga (Our Lady of the Snows) in Kukljica, Gospa o' Tarca (Our Lady of Tarac) in Kornat, and Kraljica ribara (Queen of Fishermen) in Piškera. In addition, the surrounding terrain was also recorded, that is, certain hydro (geomorphological) and pedological objects that are possibly, in some way, related with the pilgrimages.
SURVEY OF THE LOCAL POPULATION AND TOURISTS
During the first year of the research, the research methodology and instruments were formulated - a survey questionnaire was designed for both local residents and tourists. In the second year of the project, in 2021, began the research into the tourist perspective and experience of maritime pilgrimages of local residents and tourists who spend the night at the location where a certain pilgrimage takes place. So far, the pilgrimage sites of Gospa od Sniga (Our Lady of the Snows) in Kukljica on the island of Ugljan and Gospa od Zečeva (Our Lady od Zečevo) in the town of Nin have been processed. It is planned to continue the survey in the other locations covered by the project, where the same methodology and research instrument will be used.
FOCUS GROUP
During 2021, focus groups were conducted in Kukljica and Nin. Conversations were held with the locals with an emphasis on the topics of tourism and pilgrimage in the context of everyday life and tourism.
ARCHIVE RESEARCH
During 2021, the archival research was carried out by the associate professor, PhD Ante Blaće and associate professor, PhD Trpimir Vedriš. The processed material is available in the State Archives in Zadar (DAZD), within the Cartographic Collection (signature: HR-DAZD-383), Grimani Maps (HR-DAZD-6) and Miscellanea (HR-DAZD-377) were researched. Among the funds with cadastral documents, the Venetian Cadastre fund was investigated. Also, the Cadastral books (HR-DAZD-5) were investigated, and within the family funds, the Lantana Family - Zadar (HR-DAZD-359) and the Petricioli Family - Sali, Zadar (HR-DAZD-359) fund. In the State Archives in Split (DAST), the research was focused on the Archive of Maps for Istria and Dalmatia (HR-DAST-152) fund, which contains documents from the first systematic cadastral survey of Dalmatia conducted in the first half of the 19th century. Documents are organized at the level of cadastral municipalities, so in this case five so-called Economic operations (Operato d'estimo censuario) that refer to five cadastral municipalities where maritime pilgrimage sites are located (Vrsi, Kukljica, Sali, Murter and Perast). Economic registers (created in the 1840s) primarily provide information on the economic activities of the population at that time - agriculture and land cultivation, but also other aspects of life that were important for the community at that time - for example, information on certain churches.
Furthermore, in the State Archives in Zadar (DAZD) the material concerning the 'Nin legacy' was examined in order to detect traces of the worship of Gospa od Zečeva (Our Lady of Zečevo), while in the Archives of the Zadar Archdiocese (AZDN) and the Scientific Library in Zadar (ZKZD) the archival material of the former Diocese of Nin, and collected sources such as: Lists of chapter tithes, lists of masses celebrated at the altar of Gospa od Zečeva and individual lists of repairs of Gospa od Zečeva church. Research was also done in the State Archives in Dubrovnik (DADu) and the Archives of the Diocese of Dubrovnik, where reconnaissance of archival materials, i.e. "probe" research, was carried out. A visit to both archives showed that there is (almost) no material of interest for the history of the cult (and pilgrimage) of Gospa od Škrpjela (Our Lady of Škrpjela) in the Dubrovnik archives. In addition, the Zadar Conservation Department of the Ministry of Culture reviewed photo and textual documentation about churches in the area of the Zadar hinterland, with an emphasis on Nin and its surroundings. The archival research was completed with a field trip to Nin and the archaeological site of Ljubljana near Ljubač.
FIRST RESEARCH GROUP MEETING
The first meeting of the research group was held on February 27, 2020, in the premises of the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology of the University of Zadar. The meeting discussed plans for the implementation of activities for 2020. The basic guidelines for writing reports, storing collected data, and solving ethical issues of field research were agreed upon.