Historical events
Provided by:
Grad Komiža
Located on the western part of the island of Vis, Komiža has grown for centuries along the sea, which has shaped its identity and everyday life. From the first records in the 16th century, through the immigration of families fleeing the Ottoman threat, to the fishing industry that has become the trademark of the place – history is intertwined with the sea and people. The visit of Pope Alexander III in 1177 is particularly memorable, when this was the first Croatian place visited by a pope. Legends such as the Route of Diomedes and archaeological traces testify to the thousand-year continuity of life and navigation, while tradition and nature preserve the story of the coexistence of man and the sea.
To find more content and listen to free audio guides, download the Voice of Norway app.
Points of interest
#1
History of Komiža
On the western edge of the island of Vis, in a quiet bay sheltered from the wind, Prince Petar, a native of Hvar who ruled this region on behalf of Venice, had his own estate. It was in the middle of the 12th century, and that piece of land bore the name “Uaccomeza”. When the prince donated it to the Benedictine monastery on Biševo, the name was first recorded in historical documents. From then on, Komiža was no longer just a bay – it became a place with its own identity, whose name would be repeated in stories and records for centuries. As the years passed, people from the interior of the island descended towards the coast. They settled in that bay, and in 1542 Komiža was first recorded as a village, “villa Comisae”. This was the beginning of life as we know it – a life that grew peacefully, without major upheavals, at least in the first half of the 17th century. The population then multiplied, and the arrival of families from the coast between the Cetina and Neretva rivers gave the settlement new strength. They fled the Ottoman threat, and in Komiža they found safety and land. But their tax privileges caused discontent among the local people. For years, distrust simmered between the natives and the “new inhabitants,” until further immigration was stopped in 1714, and the privileges were finally abolished only during the French administration. In the meantime, life went on as usual. Komiža grew, as did the neighboring villages of Luka and Kut. The general governor Antonio Barbaro wrote that the island was “abundant in wine and fishing, with a good harbor, town, and castle” – and it was the Vis and Komiža customs houses that brought in more than half of the income of the Hvar commune. Churches were built, towers and palaces were erected, and even the common people began to build houses that spoke of their desire for a more beautiful and comfortable life. In the thirties, the first doctor arrived, proof that standards were rising and that the island was opening up to new needs. However, behind the progress, there were also small human tensions. Luka and Kut, two villages in the Vis bay, often entered into conflicts and competitions, while Vis lived mainly from agriculture. Komiža, on the other hand, found its strength in fishing. The sea became its life, its everyday life and its future. And so, from the first prince's gift to the present day, Komiža has remained a place that tells the story of people, the sea and lasting coexistence with nature.
#2
Visit of Pope Alexander III.
There is a moment in the history of Komiža that stands out as special and unrepeatable, an event that connected this small community of fishermen and farmers to the highest peak of the Christian world. It is about the visit of Pope Alexander III, which took place in the 12th century, at a time when the Adriatic was an important maritime route and the scene of numerous historical encounters and conflicts. On his journey to Venice, Pope Alexander III sailed the sea accompanied by ten galleys. After long days of sailing, on March 9, 1177, on the very day of Ash Wednesday, he landed on Palagruža. This remote islet, which for centuries served as a landmark for fishermen from Komiža and the wider Adriatic, became a place of historical significance that day. A reception was held on the plateau of Mala Palagruža, and the place where the Pope stopped has since been called the Pope's Field. That name has been preserved through the centuries, passed down in tradition and in the collective consciousness, as a reminder of the event that connected this corner of the Adriatic with the highest spiritual authority of Europe at that time. For Komiža and its people, that visit had a special meaning. With his arrival, Pope Alexander III made Komiža the first Croatian place to be visited by a pope. This gave the small fishing village, located on the edge of the Adriatic, its place in the great history of Europe. Although the visit was short, the story of that day has been passed down for centuries. The Pope's Field has remained a permanent reminder that even the smallest places, thanks to a combination of circumstances, can become part of a larger historical story. For the people of Komiža, it was a moment of pride and confirmation of their connection with the great events of that time.
#3
Diomedes' Route
Imagine sailing the sea that was once helmed by heroes and merchants, a sea that preserves memories of myths, legends and real historical events. This is exactly the sea route known as the Route of Diomedes, named after the hero of Homer's Iliad - Diomedes, who, according to legend, found refuge on the shores of the Adriatic after the fall of Troy. This sea route connects the Italian Gargano Peninsula with the Croatian Hylian Peninsula, namely the Punta Planka ridge near Šibenik. During the ancient and medieval centuries, numerous ships passed through it, and at the very heart of this route was the island of Vis (ancient Issa) - once the largest crossroads of Adriatic sea routes and the origin of urban life on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. Old records, in which legend and history merge into one, and numerous archaeological finds on the island and in its underwater world, testify to its rich past. Net weights, bronze hooks, coins with dolphin images and mosaics with sea motifs have been found on Vis – clear evidence that the sea has always been life, destiny and inspiration here. The famous Komiža falkuša, unique fishing boats from the island of Vis, also sailed on Diomedes' Route. Carried by the winds of the maestral and southerly winds, they set off towards Palagruža, returning to Komiža with barrels of salted sardines. It was precisely the harmony of the winds and the sea that enabled the thousand-year continuity of navigation along this route. The Greek colonists brought to Vis not only the art of shipbuilding and seafaring, but also a fishing tradition that has survived to this day. For this reason, Diomedes' Route is not seen only as a historical line on a map, but as a living story about the sea, people and the wind.