Friends of Konavle Heritage
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170 years ago, on July 4, 1855, the great Croatian painter Vlaho Bukovac was born in Cavtat. He is most significant for the Croatian cultural scene as the founder of Croatian Modernism. He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris in 1887 and graduated in the class of Professor Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889). As a Parisian student, he became famous by participating in the Paris Salon* , thus gaining European fame very early on. He was most popular as a portraitist, and ki

Donna F. Mekis and Kathryn Mekis Miller Authors of Blossoms Into Gold: The Croatians in the Pajaro Valley We spent six years conducting research on the history of the Croatians in the Pajaro Valley for our book, Blossoms Into Gold: The Croatians in the Pajaro Valley . Throughout those years several important themes emerged, and we would like to share them with you. When people migrate from one country to another, their unique traditions, perspectives, and ways of life accom

We had a festive Saturday night on May 17, 2025, in Pridvorje. The Proljeće pri Dvoru event was held, which for several years now the Stjepan Radić Cultural Association has been organizing in front of the Rector’s Palace in Pridvorje, as its central annual event. In the past, the Rector’s Palace was the heart of Konavle and was its administrative center during the Republic. Fortunately for the people of Konavle and for those who love Konavle, the palace was renovated by t

Easter is the most important Christian holiday. The date varies each year and depends on the movement of the moon in the period after March 21. Lent is a forty-day preparation for Easter and begins on Ash Wednesday, which can fall anywhere between February 4 and March 10. During this period, the Church oversees renunciations, various services, spiritual renewal, and expressions of fasting and almsgiving. The custom of Lent as a time of penance and renunciation was established

The celebration of St. Blaise (Sv. Vlaho) has been held continuously every year since 972. According to legend, that year the saint, with a “heavenly army”, protected Dubrovnik from the Venetians, who stopped outside the port of Dubrovnik under the pretext of needing provisions to extend their journey East. That night St. Blaise and his army appeared in a vision to the priest Stojko, and warned him that the Venetians would soon invade the city. Stojko notified the Councilors

The winter period in Konavle is full of celebrations and joy, and among them Christmas is the crown of all events. In autumn, as the agricultural activities end, days dedicated to different saints are more and more frequent. Most of those days are celebrated as Krsno ime of Konavle families. Most weddings and engagements take place around Christmas. No wonder, because pre-industrial agriculture engaged the family members in the fields every day, so there was no time for celeb

The Pula Book Fair, entitled "Dreaming of Books in Istria”, saw its 30th edition this year. The program of the Fair was held from November 29 to December 8 in the Home of Croatian Veterans at Leharova 1 in Pula. During those 10 days, Pula was alive with authors, publishers, photographers, cartoonists, musicians, winemakers and other guests, and above all with a large and diverse audience. The Pula Book Fair has always been known as a vibrant meeting place for book lovers, an

In the entire Mediterranean area, including the Balkans and beyond, there were always ways in which women styled their hair and covered it. In traditional societies, a woman's headwear carried a lot of personal information. It marked her origins as well as her social status and personal wealth. In urban areas the headdress was influenced by the fashions of the time, and in rural areas it also indicated a woman’s geographical area — where she lived. The types and styles of w

Earrings are one of the most popular and oldest forms of jewelry in the world. They were mostly worn by women, though men occasionally wore them too. Reasons for wearing them varied. In ancient Egypt they were worn as status symbols; in Rome women wore them for good luck. They were worn by women in ancient Greece and Byzantium both for decoration and status symbols. Avars and Slavic women wore them, and most other women throughout history. In the Middle Ages, when the luxur

In the heart of Konavle, in the village Mihanići, the artist Mijo Šiša Konavljanin was born in 1946. He became a visual chronicler of everyday life in Konavle. In the time of Mijo’s youth, days in Konavle were counted by the agricultural calendar. Everyone worked the land, and food was produced in every home. That was how Konavle people made their living. Each season of the year brought different kinds of labor — in the fields, in the house or in the barn. And for hardworki