Čiovo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Čiovo (Italian: Bua ) is a small island located off the Adriatic coast in Croatia with area of 28.8 squared km (length 15.3 km, width up to 3.5 km), population of 6 071 inhabitants (2001) and its highest peak is 218 m (Rudine)(Italian: Monte Bua ).
The centre of the island has geographical coordinates , and the annual rainfall is about 900 mm.
[edit] Geography
Čiovo is located in the central Dalmatia, protecting the citiy of Trogir and Kaštela gulf. On its SE part it is only 2 km far from the cape Marjan, on northern part it is connected to the mainland with a small bascule bridge in the old centre of Trogir, and actually Trogir spread itself on the island. Besides the part of Trogir, on the island there are several villages: Arbanija(Italian: Arbania ) , Žedno(Italian: Nogaro ) , Okrug Gornji (Italian: Cerchio Superiore ), Okrug Donji (Italian: Cerchio Inferiore ), Slatine (Italian: Arona ) and Prizidnica(Italian: Bua ) .
The vegetation is typically Mediterranean, consisting mainly in underbrush (holm oak, myrtle, wormwood, juniper etc.). On the northern side (exposed to the wind bura are forests of pine and cypress. Major crops include olives, figs, almonds, vines and citrus fruit.
[edit] History
In the Middle Ages, Čiovo had many villages and it was a place for lepers. Remainings of the pre-Romanesque church of St. Peter have been found near Slatine, in the Supetar cove. The medieval church of St. Maurice (Sv. Mavro) has been preserved in Žedno and the pre-Romanesque church of Our Lady near the Sea (Gospa pokraj mora). The population of Čiovo increased in the 15th century through the settlement of refugees who fled from the Turks. Simultaneously, the suburban areas of Trogir also extended to Čiovo.
[edit] Heritage
The church and the Dominican monastery of the Holy Cross (Sv. Križ) (5 km from Trogir) were built in the 15th century by the masters Ivan Drakanović and Nikola Mladinov. In the Franciscan monastery of St. Anthony (Sv. Antun) There are a painting of Palma the Younger and a sculpture of St. Magdalene by Ivan Duknović. Along the coast is the church of St. Jerome. On the eastern coast, up the cliff is the nicely located hermitage church of Our Lady of Prizidnica. Along the south-western side of Čiovo, vis-a-vis the beach, is a small island called Fumija, with the remains of the late antique or early mediaeval church of St. Fumija and farm buildings of the Benedictine monks from Trogir.
