Jeronymite

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Sometimes referred to as Latini.. Jeronymites are a religious and ethnic minority originally from the Adriatic Basin. They are defined by their strict traditional adherents to Roman Catholicism and their unique Latin ethnicity.

Contents 1 Origins 2 History 3 Culture and Traditions 4 Notable Jeronymites 5 References

[edit] Origins

Jeronymites (also referred to as Jeromites), were a religious minority that developed in the 4th and 5th Century AD on the Adriatic Sea Basin. St Jerome, (the founding Patron), was a Catholic scholar whose greatest achievement was the translation of the Bible from Hebrew & Greek into Latin. Because of this, he was made a Saint. However, one should not overlook his conservative views on tradition in the Roman Catholic Church, which is the legacy of today’s Jeronymites. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the fragmentations, invasions, and gradual merging of nations, resulted in the disappearance of these people from many areas.

Furthermore, due to the differences that started appearing (in the Catholic Church) along the evangelical and fundamental lines, the movement started cutting off from the general public. In the 7th Century, the Slavic migrations to the Balkans and Germanic migrations to the Apennines (today’s Italy) happened. Upon settling in their new homelands, conversion to Christianity followed. This created huge linguistically as well as cultural gaps, which pushed the movement further into isolation.

[edit] History

In 347 AD, Jerome was born at Stridon, on the border between Pannonia and Dalmatia (most likely modern Grahovo polje in Bosnia and Herzegovina), in the second quarter of the fourth century. (Greek: Ευσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ιερόνυμος, Latin: Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus). He is best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. He also was a Christian apologist. Jerome's edition, the Vulgate, is still an important biblical text of the Roman Catholic Church. He is recognized by the Vatican as a Doctor of the Church.

In 614 AD, after Avar and Slav raiders destroyed the city of Epidaurum (in Croatian: Cavtat; in Italian Ragusavecchia) some of the Jeronymite survivors then moved to a small island close to the coast, about 25 kilometers north where they founded a new city, Ragusium or Rausa.. This was the beginning of the Dubrovnik Republic.

After the 8th century, the presence of Jeronymites on the Adriatic had fallen dramaticly. Venice, Ragusa (Dubrovnik), Zara (Zadar), Split (Spalato) and a few adriatic islands were the last strongholds where they still lived.

In 1202 the Fourth Crusade was initiated by Pope Innocent III, with the intention of invading the Holy Land through Egypt. The Venetians, under Doge Enrico Dandolo (a famous Jeronymite), gained control of this crusade and diverted it first to the Christian city of Zara (Zadar), then to Constantinople, where they attempted to place a Byzantine exile on the throne. After a series of misunderstandings and outbreaks of violence, the Crusaders sacked the city in 1204.

In 1346, the Adriatic Sea was struck by the Black Death. The economic situation was also poor, and the cities became more and more dependent on Venice. During this period Dalmatia (including most of the Jeronymite lands) were briefly ruled by Croatian magnates Šubić, the first Bosnian kings , and contested by the Angevins and Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor in the early 15th century, but the end result of this conflict was that the Venetians took control of most of Dalmatia by 1420.

In 1521, Otoman Crusades threatened Ragusan Colonies on Neretva Valley. As the threat grew, the republic decided to evacuate its colonies, rather than put their citizens at risk from invaders. By doing so, the status que achieved with the Otomans, remained untouched while its relevant lands unoccupied. Refugees were placed temporarly on the island of Melita (Today's Mljet), where some continued their journeies to Italy. Todays descendents are called Molise Croats.

In 1797, the fall of the Republic of Venice, brought an end to Jeronymites there. In 1808, Napoleon abolished the Republic of Ragusa and amalgamated its territory into the French Illyrian Provinces, himself becoming the Rector of Ragusa.

By 1815, Dalmatia and Ragusa were taken by the Austrian Empire. After the Revolutions of 1848, the Population of Dalmatia (which were increasingly calling themselves Croatian) urged unification with Croatia. This created many ethnic tensions with other minorities, such as, Dalmatian Italians, Jeronymites, Jews and Serbs. (As it was after the fall of Venetian Republic, see the request of general Rukavina) which was controlled by the Hungarian (Transleithania) part of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire.

From 1918-40, all Jeronymites either migrated or merged in and around Venice. This meant that virtualy all of them had either made their way to the New World or were living in Southern Dalmatia.

During World War II, Fascist Italy occupied the entire region of Southern Dalmatia together with Fascist Croatia. While Croatians claimed the minority was Italian, Italians differed. In 1945, under the guise of rooting out Fascists, Tito's Partisans drove the Italian population (including most Jeronymites) out of Dalmatia.

When Croatia gained independence in 1991 the long gone Jeronymites, have been suppressed & forgotten by the Croatian Government. Not that it matters; Considering the vast chunks of lands (in Croatia) owned directly by their descendents.

[edit] Culture and Traditions

Being Roman Catholic from a traditional perspective, with a strong latin identity and culture makes Jeronymites surprisingly Western, despite their conservative values. Most of the surviving families are originally from the Southern Dalmatian Islands, which means; Most of them can still speak Corzulot and Ragusan.

Total Population	500 approx.
Related Languages	Veneto, Vegliot, Ragusan, Molise Croat, Istriot.
Religion	100% Roman Catholic
Related Ethnic Groups	Italians, Molise Slavs, Croatians, Maltese, Other Latins.
Major Shrine	Basilica of Saint Mary Major, Rome
Main Festival	September 30 (Jeronimo Day)

[edit] Notable Jeronymites

Enrico Dandolo (1107-1205), Diplomat

Marco Polo (1254–1324), Trader & Explorer

Saint Lorenzo Giustiniani (1381-1455), Bishop and first Patriarch of Venice

Savino de Bobali (1530–1585), Writer

Nicolò Vito di Gozze (1549–1610), Politologist & Historic Philosofer

Giovanni Bona Boliris (1520 - 1572)

Marino Darsa (Marin Držić) (1508–1567), Writer

Giunio Resti (1755–1814), Politician & Writer

Joakim Stulli (Gioacchino Stulli) (1730–1817), Lexicographer

Luca Stulli (1772–1828), Scientist

[edit] References

John Gardner Wilkinson (1848). Dalmatia and Montenegro, J. Murray

Peter F. Sugar (1983). Southeastern Europe Under Under Ottoman Rule, 1354-1804, University of Washington Press, ISBN 0295960337.

Kenneth Meyer Setton (1978). The Papacy and the Levant, 1204-1571 Vol. 2, DIANE Publishing, ISBN 0871691272

Suraiya Faroqhi, Bruce McGowan, Donald Quataert, Sevket Pamuk (1997). An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521574552

Giorgio Gozzi Ragusa in Difesa Adriatica n° 11 - 1972