From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rab is the main settlement on the island of Rab. It has 554 residents (2001) and is located on a small peninsula on the southwestern side of the island. The town Rab has a long history that dates back to 360 BC when it was under the Illyrians. The island was the frontier between the provinces Liburnia and Dalmatia. From the third century BC to the sixth century AD Rab was part of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor Augustus proclaimed it a Municipium in 10 BC. It was the first town of Roman Dalmatia to be given honorary title felix. Marinus, the Christian founder of San Marino, was a native of Rab who was said to have fled the island under Diocletian's persecution in AD 301.The four church belltowers became the symbol of the town and island. The oldest dates back to the eleventh century. There are many churches in the town, St. Mary the Blessed being the largest of them, dated to the 13th century. St. Justine church is now a museum of sacred arts, while St. Christopher (the patron saint's chappel) is nowadays called Lapidarium. The worst disaster in town history was an outbreak of the plague in 1456 that decimated the city's population.
[edit] Attribution
- The original version of this article was taken from the Wikipedia article Rab.
