Donje Selo u kontekstu europske tradicije sv. Martina
Donje Selo in the Context of the European Tradition of St Martin

Summary/Abstract: The importance of the tradition of St Martin the Bishop on the island of Šolta in the village of Donje Selo, one of the earliest Šolta settlements, is considered in this study. St. Martin (November 11) is the celestial patron saint of the village to whom the parish church is consecrated, and whose history and the specificity of its Martinian features, particularly the altar palla, represent a visual art particularity in European terms. A Martinian singularity of Donje Selo is found in the preserved folk custom of Martinje, when the young wine is baptised, and the Martinian song, Pisam sv. Martina biskupa od Turona grada, with unique popular religious verses that have survived in their entirety and are still performed at the time of Martinje. A social singularity is the existence of the Confraternity, or Bratovština of St Martin, the only one in Croatia, which was recently revitalised and functions as a native place association that cares for the preservation of local heritage with special emphasis on its promotion. This was especially proven in 2010 when the 260th anniversary of the Confraternity was celebrated and the parish church of St Martin was consecrated in a special way on July 4th, the day of the summer St Martin’s Day: the mounting of The Footprint of St Martin plaque, a unique European 21st century feature, inscribed Donje Selo on the list of European Martinian sites with the purpose of establishing and enriching co-operation with Martinian localities not only in Croatia but outside its borders. The entire project, Sveti Martin, Europljanin, simbol dijeljenja s drugima (Saint Martin personnage européen, symbole du partage) belongs to the European Cultural Centre of St Martin of Tours and is supported by the Council of Europe, which has declared the European cultural Martinian itinerary as a Great Itinerary of the Council of Europe, in which the village of Donje Selo on the Adriatic island of Šolta now has a special place.

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