Прилог за историју Православне општине сењске – Сава Косановић, администратор Општине 1917–1919. године
A contribution to the history of Serbian orthodox municipality of Senj – Sava Kosanović, administrator of the municipality 1917–1919

Summary/Abstract: A small number of documents from the archives of the Serbian Orthodox municipality of Senj illustrate the latest data about Serbs immediately before the unification of all Orthodox church municipalities within Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From the writings deposited in the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb it can be inferred that the Orthodox municipality of Senj, though probably in a highly reduced membership, continued to exist until 1940. The general conclusion to be drawn from all this is that in Senj the Orthodox church municipality had existed for a long time, even though its membership had always been small in number. Its size had always varied through history not only in accordance with the regulations holding for the Military Frontier, but also depending on the local and state factors. Among the local factors there should be included both the legislation of the Military Frontier and the type of occupation prevalent in the Serbian Orthodox population od the Senj municipality. As the military profession – the activity predominantly characterizing the existence of the Orthodox Christian people, had ceased to be active around the 18th century, when the Turks retreated from Dalmatia and the hinterlands of Senj, it effectively became pointless for the people to stay in this town. What should be listed among special but significant factors is the location and activity of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Senj, having jurisdiction over the Military Frontier, which was especially active in its proselytism directed towards the Orthodox Christians. However, bad territorial connectedness between Senj and its hinterlands and the predominant form of economy tied to the sea represented the permanent factors causing the Serbian Orthodox population to be sparse and mostly on the margins of social structure. It was only those who failed to forge an alternative existence that were left to live in Senj. A small number of documents kept in the archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Rijeka (Fiume) provide an opportunity for us to have a sweeping view of the state of affairs and the demographic characteristics of the sparse Orthodox Christian population in the town of Senj immediately before the conversion of this town from the Habsburg monarchy to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Apart from that, based on the same documents we could see the first signs of the problems to be encountered by the Serbian Orthodox Church in Rijeka and the parish priest Sava Kosanović, who was appointed as the administrator of the Serbian Orthodox church municipality of Senj from 1917 to 1919.

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