The early history of the church and monostery of St. Duje on the island of Pašman

Abstract

The earliest history of the Francisxan monastery St. Duje on Pašman, this significant cultural and historical monument in Zadar region, has not been completely understood. On the basis of the archives, the author establishes that first church St. Duje was built in 1384 as a simple endowment of family Grisogono near her property on Pašman. It was only in 1389 that Pelgrina Grisogono donated it to the Fransiscans who arrived in Zadar as refugees from Bosnia ten years before. In her testament from 1392 it was written that a monastery should be built around the church. After its foundation, numerous Zadar families especially the members of the Grisogono family donated funds to the monastery. Of all the mentioned testaments one that is interesting is from 1418 in which the donator leaves fifteen ducats for the painting for St. Duje’s Church. This probably was the money for the painting attributed to »the painter of iconic crucifiction«. If we take into consideration the chronology of events, it is possible to establish with greater certainty that this anonymous master was actually Zadar painter Menegelo Ivanov de Canali. The appendixes include two so far unpublished construction contracts from the fourteenth century, the first related to St. Duje’s Church and the other to the church near the port Luka on Dugi Otok which are also donated by the Grisogono family.