Sveti Duje - zaštitnik Splita
Saint Dujam - Patron of Split

Summary/Abstract: The paper is divided into two parts. In the first, the author presents some information about St. Dujam, the patron saint of Split (situated in Dalmatia, a region of Croatia). According to the legend the saint lived in the first century and was a disciple of St. Peter the Apostle. The archaeological findings, however, have proved that he was a contemporary of the emperor Diocletian. After having converted a great many people to Christianity, he was executed in 304. In the second part of the paper the author gives evidence of the celebration of St. Dujam's day, recorded for the first time in the Statute of Split in 1312. From the very beginning the celebration was characterized by two main events - solemn church rites and by lively trade. Between the World War II and the end of the eighties it was reduced mainly to trading. In 1991 it was again organized in its more ancient form, with a solemn procession and other already forgotten elements. The author concludes that St. Dujam's fair is a typical example of similar church fairs held in other coastal towns and villages. It is both a religious and a profane festival, a part of ecclesiastic as well as of profane culture. The last year's revival of its celebration is yet another confirmation of the contemporary revival of religious life in new political circumstances in Croatia.

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