KRK, Diocese of. - Diocese of Croatia (Yugoslavia). It comprises the islands of the Quarnero: Veglia, Cherso, Lussino, and also Arbe, the northern part of the island of Pago and other smaller islets. It has an area of 1000 sq km with 31,000 inhabitants, all Catholics, distributed in 29 parishes, served by 51 diocesan priests and 16 regulars; there are 5 male religious communities and 6 female ones (Ann. Pont. 1953, p. 443; these data, however, refer to 1951). It is immediately subject to the Holy See.
The present diocese results from the fusion of the ancient dioceses of V., Ossero and Arbe.
1. V. (from the Romance Vekla or Vihla, probably from veclus, vetus [with "civitas" understood]; the Croatian name Krk derives from the pre-Romance and Latin Curicum), capital of the island of the same name. Until the end of the 12th century it comprised, besides the island, also a vast territory of the mainland, part of the present diocese of Segna. The first known bishop is Vitale (1018), under the Orseoli of Venice. At first a suffragan of the metropolitan of Salona (later Spalato), the bishop of V. in 1154 passed under that of Zara, with which in 1155, by Pope Anastasius IV, he was subjected to the patriarch of Aquileia (from 1450 to Venice). In the Middle Ages the city of V. was a commune with its own statute and privileges. The other 4 communes - castles - are: Castelmuschio (Omišalj), Dobrigno (Dobrinj), Verbenico (Vrbnik) and Besca (Baška). On the island there followed in succession Byzantine, Venetian, Croatian, Hungarian-Croatian rule, and again Venetian (1480-1797). Until 1480 the local family of the Frankapani (Frangipani) dominated there. The Cathedral is a Romanesque basilical building with 3 apses (12th century) and preserves a precious silver altar frontal of the 15th century, donated by the Frankapani, and other works of art.
2. Ossero (Auxeron, in Croatian Osor) is situated on the isthmus between Cherso and Lussino; it is quite doubtful that the bishop Lawrence, who subscribed at the Nicene Council (787), is the bishop of Ossero. In the letters of John VIII a bishop Dominic (879) is named.
3. Arbe (Croatian Rab), on the island of the same name, had as its first known bishop a Peter in 986. The metropolitans were the same as for V. and O.; until the 12th century a great part of the present diocese of Segna and the island of Pago belonged to the diocese of Arbe. One of its bishops, Vincenzo Negusanti, ordained in Venice in 1537 St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions. Like V. and Ossero, Arbe too was an autonomous commune headed by a prior. The ancient cathedral of St. Mary, in Romanesque style (12th century), was consecrated by Pope Alexander III himself during his journey from Zara to Venice (1177). The wonderful bell tower (one of the 4 characteristic of the city) is also of the 12th century.
4. After the fall of Venice (1797), the territory of the aforementioned dioceses passed first under Austria (1797-1806), then under the French (1806-13), then again under Austria until 1918, as part of the province of Istria and no longer of Dalmatia. With the bull Locum beati Petri, of 30 April 1828, the dioceses of Ossero and Arbe were suppressed and united to V., which became a suffragan of the metropolitan of Gorizia (1830-1933). With the Treaty of Rapallo (1920) the territory of the ancient diocese of Ossero passed under Italy and on 1 August 1932 was subjected to the archbishop of Zara. With the Treaty of Paris (10 February 1947) it was assigned to Yugoslavia. The bishop of V. is now its apostolic administrator.
The first bishop of the united diocese was Antonio Šintić (1792-1837). Particularly deserving for the organization of the diocese is Bishop Antonio Mahnić (1895-1920), already distinguished earlier as initiator and soul of the Catholic renewal in Slovenia, especially among students. As bishop of V. and author of theological-philosophical writings he began a similar movement, in the spirit of the directives of the contemporary popes Leo XIII and Pius X, also in Croatia. He also has great merits for the so-called Glagolitic liturgy, in use in this diocese "ab immemorabili"; among other things, through his merit the Old Slavonic Academy (1902) was founded at V. for the study of the Old Slavonic liturgical language.
Bibliography14 works
Ivan Vitezić