Krashovani
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (5,000, most declare themselves as Croats, some as Krashovani) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Romania (Caraş-Severin County) |
|
| Languages | |
| Serbo-Croatian, Romanian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Croats of Romania, Serbs of Romania |
The Krashovani (Romanian: Carașoveni, Croatian: Krašovani) are a South Slavic community inhabiting Carașova and Lupac in the Caraș-Severin County within Romanian Banat. They are regarded as and predominantly self-identify as Croats. They are Roman Catholic by faith and speak the Torlakian dialect.
In Romanian, they are commonly known as "Carașoveni"; other variants include Carașoveni, Cârșoveni, Cotcoreți or Cocoși. In Serbo-Croatian, they are commonly known as "Krašovani"; other variants include Karašovani, Krašovanje, Karaševci and Koroševci.
Krashovani, declared as Croats, form a majority in two communes of Caraș-Severin County: Carașova and Lupac.
The Krashovani are Serbo-Croatian speakers adhering to the Catholic Church. Their dialect is regarded a sub-dialect of the Torlak dialect, a transitional dialect spoken in southeastern Serbia, westernmost Bulgaria and northeastern Macedonia.
According to the 2002 census in Romania, the population of the Carașova commune comprised 84.60% Croats, 4.96% others, 4.47% Roma, 4.41% Romanians and others. 93.12% of the population in that commune declared their mother tongue as Croatian. Only 207 persons declared Krashovani ethnicity in the 2002 census.
Their ancestors first settled Carașova in the 13th and 14th centuries from northwestern Bosnia. They formed a community in the northern plateau of the Caraș river, in seven villages, the oldest, Carașova, being mentioned in the 13th and 14th centuries while the rest are first mentioned in the 17th century.
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