Vrana | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 43°57′7.23″N 15°33′44.25″E / 43.9520083°N 15.5622917°E | |
Country | Croatia |
County | Zadar County |
Municipality | Pakoštane |
Population (2001) | |
• Total | 724 |
Time zone | Central European Time (UTC+1) |
Vrana (Croatian: Vrana, Latin: Aurana or Laurana Arauzona) is a historic settlement located north of the Vrana Lake, 6 kilometres (4 mi) from Pakoštane, a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast, in Zadar County, Dalmatia, Croatia. Today it is a small rural settlement.
The significance of Vrana to the medieval Croatian history was closely connected with three religious communities: the Benedictines, the Knights Templar, and the Knights Hospitaller. Arrival of these three orders in Vrana and their cultural and political influence was conditioned by the medieval circumstances in Croatia and by the Roman Pope. Vrana had become one of the most important centers of political life, especially in the period from 1070.
After the pope's deputies crowned him as the king of the Croatia, King Zvonimir Dmitar in 1076 donated the city of Vrana and Benedictine monastery of St. Gregory, as a sign of loyalty to Pope Gregory VII. Vrana was the first permanent diplomatic headquarters of the pope's deputies in the entire Slavic region. Insignia of Croatian Kingdom were held within Vrana's walls for a long time. Consequently, Coloman of Hungary in 1102 came to the coronation in Biograd, as the nearest royal residence.