Zaostrog Locate On Map

Zaostrog (Croatia, Central Dalmatia) is a town on the Makarska Riviera, 35 km distance from Makarska. It was mentioned for the firstly in 1494, but there are still traces of human habitats since prehistoric times.

Nowadays Zaostrog is a tourist place at the south of Makarska Riviera fully oriented towards tourism. It has over 350 people mainly employed in tourism and service industry. The place has over 3 000 beds in private accommodation (mainly apartments) and 100 places in auto camp "Viter". Located in the emerald valley and around it are slopes of Biokovo with its gorgeous beaches, Zaostrog is an ideal place for a nice vacation.

HISTORY

Zaostrog is first mentioned in 1914, but there are signs of human habitation since prehistoric times, few artifacts from early Iron Age were found at Viter, hill above Zaostrog in 1953. Zaostrog was also populated in Illyrian times, whose necropolises are all around the countryside. During the Roman empire Zaostrog had a live cultural scene, which is indicated by many artifacts, carvings of flute players and dancers in traditional garb, carvings of god Mithras and few tombstones.

After the arrival of Croatians in 7th century the place is called Ostrog, and it is mentioned in 950. by a Byzantine ruler Constantine as one of the four fortified towns of the duchy of Neretva. Medieval Ostrog (keep) was situated up in the hills beneath Mali Viter, after in the north of the nearby plains beneath the hill Sapasnik a new settlement was founded, situated northwest of the one Constantine mentions and that settlements was named Zaostrog. In the 15th century feudal lords of Zaostrog were Croatian nobles, brothers Vlatkovici - Jurjevici, which had fortified town close to Viter, which is testified by the remains of the old keep with a stone porch with hand carvings.

MONASTERY

The largest cultural monument the area is the Franciscan monastery of St. Marija. It was probably founded in 14th century. It was founded by the monks of St. Augustin, who left it after the fall of Bosnia in 1463. and went to the islands. Abandoned monastery was populated by the Franciscans from Bosnia who are there still.

Franciscans renewed the monastery, during the difficult times under the Turks. In 1640. according to the dignitary from Rome it was said to be the most beautiful of all monasteries in the area. One of its peaks is the stone tablet over the church gate which was written in Croatian and script dates from 1589. After being liberated from the Turkish rule the monastery had its Golden age in the 18th century.

In 1700. the monastery had a usual square shape with the cluster in the middle, in 18th century it was expanded with two additional wings to the south and the west and in 1874. also the east one. The expansion was needed due to the expanding religious and educational role of the monastery and the Franciscans in it.

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