An oasis of peace until recently, with the Franciscan monastery and the
land surrounding
it offering a
view on an
ancient sacred
area (temenos),
the Sumartin of
today
represents,
together with
Supetar and Bol,
the gate to the
island of Brac.
Ferry traffic,
tourist yachts
and local
trawlers as well
as a visit to
the nice museum
of the monastery
give an
impression of a
lively tourist
resort. The
unpol-luted sea
(bathing is
possible even in
the port), the
fresh fish catch
of the local
trawlers,
primarily the
beautiful
nature, the
possibility to
enjoy intact
scenery of the
island where
wholesome food
(cheese, honey,
lamb, wine) is
produced, as
well as the
entertainment
offer of nearby
Bol make
Sumartin an
attractive
summer resort.
SUMARTIN,
a village and
harbour in the
cove of the same
name on the
south-eastern
coast of the
island of Brac;
population 618.
Chief
occupations are
farming,
viniculture,
olive growing,
fishing and
tourism.
Situated on the
regional road
running along
the island;
ferry port and
connection with
Makarska.
Smaller vessels
can berth in the
port, and larger
vessels can
anchor in the
centre of the
cove.
Sumartin was established around 1645 by refugees from the coastal region of Makarska fleeing from the Turks (the only place on the island of Brac in which the Stokavian dialect, or standard Croatian, is spoken). The Franciscan monastery, whose foundations (1747) were laid by the most published Croatian poet Father Andrija Kacic Miosic, who, according to the chronicles, was carrying the stones on his back, has its own archives and mu-seum. The museum has recently been modernized, so that, apart from several valuable Venetian Baroque paintings, portolans (multicoloured navigation charts drawn by hand), it holds jewellery, the new coat of arms of the monastery, ethnographic collection, etc. On the area of Glavica above the village, the pre-Romanesque church of St. Nicholas with a dome (10th c.) rises. It is considered to be the votive church of the seafarers, having maintained its sacral function up to now.
