The Arbanasi of Zadar: A 300-year-old story of migration and identity

Zadar

ZAGREB, 11 May (Hina) – The central celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto, the heavenly patron of the Arbanasi community, was held in Zadar on Sunday as part of the events marking 300 years since the arrival of Arbanasi in this coastal Croatian city. 

Arbanasi were ethnic Albanian Christians who settled in Zadar in the 18th century and a part of the city is named after them.

The commemorative events, including a concert in Our Lady of Loreto Square, were organised by the Arbanasi Youth Association 1726 in cooperation with the Parish and the Confraternity  of Our Lady of Loreto.

Organisers said this year is historic for the Arbanasi community, which is celebrating the 300th anniversary of their arrival in Dalmatia.

Since 1726, when their ancestors arrived from the area around Shkodër, northwestern Albania, under the protection of Archbishop Vicko Zmajević, the Arbanasi have remained an inseparable and valuable part of Zadar’s identity, preserving their faith, language and customs.

More than 65 cultural, artistic, scientific and social events are being organised this year to mark the anniversary, with the most important celebration being the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto.

The event began in the afternoon outside the parish church of Church of Our Lady of Loreto with Holy Mass, followed by the traditional procession carrying the statue of the Virgin Mary through the neighbourhood.

The evening music programme featured well-known names from the Croatian and Zadar music scene alongside special performances by Arbanasi stars Đani Maršan, Bepo Matešić and Mladen Grdović.

Addressing the commemorative gathering, speakers stressed that the year-long celebration had been realised with the support of the Arbanasi community and the City of Zadar.

Woman from Arbanasi, Zadar, 1778 (Image: Public domain)

The rector of the University of Zadar, Josip Faričić, said that the microhistory of the Arbanasi forms part of the history of the Mediterranean.

“Without the Arbanasi as a distinct community, it is impossible to imagine the identity and existence of our Adriatic region. Researchers have for years studied the history of the Arbanasi, our companions and fellow sufferers. The heart of the people of Zadar is the heart of the Arbanasi. From Puntamika to Punta Bajlo, you are the jewel of this city,” he said.

“You may be the best example of integration into a new community, while maintaining strong ties to your tradition, language and musical expression. You are our wealth,” said County Prefect Josip Bilaver.

Mayor Šime Erlić said that the richness and complexity of the culture and identity woven into the identity of Zadar and Croatia over the past 300 years are best reflected in the year-long celebrations.

“There is no social life in Zadar without the Arbanasi, their dance, song, successes and tears. Without them, and without those ordinary people forgotten by history, Zadar would be poorer and all of Dalmatia diminished,” Erlić said.

Of Albanian origin, the Arbanasi continue to preserve their distinctive Arbanasi dialect, understood only within the community itself.

Their speech remains one of the most important cultural and historical features of this living community.