Sveti Andrija (Vis)

Sveti Andrija (, meaning "Saint Andrew"), often called Svetac (, meaning "saint"), is an island in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea.

Svetac is situated from Komiža (a town on the island of Vis). It is uninhabited, although it used to have permanent residents. Approximately 300 meters off the south-west coast of the island there is the islet of Kamnik, and farther on the open sea there is the volcanic island called Jabuka. About to the southeast there is the small volcanic island of Brusnik.

History

Svetac was inhabited in prehistoric era, as evidenced by archeological remains, the oldest of which were found in Tovorski bod, a cave in the south part of the island. A Benedictine monastery built on the island was abandoned in late 15th or early 16th century. In 1760, a small pine tar factory was opened. After the pine forest on the island was completely cut down, the factory was closed, and Svetac was acquired by members of Zanki family, who settled there. The population census on Svetac from 1951 was around 60, all members of Zanki family. The last one of the group who lived there all year round was Antonija Zanki, an elderly woman who died in 2001. Now members of Zanki family effectively live there four to six months a year, from late spring to autumn, still keeping up the houses of their grandfathers, fishing, making red wine and olive oil. Most of members of Zanki family who own this, biggest private island in Adriatic, live in Komiža now (14 nm east). Svetac island is in open seas, without any natural protected bay, and members of the Zanki family survived there for centuries.

Environment

Svetac is a breeding ground for a small number of Eleonora's falcons, a rare bird with only c. 40–80 nesting pairs estimated to live on the outer Croatian Adriatic islands. The falcons migrate to Madagascar every September and return to their nests in April.

Svetac and its neighbouring islet of Kamnik, along with Vis, Brusnik, Biševo, Jabuka and the Palagruža archipelago, forms part of the Croatian Offshore Islands Important Bird Area (IBA). This was designated as such by BirdLife International because it supports significant breeding populations of Scopoli's and Yelkouan shearwaters, as well as of the Eleonora's falcons.

See also

* Jabuka–Andrija Fault

References

Bibliography

*
*Mithad Kozličić, Josip Faričić:
The Significance of Sv. Andrija Island (Svetac) on a Sailing Route Across the Adriatic Presented on Old Geographical Maps

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Uninhabited islands of Croatia
Important Bird Areas of Croatia
Important Bird Areas of Adriatic islands
Islands of the Adriatic Sea
Landforms of Split-Dalmatia County
Private islands of Croatia