Morinje (''Morinjski zaljev'', Italian: ''Morigne, Lago di Castello Andreis'') is the toponym for a bay in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The Morinje Bay in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

, with a surface area of 3.5 km² and a maximum depth of 21 metres, is situated five kilometres south-east of

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

in the central part of the eastern

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

coast. It is hydrogeomorphologically divided into two parts – a shallow northern funnel (Morinje) and the deeper southern channel-shaped

Jadrtovac Jadrtovac (hist. ''Zamurva'') is a village in Croatia. The community of Jadrtovac, with a surface of 24.5 km², is situated eight kilometres south-east of the city Šibenik at the eastern bank of the Morinje Bay. The settlement, which was called Z ...

passage. With the postglacial rising of the sea level, the bay took its current shape. Morinje has no permanent riverine inflow, only an insignificant and intermittent superficial rivulet (Ribnik) and several underwater springs. In the 13th century, the area at Morinje was mentioned as ''Campus marinus''. A German nobleman in the late 15th century called the place “Moreya”. The historical settlement

developed from a fortification on the eastern shore. North-east of the bay is the Gothic church of

Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, persecution of the Christians that the Roman Empire, Rom ...

(Sv. Lovro), the site of pre-Romanesque reliefs.Jakšić, Nikola/ Krnčević, Željko: Predromanički reljefi iz crkvice Sv. Lovre u Morinju kraj Šibenika, in: Starohrvatska prosvjeta 24 (1997), pp. 91-110. From the 15th century Morinje was known for its salt production. In modern times, economic activities in the area are primarily associated with agriculture and seasonal tourism.

References

{{reflist Šibenik Bays of Croatia