Nikola Bijanković (15 August 164510 August 1730) was a

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 ...

n and Bosnian-Herzegovinian prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who served as the bishop of

Makarska Makarska () is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, located on a horseshoe-shaped bay bet ...

from 1699 to his death in 1730. While being a bishop of Makarska, Bijanković also administered the dioceses of

Duvno Tomislavgrad ( Cyrl, Томиславград, ), also known by its former name Duvno ( Cyrl, Дувно, ), is a town and the seat of the Municipality of Tomislavgrad in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosni ...

and

Skradin Skradin is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia. It is located near the Krka (Croatia), Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and from Split, Croatia, Split. The main attraction of the park, Slapo ...

under the Ottoman occupation.

Early life

Bijanković was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, at the time part of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

to father Dominik from the isle of

Šolta Šolta (; ; ) is an island in Croatia. It is situated in the Adriatic Sea in the central Dalmatian archipelago. Geography Šolta is located west of the island of Brač, south of Split (city), Split (separated by Split Channel) and east of the D ...

and mother Laura née Nadalin, a Venetian. He finished grammar school and philosophical and theological studies at the Illyrian Academy in his home town, where he was ordained as a priest on 15 June 1669, as a member of the

Oratorians An Oratorian is a member of one of the following religious orders: * Oratory of Saint Philip Neri (Roman Catholic), who use the postnominal letters C.O. * Oratory of Jesus (Roman Catholic) * Oratory of the Good Shepherd (Anglican) * Teologisk Orator ...

. Afterwards, he was a parish priest in

Kaštel Sućurac Kaštel Sućurac () is a Settlement (Croatia), settlement within the town of Kaštela in Dalmatia, Croatia. Kaštel Sućurac is the first of the 7 Kaštels from the East. Patron saint of the town is Saint George (Croatian: ''Sveti Jure''). Histor ...

from 1669 to 1672 a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

of the

Archdiocese of Split The Archdiocese of Split-Makarska (; ) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia and Montenegro.Stephanus Cosimi of Split and helped him with the seminary's founding. In 1673, he was appointed an apostolic missionary for the territories of the Archdiocese of Split under the Ottoman occupation, a post he held until 1676 and again from 1680 to 1696. 1676, he established the Oratorian community and built an oratory in Split. In between, he served as a

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the Diocese of Nin from 1676 to 1680. He was also a vicar general of the Archdiocese of Split from 1684 to 1695. On 3 September 1686, he was appointed as an

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

of the dioceses of

and

. Not long after he received a decree on his appointment, Bijanković went for a visit to the two dioceses, reporting to the

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

on their status. During the

Morean War The Morean war (), also known as the Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War, was fought between 1684–1699 as part of the wider conflict known as the "Great Turkish War", between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire. Military operations ranged ...

fought between 1684 and 1699 he was a military chaplain in all of the major battles against the Ottomans.

Episcopate

On 5 March 1695, the Venetian government nominated him as the bishop of Makarska, which was confirmed by the Pope on 19 December 1698. He was installed on 10 May 1699, with Giovanni Alberto Badoer, the

patriarch of Venice The Patriarch of Venice (; ) is the ordinary of the Patriarchate of Venice. The bishop is one of only four patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The other three are the Patriarch of Lisbon, the Patriarch of the East Indies an ...

as the principal consecrator and Leonardo Balsarini, the titular archbishop of

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

and Giovanni Vincenzo de Filippi, the bishop of Cephalonia and Zakynthos as the co-consecrators. Bijanković paid special care to the poor and sick and established several brotherhoods in Makarska and surrounding areas. Through his commitment, the Diocese of Makarska received

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionaries, while his efforts to reorganise the parishes in line with the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

led him into a dispute with the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. Bijanković also administered the

Diocese of Duvno The Diocese of Duvno (; ) was a Latin rite particular church of the Catholic Church that was established in the 14th century with a seat in present-day Tomislavgrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Spli ...

and is the most creditable for the conservation of the Catholic population there during the Great Turkish and the Morean War. He regularly visited the areas of the Diocese of Duvno and other parts of his dioceses under the Ottoman occupation, staying there for several weeks and risking his life. In the cases when he was unable to visit them, he would empower other priests, like when he did in 1703 for the areas of

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

and

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

. In July 1706, he visited the areas of Duvno, Rakitno, Roško Polje and Vinica; he visited again in July 1710, staying in Vinica, Roško Polje, Vojkovići, Buško Blato,

Bukovica Bukovica may refer to: Croatia *Bukovica, Dalmatia, a geographical region in Croatia *Bukovica, Sisak-Moslavina County, a village near Topusko * Bukovica, Brod-Posavina County, a village near Rešetari * Nova Bukovica, a village and municipality ...

, Kongora, Zvirnjača,

Blidinje Blidinje plateau () is a karst plateau in Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated at the heart of Dinaric Alps, between major mountains of the range, Čvrsnica, Čabulja and Vran, with characteristic karstic features such as Dugo Polje field, Blid ...

, Rakitno and Studenci. On the invitation of an Ottoman captain from Duvno to his wedding, Bijanković revisited the wider area of Duvno in 1713. Not long after the

Ottoman–Venetian War (1714–1718) The Seventh Ottoman–Venetian War (also called the Second Morean War,Lane (1973), p. 411 the Small War or, in Croatia, the War of Sinj) was fought between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire between 1714 and 1718. It was the last co ...

ended, Bijanković revisited the Diocese of Duvno on the invitation of the

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

s from the Kopčić family. The last time he visited the Diocese of Duvno was in August 1723, when he stayed in Vinica, Roško Polje and Duvno. Bijanković was well received by the local Muslims, including the beys from the Kopčić and Izakagić families, with local Muslim families asking him to perform Catholic rites in their homes and land. Bey of Roško Polje Ahmed Izakagić asked Bijanković to appoint a parish priest for Roško Polje and gifted a horse and scholarship for his priest Grga Kardunović. Considered to have died in sainthood, a process for his

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

started in 1881.

Works

Bijanković translated ''Naredbe od zbora darxave splitske'' (Orders of the Synod of the Diocese of Split) from Latin. The work contains decisions of a diocesan synod held by Archbishop Cosimi in Split in 1688. The work was published in Venice in 1699. According to Fancev and Ostojić, Bijanković translated the catechism authored by Cardinal

Robert Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine (; ; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. He was one of the most important figure ...

under the title ''Nauk krstjanski kratak složen'' (The Christian teachings in short), while Jurišić and Vidović state that Bijanković authored the work. The 1st volume was published in 1708 and the 2nd in 1724, both in Venice. As a member of the Illyrian Academy, Bijanković wrote a recension for the translation of the work of

Dominique Bouhours Dominique Bouhours (15 May 162827 May 1702) was a French Jesuit Catholic priest, priest, essayist, Linguist, grammarian, and neo-classical critic. He was born and died in Paris. Life Bouhours entered the Society of Jesus at the age of sixteen, ...

translated by Ivan Petar Marchi under the title ''Misli karstjanske za svaki dan od miseca'' (Christian thoughts for every day in a month), published in Venice in 1704.

Footnotes

References

Books

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Journals

Websites

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bijankovic, Nikola 1645 births 1730 deaths Clergy from Split, Croatia Writers from Split, Croatia Oratorian bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Innocent XII 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina 18th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Croatia