Peroj (
Montenegrin: Перој) is a village in the Town of
Vodnjan on the southwestern coast of
Istria,
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 ...
. Peroj originally dates back to the
Copper Age of
prehistory
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
, as testified by a
necropolis within the old walls of the village. The village has been settled by families from a variety of origins throughout its history. During the occupation of the
Romans, the town was named Pedrolo, and was a popular holiday destination.
Etymology
The term "Peroj" is of debatable origin. One theory suggested by Bernardo Schiavuzzi claims that near modern-day Peroj a settlement known as ''Petroriolum'' (''Petroro'') existed ca. 1197. Camillo de Franceschi, however, suggested that Peroj derives from the archaic name "Pedroli". An alternate theory suggests that the
Montenegrin settlers derived the term Peroj from the
Albanian word for stream - ''përrua'' (definite "përroi").
History
In 1562 the town had been emptied due to malaria and the plague, and
Leonardo Fioravanti from
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
brought 124 families of farmers to the area from the
Romagna region of present day
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, some of which settled in Peroj. However the people from
Pula felt their territories had been violated and began a series of persecutions which lead the families to leave the area.
In 1578 some Greek families were brought to the area, and between 1580 and 1583, 25 more Greek families from
Nauplio had settled in Peroj, and 25 families from
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
had also settled. In 1585 the families from Nauplio renounced the lands given to them and left the area. The Cypriots remained, but gradually some left and some died due to the plagues affecting the region, and in 1644 the population of Peroj was reduced to three people only.
In 1657, the
Doge of Venice,
Bertuccio Valiero, decided to repopulate the town by bringing 15 families. Five of these families were of
Orthodox Christians, originally from the
Cernizza region in
Montenegro
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, image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg
, coa_size = 80
, national_motto =
, national_anthem = ()
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that had escaped from the Turkish occupation. Based on evidence, it is generally assumed that these Montenegrin settlers carried the surnames Brcela, Draković, Brajić, Vučeta, and Ljubotina. The remaining ten were
Roman Catholics, but of unknown origin and are thought to be either of Croatian origin from
Albania Veneta or of Albanian origin. However, these Catholic families soon emigrated from Peroj. Following the
Cretan War of 1645–1669, twenty other families originally from Montenegro migrated to Peroj, amounting to 25 in total by 1677. These families remained in Peroj and until recently
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
was taught in the local schools due to their presence.
Demographics
According to the 2021 census, its population was 900.
It was 832 in 2011.
Religion
The majority of the population is of the
Serbian Orthodox faith with a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
minority.
Three Christian churches exist in Peroj:
* Church of
St. Stephen - Catholic church
* Church of St. Fusca - Catholic church
* Church of St. Spyridon - Serbian Orthodox church
Due to the overwhelming presence of Eastern Orthodox followers, the Orthodox church of
Saint Spyridon (''San Spiridione'') was built in the 19th century following the conversion of the former Catholic church of
Saint Jerome.
[Dario Alberi. ISTRIA - storia, arte, cultura. LINT (Trieste, 1997), p. 1852-56]
Photo gallery
Image:San Spirodine Church.jpg, St. Spyridon Church
Image:Peroj town square.jpg, Peroj Town Square
Image:Peroj Memorial.jpg, Peroj Memorial
Image:Peroj Roman.jpg, Roman artefacts along the beach
Image:Beach_in_Peroj,_July_2015.jpg, The beach in Peroj
Image:San Spiridione churchyard cemetery, Peroj (HR) - panoramio.jpg, Church tower
See also
*
Barbariga, Croatia
*
St. Spyridon Church, Peroj
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Peroj - Serbian Village in Istriaby Fran Barbalić
Društvo Perojskih Crnogoraca 'PEROJ 1657'
{{Authority control
Populated places in Istria County