SLOVENE PRIEST FRANJO RAVNIK AS A CROATIAN NATIONAL REVIVALIST

Članak obrađuje dio političke i društveno-kulturne sfere dijela zapadne Hrvatske – Istre i kvarnerskih otoka – gdje su se u drugoj polovici XIX. st. odvijali krucijalni događaji za te prostore. Riječ je o pokretanju prvih listova na hrvatskome jeziku – dva sveska kalendara »Istran« i »Naše sloge«. U tim se događajima osobito isticao i preporoditelj, slovenski svećenik Franjo Ravnik. Za vođu prve generacije preporoditelja navedenih područja – biskupa J. Dobrilu – kalendar »Istran« bio je uspio pokus, čiji je uspjeh doveo do pokretanja prvih novina za Hrvate istarsko-otočnoga prostora – tršćanske »Naše sloge« 1870. Taj list zadovoljio je nacionalne i druge potrebe ponajprije hrvatskoga sitnog građanstva u procesu formiranja. U te glavne temeljnice ubraja se i prvi »tabor« održan na Sv. Mihovilu u Rubešima (Kastavština) u svibnju 1871. godine.Author of this article discusses some of political, social and cultural issues regarding the history of Istria and Kvarner islands in the second half of the nineteenth century. Namely, in this period, which was crucial for this region in many spheres, the first regional publications in Croatian (calendar Istran and newspapers Naša sloga) were initiated. In the contemporary national movements Slovene priest Franjo Ravnik played a significant role. He was teacher of Croatian in Kastav, and after that he moved to the gymnasium in Koper. Although now he was in Slovenia, Ravnik continued to actively support Croatian national revival. By the same token, even thought political movement in the Austrian part of Istria and Kvarner was not quite developed, one can clearly notice that in the first two volumes of the aforementioned calendar there are traces of the political differences between politics of Strossmayer and Starčević. Bishop Juraj Dobrila, who was the leader of the first generation of the regional national movement/revival, thought about Istran as a successful probe that had marked path for the first Croatian regional newspapers – Naša sloga. The first issue of these newspapers was published in 1870 in Trieste and edited by priests A. Karabaić and M. Bastian. One can say that Naša sloga has satisfied all the national and informational needs of the contemporary local Croatian citizenry that actually was going through the process of self-structuring. Regarding this process one also must not forget the tabor (meeting in the open air) that was held on the festivity of St. Michael in Rubeši (region of Kastav) in May 1871