FRAGMENTS FROM THE ECCLESIAL AND LAY HISTORY OF PODGORJE IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES

Na temelju raspoloživih izvora i odabrane literature autor donosi neke podatke i spoznaje o nedovoljno istraženoj crkvenoj i svjetovnoj prošlosti Podgorja u modernom i suvremenom razdoblju. Podgorje je do razvojačenja 1873. i povratka Vojne krajine pod bansku vlast 1881. bilo podijeljeno između Smiljanske satnije u Ličkoj i Svetojurjevske satnije u Otočkoj pukovniji,. Samo je Karlobag bio vojni komunitet, kaštelanat i slobodna luka. Od 1809. do 1813. bilo je Podgorje pod francuskom upravom u sklopu Vojne Hrvatske kao dijela Ilirskih pokrajina, a zatim opet pod austrijskom (habsburškom) upravom. Domaći ljudi bili su Hrvati, uglavnom katolici i štokavci. Bili su to siromašni seljaci koji su u doba Vojne krajine obavljali i vojnu službu. Bavili su se obradom škrte zemlje, uzgojem stoke na velebitskim obroncima, izradom odjeće i opanaka, sječom stabala za jarbole, ribarenjem, prosjačenjem i rijetko kakvim obrtom. Žitelji uz more odijevali su se "po gradsku", a oni u planini "po bunjevačku", kako su 1850. pisali podgorski župnici. Između dvaju svjetskih ratova većina je Podgoraca još živjela ustaljenim pastoralnim životom prema obrascima koji su se prenosili s koljena na koljeno. Uvijek u nuždi, više gladni nego siti, oskudijevali su pitkom vodom, npr. u Cesarici, gdje je 1937. na tisuću stanovnika dolazila jedna šterna. Razvojno zaostajanje Podgorja za vrijeme monarhističke Jugoslavije nastavilo se poslije kušnji tijekom Drugoga svjetskog rata kroz dugo stajanje u mjestu za vrijeme socijalističke Jugoslavije. Dovršetak izgradnje Jadranske magistrale 1965. olakšao je razvoj turizma, osobito u Karlobagu koji je dobio motel i trajektno pristanište, ali su taj razvoj ometali nedostatak pitke vode, bacanje smeća u more, divlja gradnja objekata i drugi problemi. Istodobno je politički život bio pod partijskim monopolom, Katolička crkva odvojena od države i društveno marginalizirana, a iseljavanje ljudi i pad nataliteta poprimili su kataklizmičke razmjere. U takvim prilikama Podgorje je dočekalo Domovinski rat i državno osamostaljenje Republike Hrvatske.On the basis of available sources and selected literature, the author presents some information and insights about the insufficiently researched ecclesial and lay past of Podgorje in the modern and contemporary period. Until demilitarisation in 1873 and the return of the Military Frontier under the administration of the ban in 1881 Podgorje was divided between the Smiljan company in the Lika and the Sveti Juraj company in the Otok regiment. Only Karlobag was a military community, a ‘castellanat’ and free port. From 1809 to 1813 Podgorje was under French rule within Military Croatia as part of the Illyrian Provinces, and then again under Austrian (Habsburg) rule. The local people were Croats, mostly Catholics and speakers of Štokavian. They were poor peasants who during the Military Frontier period also served military service. They cultivated the poor land, bred cattle on the slopes of Velebit, made clothes and simple footwear, cut trees for masts, fished, begged and were rarely involved in any small business. Inhabitants along the sea dressed "po gradsku" ("in the town style"), whilst those in the hills "po bunjevačku" ("like the Bunjevci"), as Podgorje priests wrote in 1850. Between the two world wars, the majority of the people of Podgorje still lived the established pastoral life according to the ways that were passed from generation to generation. Always in need, more hungry than full, they lacked drinking water, e.g. in Cesarica in 1937 there was one well for the one thousand inhabitants. The developmental lagging behind of Podgorje during the time of the monarchical Yugoslavia continued after the ordeals of the Second World War through the stagnation of the place during socialist Yugoslavia. The completion of the construction of the Adriatic highway – the magistrale – in 1965 helped the development of tourism, particularly in Karlobag which gained a motel and ferry dock, however the lack of drinking water, the dumping of rubbish into the sea, the illegal construction of buildings and other problems hindered this development. At the same time political life was under the monopoly of the party, the Catholic Church was separate from the state and socially marginalised, and the emigration of people and the fall in the birth rate took on cataclysmic dimensions. Under such conditions Podgorje faced the Homeland War and the state independence of the Republic of Croatia