Religious and Social Climate in Žminjština during the First Half of the 18th Century

Župa Žminj bila je dijelom Porečke biskupije, a u državnome smislu potpadala je pod Habsburško Carstvo tijekom 18. stoljeća. U članku je predstavljen vjerski i društveni život ove rimokatoličke župe osobito pred kraj prve polovine spomenutoga stoljeća. U prvome redu predstavljene su onodobne crkvene strukture na razini zbornoga kaptola i župe. Donose se kratki biografski podatci o tada djelatnim svećenicima, ukazuje se na etnički sastav župe posredstvom prezimena klerika i laika u vidu gastalda i upravitelja oltara i crkava te se opisuju hodočašća, procesije i ostale pobožnosti koje su karakterizirale ovo mjesto u spomenutome vremenu. Članak se temelji – osim na literaturi – ujedno i na neobjavljenim vrelima, poglavito vizitacijskim zapisnicima i matičnim knjigama župe Žminj.Visitation records as the basis of our knowledge on the religious practice and social reality are only a part of the documented memory, often accentuating and thus privileging its unpleasant aspects: conflicts, difficulties, and disorderly circumstances that had to be appeased, solved, and corrected, which was the aim of all visitations. For this reason, the positive aspects of such religious activities often remain hidden and must be disclosed by carefully reading through the lines of these records. The parish of Žminj, as one reads in historiography, was under the jurisdiction of the Poreč (Parenzo) bishopric during the 18th century, and thus officially part of the Holy Roman Empire. At that time, Žminjština was a predominantly Croatian area, judging from the family names, and the rest of its population was Italian. This situation is reflected in the family names of confraternity gastalds, analysed in this article, as well as those of administrators of churches and altars. This ethnic composition is also evident in most family names of Žminj’s clergy and the parish priest (despite the inadequacy), which is why the analysed document also notes the traditional folk costume that he wore. The cohabitation of these two cultural circles was unchallenged and peaceful, in our opinion, and the recorded conflicts among individuals simply reflect personal incompatibilities. Besides the parish priest, who was also a canon, there was another canon in Žminj, whose duty was to take part in the choir and to celebrate the Mass at the collegiate church. There was also a chaplain curate, who was appointed by the chapter as the third prebendary of the parish and confirmed by the bishop of Poreč. Same as the parish priest and the other canon, he was to serve at the collegiate church of St Michael. Other priests celebrated the Mass at specific altars and subsidiary churches, depending on where they were appointed and by whom. Besides a number of priests, the parish of Žminj had a bell ringer, a sacristan, and an ordained organist. Pilgrimages and processions took place regardless of the state and diocesan borders, which one may consider as a sign of the flourishing European Catholicism during the first half of the 18th century. The Žminjans used to walk to the Pauline mmonastery of Sv Petar u šumi (San Pietro in selve), the cathedral of Pićan, to the nearby Svetvinčenat to venerate the relics of St Victoria, and to Rovinj to pay respects to St Euphemia. During the spiritually turbulent times, they had the opportunity to listen to excellent sermons on a daily basis, held by preachers who were also invited to places outside Istria. Moreover, during the year on which this research focuses, the parishioners of Žminj were members of eleven different ecclesiastical-lay associations – confraternities, some of which, such as the Confraternity of Souls in Purgatory, even appealed to the secular authorities to settle their conflict with the parish priest. None of the analysed sources mentions fear of famine or poverty, which may indicate a sort of stable infrastructure, probably largely based on agriculture and cattle breeding. Wartime destruction had not been known since the Uskok Wars in the first half of the 17th century. This state of peace and relative welfare made it possible to enlarge sacral buildings during the first half of the 18th century, such as the parish church of Žminj or the church of St Fosca