History of the Island

The island’s name, Badija, is first mentioned in 1737. In 1368, it is mentioned under the
name Islet of St. Peter, and following this, other names were associated with it including
Island, Large Islet, Larger Islet, and the Islet of St. Mary. It has a surface area of 0,79 km.

• 1368 – the island was mentioned as Scoleum Sancti Petri in the will of the prebendary Vlaho Ivanović from Korčula who built the Ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae Misericordiae on the island. As a result of this, the island was called the island of St. Mary (Scoleum s. Mariae).
• 1391 – Pope Boniface IX issued the bull Sacrae vestrae religionis in which he requested that four monasteries be built for the missionary brothers of the Bosnian vicariate, for “the refuge of the brethren of said order” who had to leave their monasteries due to Turkish conquests.
• 1392 – Bishop Ivan of Korčula called on the island’s populace and the whole diocese to help build a monastery for the Bosnian Franciscans
• 1394 – Korčula’s Grand Council gifted the monks of the Bosnian vicariate with a bay on the island and spacious grounds for the construction of a monastery and a church.
• 1398 – the Franciscans received ownership of the entire island through a deed of donation from the Republic of Ragusa.
• 1420 – the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena divided due to the Turkish conquests of Croatian countries, as well as for easier governance and for pastoral reasons. With the reorganisation of the Franciscan order, the monastery of S. Mariae de Gratis apud Corzulam remained within the Dalmatian province.

• 1477 – the construction of the Cloister was completed
• 1483 – the construction of the new Church of Our Lady of Mercy began and the construction of the small votive Church of St. Catherine also began on the highest point of the island.
• 1533 – the church was consecrated in honour of the Ascension of the glorious Virgin Mary to heaven. The church was consecrated by the bishop of Korčula and Ston, Bishop Nikola.
• 1571 – Badija became a well-known place of pilgrimage for its miraculous icon of Our Lady of Mercy, who saved Korčula from the Turkish army on the very day of the feast of the Assumption of Mary. This miraculous event was preceded by the inhabitants of Korčula and the friars praying before the image of Our Lady of Mercy. A gale bora wind stopped the Turkish galleys and numerous armies and Korčula was saved. Out of revenge, the Turkish army led by Uluj Ali set the monastery and church on fire on Badija. The monastery and church were later rebuilt, but the important inventory of the church and monastery was only partially preserved.
• 1729 – the construction of the Chapel of the Holy Cross began.
• 1806 – a French military hospital was placed in the monastery
• 1906 – the decision was made to establish a Franciscan college on the island.
• 1909 – a private lower classical gymnasium was opened.
• 1910 – the orchard was planted, and a poultry coop was set up along with everything else needed for the school to operate

• 1922 – an Orphanage was opened with an elementary school and a gymnasium with a boarding school
• 1924 – the Ministry of Education issued the gymnasium with a public right and from then until WWII it became an important college not only for monastic candidates but also for young men from all over the country
• 1927 – the monastery was expanded (the extension of the boarding school part of the monastery, as well as the construction of a bakery and laundry).
• 1943 – the Partisans closed the gymnasium
• 1944 – the Partisans cruelly killed the musician and professor Dr Bernardin Sokol OFM
• 1949 – the presidency of the People’s Republic of Croatia decided on the expropriation of the monastery, after which the Yugoslav National Army is housed in it, followed by a penitentiary – prison.
• 1950 – the Yugoslav National Army left the island
• 1956 – the Municipality of Korčula handed Badija over to the Association for Sport “Partizan” on a 30-year contract. Following this, the municipal government of Korčula handed Badija over to the hotel company Korčula for management.
• 2003 – the Croatian government returned the island to its owner, the Franciscan Province of St. Jerome from Zadar.
• 2005 – the Province of St. Jerome handed over the monastery and island of Badija to the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary for 99 years. The same year, the Herzegovinian Province, as the new owners, began the restoration of the church and monastery. You can read more about the restoration of the monastery and church here.