RIJEKA, June 7 (Hina) - On the occasion of Pope John Paul II's third pastoral visit to Croatia, the Rijeka-based publishing house Vitagraf released a short synthesis of the history of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in Polish, entitled
"Od papieza Aleksandra III do papieze Jana Pawla II".
RIJEKA, June 7 (Hina) - On the occasion of Pope John Paul II's third
pastoral visit to Croatia, the Rijeka-based publishing house
Vitagraf released a short synthesis of the history of Primorje-
Gorski Kotar County in Polish, entitled "Od papieza Aleksandra III
do papieze Jana Pawla II". #L#
The publication brings the history of the county, which consists of
the Kvarner coastal region, Liburnian Istria and Gorski Kotar.
The book, the first short synthesis of the kind, is the result of a
long scientific research, said the author, academician Petar
Strcic.
Strcic says that the first pope to visit Croatia's western region,
today's Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, was Pope Alexander III, who
in 1177 visited the island of Rab. The second pope to visit Croatia
was Pius VII, who visited Istria in 1800.
The book also includes information on the history of Christianity
in western Croatia with emphasis on the phenomenon of the early
Croatian church service and Glagolitic heritage, as well as data on
popes who through centuries defended the endangered Glagolitism.
Strcic also writes about Trsat as the oldest Marian cult among the
Croat people whose keepers are Franciscans from the province of
Saints Cyril and Methodius. In 1991, on the occasion of the 700th
anniversary of the Nativity Scene being brought to Trsat, they
invited Pope John Paul II to visit them.
A copy of the book will be given to the Pope.
(hina) rml sb