Gregory of Nin

Gregory of Nin (Croatian: Grgur Ninski pronounced [ɡr̩̂ɡuːr nîːnskiː]; Latin: Gregorius Ninnius) was a medieval Croatian bishop of Nin who strongly opposed the Pope and official circles of the Church and introduced the national language in the religious services after the Great Assembly in 926, according to traditional Croatian historiography. Until that time, services were held only in Latin (being under the jurisdiction of Roman influence before the Great Schism), not being understandable to a majority of the population. Not only was this important for Croatian language and culture, but it also made Christianity stronger within the Croatian kingdom.[1]

Gregory of Nin
Bishop of Nin
Statue of Grgur Ninski in Split, Croatia
See	Diocese of Zadar (now Archdiocese of Zadar)
Term ended	c. 929
Predecessor	Aldefreda
Successor	Andrija
Orders
Consecration	c. 900
Personal details
Denomination	Chalcedonian Christianity

Historical facts

Gregory was the bishop of Nin and as such was under strong protection of King Tomislav. At the Synod in 925, held in Split, Gregory lost to the Archbishop of Split, he was offered the Sisak Bishopric, but he refused. After the conclusions of the first Synod Gregory complained again in 927/8 but was rejected and his Nin Bishopric was abolished, Gregory himself being sent off to the Skradin Bishopric, after which he disappears from the annals of history.

The statue

The 8.5-metre (28 ft)[2] tall statue of Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović in Split is a busy tourist site in the town, which the toe of the statue shows. Rubbing the statue's toe is said to bring good luck.[1][3] The toe has been worn smooth and shiny as a result.

The statue was erected in September 1929 in the Peristyle of Diocletian's Palace and can be seen in postcards of the pre-World War II period. In 1941, the statue was moved outside the city by Italian occupying forces. In 1954, it was re-erected in a different location, to the north of the Palace and Old Town of Split, just outside the Golden Gate, where it currently sits. A major restoration of the monument took place between 2013 and 2015.[4]

There are also statues of Gregory of Nin in the cities of Nin and Varaždin.[3]

• 
  Statue of Gregory of Nin in Nin
• 
  Statue of Gregory of Nin in Split
• 
  Toe of the statue of Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović in Split
• 
  Statue of Gregory of Nin in Varaždin

See also

• History of Croatia
• History of Dalmatia

References

1. Dragutin Pavličević, Povijest Hrvatske, naklada Pavičić, Zagreb 2007. godine, ISBN 978-953-6308-71-2
2. "Grgur Ninski povezao Split, Nin i Varaždin". Zadarski list (in Croatian). HINA. March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
3. "Grgur Ninski". nin.hr. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
4. "Dramatična štorija o splitskom spomeniku Grguru Ninskom". tportal.hr (in Croatian). January 31, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2017.

Further reading

• John Van Antwerp Fine, John V. A. Fine, Jr., The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century, University of Michigan Press, 1991 ISBN 0-472-08149-7
• Florin Curta, Paul Stephenson, Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250, Cambridge University Press, 2006 ISBN 0-521-81539-8
• Andre Vauchez, Richard Barrie Dobson, Adrian Walford, Michael Lapidge, Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Routledge, 2000 ISBN 1-57958-282-6
• "Grgur Ninski". Hrvatski biografski leksikon (in Croatian). Zagreb: Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography. 2002. Retrieved April 20, 2017.