| Miho Demović, Croatian priest, defended his PhD in Germany (Koeln), dealing with the history of Croatian music in the city of Dubrovnik. He is best known for his numerous musicological studies and monographs dealing with Croatia, especially with Dubrovnik. He initiated scholarly studies of the problem of ubication of the well known shipwreck of St Paul in the 1st century AC (described in the Acts of Apostles of the New Testament), that showed that it occured near the island of Mljet near the city of Dubrovnik, and not on Malta. |
Young Don Miho Demović in his office in Dubrovnik, in 1960. Source of the photo Miho Demović: Rasprave i prilozi iz stare hrvatske glazbene prošlosti, Glas Koncila, Zagreb 2007. Miho Demović (a part of his huge musicological bibliography):
Izvor za ovaj popis je ovdje, na samom kraju stranice: |
Saint Paul the Apostle had shipwreck on Croatian island of Mljet, and not on Malta. This is the subject of the monumental book written in elite Latin language by Ignjat Đurđević, published in Venice in 1730. Ignjat Đurđevic was Croatian Baroque writer from the city of Dubrovnik. The island of Mljet is not far from Dubrovnik. Until recently it was believed that the first person to identify the location of Saint Paul's shipwreck near Mljet was the father of European historigraphy, the Greek emperor and historian Constantine Porphyrogenitus (905-959) who, describing the south Dalmatian islands in his work "On Administering the Empire", wrote the following:
However, scholars have recently discovered new information in The Geography of distinguished Armenian scholar Ananias of Shirak, written between 592-636 AD, which confirms that Saint Paul stayed in Dalmatia following a shipwreck that happened on the Adriatic island of Melita (Mljet). |
The bendictine Abbey of Sv. Marija (St Mary) on an islet on Veliko jezero (Great Lake) near the island of Mljet. Photo by Nikola Piasevoli.
The island of Mljet in Croatia was called Melita in Ancient times.
The island of Mljet is one of Croatian National parks.
Great Lake (Veliko jezero) on the island of Mljet
After Porphyrogenitus (10th century), the 16th century Italian historian of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) Serafino Razzi, Dominican and for a while Vicar of Capitular of the Ragusan Metropolitan see, claimed that St Paul's shipwreck occured on the island of Mljet. He set forth the following:
Razzi thought that the shipwreck couldn not have taken place in Malta because Malta was situated in the African, instead of in the Adriatic Sea. Đurđević claimed at the beginning of his book the following It is interesting that while Malta was under the Spanish government, Đurđević was supported in his views by both English and French scholars. However, when Malta came under the English protectorate, the circumstances changed and the English writers stood up for the Maltese option. Something similar happened to the French writers when Malta was conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte. |
Zlatko Pavetić (ed): The Journey of Paul the Apostle to Rome led over the Croatian Island of Mljet (Melita) / Put apostola Pavla za Rim vodio je preko hrvatskog otoka Mljeta (Melite), Proceedings of the academic conference held on Mljet (Melita) 15 October 2011 / Zbornik radova znanstvenog skupa odranog na Mljetu (Meliti) 15. listopada 2011., Zagreb, 2015., ISBN 978-953-58133-0-9, 356 pp, in English and Croatian, hard cover, with color photos and maps |
Selected articles from the Proceedings: Dr Miho Demović: PREFACE St Paul visited Croatian island of Mljet on his journey to Rome Miho-Demovic: Two millenia of St Paul's shipwreck near the Croatian island of Mljet Ignjat Djurdjevic St Paul was on the island of Mljet in the Adriatic for three months Dr. Antun Ničetić o plovidbi svetoga Pavla, Vatikanski Radio 7. kolovoza 2012., [MP3] |
Books dealing with the Shipwreck of St. Paul on the island of Mljet (and not on Malta) Ignjat Đurđević: Sveti Pavao apostol brodlomac (St Paul the Apostle Castaway), Miho Demović (ed), Dubrovačke knjižnice, 2008., 360 pp. (Ignjat Đurđević's 1730 book translated from elite Latin into Croatian by Jozo Marević, with extensive foreword by Dr Miho Demović in Croatian and English), ISBN 978-953-97952-3-0 Miho Demović: Ignjat Đurđević i dubrovačka tradicija o svetopavloskom brodolomu u vodama hrvatskog otoka Mljeta, Uvodna studija, Zagreb 2008. / A STUDY ACCOMPANYING CROATIAN TRANSLATION OF THE ĐURĐEVIĆ'S BOOK ON SAINT PAUL'S SHIPWRECK ON THE ISLAND OF MLJET Those interested in purchasing this book can write to zlatko.pavetic@zg.t-com.hr Selected articles from the Proceedings: Dr Miho Demović: PREFACE Dr Miho Demović: TWO MILLENIA OF DUBROVNIK TRADITION OF SAINT PAUL'S SHIPWRECK IN THE WATERS OF CROATIAN ISLAND OF MLJET, Conclusion and Summary Dr Miho Demović: FOLLOWING HIS SHIPWRECK, ST PAUL THE APOSTLE SAILED TO ROME ON AN ALEXANDRIAN SHIP FROM THE ANCIENT HARBOUR OF POLAČE ON MLJET IN THE YEAR 61 A. D. Dr Miho Demović: THREE FAMOUS SHIPWRECK SURVIVORS FROM DUBROVNIK V. Palunko: Melita, otok brodoloma sv. Pavla jest otok Mljet u Dalmaciji, s talijanskog preveo i uvodnu studiju napisao dr. Niko Kličan, ur. Miho Demović, Zagreb 2009. (naslov talijanskog izvornika, Vicko Palunko: Melita del naufragio di S. Paolo e isola Meleda in Dalmazia, Spalato 1919.) Predavanje dr. Mihe Demovića u Pomeni na otoku Mljetu, traje 17 min.: St Paul visited Croatian island of Mljet on his journey to Rome Miho-Demovic: Two millenia of St Paul's shipwreck near the Croatian island of Mljet Ignjat Djurdjevic St Paul was on the island of Mljet in the Adriatic for three months Dr. Antun Ničetić o plovidbi svetoga Pavla, Vatikanski Radio 7. kolovoza 2012., [MP3] |
The problem of incorrect attribution of St. Paul's Shipwreck to Malta is discussed in the following book published in 1861 by rev. Neale, who was an Anglican priest: J. M. Neale: Notes, Ecclesiological and Picturescue, on Dalmatia, Croatia, Istria, Styria, with a visit to Montenegro [PDF1] or [PDF2], London 1861. We provide pages 161-163 of this book: |