Sućuraj

 

Sućuraj

Sucuraj is a town by the sea, situated by a deep bay and in a valley facing the sea. It is at the point where the island of Hvar comes nearest to the mainland.

The distance between Sucuraj and Drvenik on the mainland is only 6 kilometres. From Sucuraj there is a wide panorama of Biokovo, Makarska and Peljesac. The town was built on two small peninsulas with a harbour, in the 15th century. From ancient times this position has had an important strategical character, as well as a role in communications with the mainland. Therefore, the continuity of cultures dating from Illyrian times is easily understood. The Hvar Statute of 1331 mentions the church of Sv. Juraj (St. George) in Sucuraj, which is where Sucuraj gets its name from. However, this does not mean that there was already a bigger settlement there, apart from some shepherds' or fisherman's dwellings. The settlement of the place was conditioned by the arrival of the Augustinians from Zaostrog who formed their monastery in the 16th century and took over the parish duties. The monastery was reconstructed in the 17th century, and now only parts are preserved, mainly the perimeter walls and a large number of architectural fragments. The town of Sucuraj is directly oriented towards fishing, fish preconditioned the direction of the economy towards fishing, fish processing, and later navigation. The population is also occupied with agriculture, wine-growing, olive and fig growing. The high quality dried figs are well known