Omiš (pronounced[ɔ̌miːʃ], Latin and Italian: Almissa) is a town and port in the Dalmatia region of Croatia, and a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia County. The town is approximately 25 kilometres (16 miles) south-east of Croatia's second largest city, Split, where the Cetina River meets the Adriatic Sea. Omiš municipality has a population of 14,936[3] and its area is 266 square kilometres (103 sq mi).
Name
It is supposed that the name of this city, Omiš, developed from the Slavic Holm, Hum as a translation from the Illyrian - Greek word Onaion, Oneon, meaning "hill" or "place on the hill", or from Greek onos (όνος) meaning donkey, perhaps from the shape of the rocky promontory by the city (naming a city after a natural form was common practice then, as it is now); there is also the possibility that the name of the settlement Onaeum was derived from the name of the river which was called Nestos by the Greek colonists in its lower flow, during Antiquity. According to Petar Šimunović, Omiš is derived from Proto-Indo-European*almissa ("rock", "cliff").[4]
Latin names during Ancient Rome were Onaeum, Oeneum, Alminium, and Almissum. During Medieval times the name was recorded as Olmissium, Almiyssium and from the end of the 15th century, when the city fell to the authority of Venetian Republic, its name was the ItalianAlmissa.[5]
History
Omiš Historical Coat of Arms from year 1541.
Omiš was well known in the past by the Corsairs of Almissa (Omiški gusari)[6] whose Sagittas (ships) (Genitive case: Sagittae, translated as The Arrow), brought fame to them because they were built for attack and fast retrieval into the mouth of the Cetina River, protecting the town from foreign invaders. At a very early date, neighbours of the Corsairs of Almissa, the highlanders of the Poljica Principality[7] (Poljička Republika), became their friends and allies. This allowed them to harass the seaborne trade, without fear of a sudden attack from inland.
Historical monuments:
Church of St Euphemia by the coast on Brzet, from the early 6th century
Renaissance church of the Holy Spirit from the 15th century
Old cemetery, the 16th century or 17th century
Parochial church from the 17th century
Franciscan Monastery on Skalice from the 18th century
In the Priko neighborhood, on the right bank of the Cetina River, stands the site with the most historic significance: the pre-Romanesque Church of St. Peter (Crkva Sv. Petra) from the tenth century A.D. This single-naved edifice, with a cupola and apse, was used in the 18th century as a Glagolithic seminary for novice priests.
Economy
Today, Omiš's economy is based on farming, fishing, textile and food-processing industries and tourism.
Settlements
Within the limits of the town lie the following settlements:[3]
Omiš is best known for the traditional festival of the Dalmatian a cappella singing groups.[8][9] This festival is the highlight of Omiš's summer, the expression of the town's beauty. Omiš's Summer Festival - during which various concerts and recitals are performed - takes place at the plazas and in churches.
Omiš as a town has eight churches:
church of Saint Michael
church of Holy Ghost
church of Saint Rock
church of Saint Peter
church of Saint Luca
church of Saint Mary
Franciscan Monastery with church of Our Lady of Carmel
Cresswell, Peterjon; Atkins, Ismay; Dunn, Lily (10 July 2006). Time Out Croatia (First ed.). London, Berkeley & Toronto: Time Out Group Ltd & Ebury Publishing, Random House Ltd. 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SV1V 2SA. ISBN978-1-904978-70-1. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
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