Page 161 - Dark Shades of Istria
P. 161
8.3 Case Study Event 2: The Anniversary of the Martyrdom
of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
the singing of the anthem of the Istrian County and with flags. The fo-
cus of the history-centric dark commemorative event was thus exclusively
on the Homeland War, while other Istrian specifics highlighted in sub-
chapter 5.2 ‘Istrian Identity,’ as well as any connection to tourism, were
simply ignored. The same applies to educational aspects, e.g. pupils and
students were not present. In accordance with the above description, the
event did not even have a direct significance for tourists (certainly not
from the international perspective), although the defenders came from
the entire County and it took place in one of the most recognisable Adri-
atic tourist destinations during peak season.
8.3 Case Study Event 2: The Anniversary of the Martyrdom
of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
We assumed that this public dark commemorative event is known in at
least the regional environment (significance for tourism) as it is dedicated
to the native Istrian (Croatian) blessed priest. The dark commemorative
event of 24 August 2018 consisted of two parts at different locations (see
also Table 8.1 and Figure 8.1):
• the Solemn Requiem Mass at the Parish Church of Lanišće lasted
from 10.00 to 11.00; an additional tour of the surroundings and the
parson’s house ended at 12 p.m.;
• the concelebrated Mass on the square next to the Parish Church in
Svetvinčenat lasted from 18.00 to 19.15.⁶
background of the event: briefly on the life
and work of bl. buleši
The history-centric dark commemorative event was based on the martyr-
dom of Bl. Bulešić on 24 August 1947 in Lanišće. On that day – a festive
day of the sacrament of Holy Confirmation in Buzet and the neighbour-
ing parishes – a young Roman Catholic Croatian priest, born in May 1920,
was violently killed by a local communist. Bulešić studied in Gorizia (Gor-
ica) and Koper and finally at the Gregorian University in Rome, which
clearly demonstrates his intellectual capacities. He knew how to engage
people and be critical toward the new post-w w i i totalitarian regime
in Istria (Porečka i Pulska biskupija, 2014), which replaced fascism and
nazism. As a Croatian priest he was also engaged as the secretary at the
⁶ These hours only refer to the duration of each event. Since observations were performed
before and after the event, the entire research process lasted longer – see Table 8.1.
161
of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
the singing of the anthem of the Istrian County and with flags. The fo-
cus of the history-centric dark commemorative event was thus exclusively
on the Homeland War, while other Istrian specifics highlighted in sub-
chapter 5.2 ‘Istrian Identity,’ as well as any connection to tourism, were
simply ignored. The same applies to educational aspects, e.g. pupils and
students were not present. In accordance with the above description, the
event did not even have a direct significance for tourists (certainly not
from the international perspective), although the defenders came from
the entire County and it took place in one of the most recognisable Adri-
atic tourist destinations during peak season.
8.3 Case Study Event 2: The Anniversary of the Martyrdom
of Bl. Miroslav Bulešić
We assumed that this public dark commemorative event is known in at
least the regional environment (significance for tourism) as it is dedicated
to the native Istrian (Croatian) blessed priest. The dark commemorative
event of 24 August 2018 consisted of two parts at different locations (see
also Table 8.1 and Figure 8.1):
• the Solemn Requiem Mass at the Parish Church of Lanišće lasted
from 10.00 to 11.00; an additional tour of the surroundings and the
parson’s house ended at 12 p.m.;
• the concelebrated Mass on the square next to the Parish Church in
Svetvinčenat lasted from 18.00 to 19.15.⁶
background of the event: briefly on the life
and work of bl. buleši
The history-centric dark commemorative event was based on the martyr-
dom of Bl. Bulešić on 24 August 1947 in Lanišće. On that day – a festive
day of the sacrament of Holy Confirmation in Buzet and the neighbour-
ing parishes – a young Roman Catholic Croatian priest, born in May 1920,
was violently killed by a local communist. Bulešić studied in Gorizia (Gor-
ica) and Koper and finally at the Gregorian University in Rome, which
clearly demonstrates his intellectual capacities. He knew how to engage
people and be critical toward the new post-w w i i totalitarian regime
in Istria (Porečka i Pulska biskupija, 2014), which replaced fascism and
nazism. As a Croatian priest he was also engaged as the secretary at the
⁶ These hours only refer to the duration of each event. Since observations were performed
before and after the event, the entire research process lasted longer – see Table 8.1.
161
