Dračevac Ninski: Churches, Building History and Crno Vrilo

Dračevac Ninski combines a long history with distinctive churches and the Early Neolithic settlement near Crno Vrilo. A road cycling loop also passes through the village. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, these themes can help you decide what to focus on during your trip: building history, prehistory or a cycling route through the region.

Churches and Building History

Dračevac Ninski is first mentioned in 1327 in a document from the archive of St. Chrysogonus in Zadar. The cemetery church of St. Martin appears in a document from 1550. The village was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the course of its history. St. Martin’s was built in 1785 and displays late Baroque features. The church is a single-nave building with a rectangular eastern apse, 6 metres wide and 14 metres long. It originally had a semicircular apse, which was removed during a later alteration. St. Martin’s served as the parish church until the new parish church was built. Its altar mensa was transferred from the church of St. Chrysogonus in Zadar.

The parish church of the Sacred Heart stands in the centre of the village, at a place called “Kod oraha”. It was completed and blessed in 1980; a sacristy was added in 1987. A bell tower with two bells was completed later. A dedication plaque with an inscription in Glagolitic script is attached to the church. The main altar is made of marble and includes a tabernacle. The two churches offer different perspectives on the village’s history: St. Martin’s former role as the parish church, and the construction and furnishing history of the parish church of the Sacred Heart.

Crno Vrilo and the Early Neolithic Settlement

Near Crno Vrilo lies an Early Neolithic settlement in the area of today’s Dračevac Ninski settlement. It is associated with significant remains of the Impresso culture. Systematic excavations have identified it as one of the most distinctive Early Neolithic settlement communities on the eastern Adriatic coast. The archaeological context can also be understood through the landscape: the abundant freshwater spring of Crno Vrilo lies about 170 metres from the southernmost part of the settlement, on the right-hand side of the river valley. Geologically, it is located where carbonate rock meets the sandstone-marl flysch zone. For travellers interested in prehistory, the settlement, spring and geological setting form a connected area of interest.

Cycling Route and Practical Information

The Poličnik–Posedarje–Novigrad–Zadar road cycling loop passes through Dračevac Ninski on the return journey towards Poličnik. If you are considering this route in your plans, check the route conditions before setting off.

A Sunday Mass at 8:30 am is listed for Dračevac Ninski, including in July and August. If you would like to plan your trip around it, check the liturgical schedule before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Poličnik, Briševo, Murvica.

For the wider travel overview: Općina Poličnik.