Pozega-Slavonia County and the Franciscan monastery at Rama-Scit, central Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Saturday signed a grant agreement on the allocation of €20,000 to support the construction of a gallery and a library in this Catholic monastery.

The agreement was signed by Antonija Jozic, the prefect of that eastern Croatian county, and Friar Andrija Jozic, the guardian of the monastery that dates back to the 16th century.

1 in 13 inhabitants in county originate from Rama-Scit

In that Croatian county populated by about 65,000 inhabitants, an estimated 5,000 have their roots in the Rama-Scit area and they are called Ramljaci.

They (“Ramljaci”) are a great part of our community and they have ennobled the county by their work and values. Therefore, the County and all other units of self-government in the county, have decided to send the funds appropriated for the Croats outside Croatia, to this monastery, said County Prefect Jozic.

This old monastery was damaged in the past several times. During the Ottoman rule and also in the Second World War, it was set on fire. The monastery includes a museum of ethnography built in 1857 with about 1,200 artefacts and items from the traditional life of the Rama Croats who live in this mountainous area surrounded by Mounts Čvrsnica, Vran, Ljubusa and Radusa.