Monasteri insulari dell'arcipelago del Quarnero dell'XII e del XII secolo

Northern Adriatic islands (the Quarnero) are ideal for monastic establishments - those on larger islands mostly urban and suburban, as if on dry land, those on smaller ones mostly eremitic. The attraction of the islands drove to the establishment of monasteries already in Late Antiquity. During the reforms of the 11th century a number of new monasteries were founded on the Quarnero islands, being promoters of a new architectural practice (early Romanesque). A group of reformed monasteries on the Lošinj archipelago stands out. They are due to Gaudentius, bishop of Osor, a disciple of Romuald from Ravenna, founder of the Camaldoli branch of the Benedictines, with a predilection for eremitic life.

Although the sources are scarce and the remaining architecture not abundant, it is possible to reconstruct the monastic landscape of the Quarnero islands in the 11th C., taking in consideration the location of church sites (for both major establishments and humble eremitic ones), the few founding documents, the patronage, the possessions, the affiliation and the architecture itself.