Bosna Srebrena (Bosnia Argentum)

Bosna Srebrna

The Franciscan province in Bosnia was called Bosna Srebrena (Bosnia Argentum)

i.e. Silver Bosnia. Since the 19th century its site is in Sarajevo. This very old name was derived from the name of the city of SREBRENICA which in pre turkish times (before the end of the 15th century) had been known as an important Catholic center in north-eastern Bosnia (in Croatian srebro = silver).

Due to the existence of the famous Franciscan monastery in Srebrenica, the whole Franciscan province in Bosnia obtained its name from it. Srebrenica was also an important mining center, known from the Roman times. It had been settled also by the Dubrovnik merchants and Saxonian miners from Germany. Even today there is a small village near Srebrenica called Sase, whose name has been derived from the name of Saxons.

We know that in the region of north-eastern Bosnia, to which also the city of Srebrenica belongs, there existed a large number of Catholic churches and six Franciscan monasteries. This witnesses about deeply rooted Catholic tradition in this area before the Turkish occupation in the second half of the 15th century.

The names of many toponyms in this area, as well as elsewhere, reveal its Croatian origin:
* HRVATSKE njive (HRVAT = CROAT) on the river Drina near Zvornik,
* the nearby village HRVACICI,
* the village of HRVATI near Tuzla,
* HRVATI near Brcko,
* HRVATSKO brdo near Repnik,
* HRVATOVCI near Gradacac,
* the village BISKUPICI (Biskup = bishop; and not Episkopici'') etc.

A district in Sarajevo was called HRVATIN in the past. It would be in vain to search for typical Serbian Orthodox church names like eparchy (eparhija), episcopacy (episkopija), hrischan anywhere in Bosnia before the 15th century.

Source: www.CroatianHistory.net