Independence Earned On The Spider Web

It is part of a broader lacemaking tradition in Croatia that, along with lace from the northern Croatian town of Lepoglava and the island of Hvar was collectively added in 2009 to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Most pieces of lace are small and round — typically a doily shape. This is due both to the immense amount of time required to produce one piece and its very high cost. A small doily might cost the equivalent of hundreds of euro, while a larger tabletop décor piece could cost thousands of euro.

International interest in Pag lace peaked in the early 1900s, when Archduchess Maria Josepha, mother of Emperor Charles I of Austria, visited Pag and placed an order from its lace school. Pag lace soon became a status item in noble and upper middle class homes in Europe. The lace school, which at one point had 200 students, flourished until the mid-20th century.

By that point, industrially produced lace and other textiles had eclipsed traditional lacemaking. Women were increasingly working outside the home and had less time for lacemaking. Likewise, interest in learning lacemaking waned as it was not a viable way to earn an income.

In the mid-2000s, a lacemaking school reopened in Pag, and public school students have the option of learning lacemaking as part of their curriculum. There is a lace gallery in the town, as well as a handful of shops selling authentic Pag lace.

The St. Margherita Monastery has a significant historic collection of Pag lace, and offers exhibits, workshops and demonstrations. Still, the biggest threat to the tradition of Pag lacemaking is the advanced age of the majority of its practitioners.