The town of Rab also boasts a long recorded history that dates back to the year 10 BC, when it is mentioned in an old Roman document by which the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus proclaims it a muncipium and grants it independence.

Before long it was given another rare honorary title, that of FELIX (happy); it bears witness to the fact that Rab was already a fully developed and civilised at the time, providing amenities such as running water, baths, temples, a theatre, and a network of streets, to mention just a few.

the legend of st. marin

More than 17 centuries ago a boy by the name Marin was born at Rab. He later learned the craft of stonemason and in search of a job left his home, crossed the Adriatic Sea and landed at a place near today’s Rimini on the Apennine peninsula.

The small case with the relies of St. Cristophorus, the patron saint of the island of Rab

His diligence and virtue soon earned him the sympathy of the Christian community he was living in, so eventually bishop Gaudentium made him his deacon. Presecuted because of his propogation of Christianity, Marin fled to the hardly accessible hill Titan and built a small church there.

It was to become the foundation of a new city and state – San Marino – in which the remains of the saint are still kept. The small case with the relies St. Christophorus, the patron saint of the island of Rab. (the legend of st. marin).