POŽEGA DURING THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
During the 15th century, there were increasingly frequent invasions by the Ottoman army into the area north of the Sava River. The Požega fortress and town were conquered in the early months of 1537 during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The seat of Ottoman authority for Slavonia was located in the Požega fortress. The military units stationed within it were governed by the dizdar-aga, while the sandžak-beg, the governor of the sanjak, also resided there.
THE SEAT FOR SLAVONIA
The Požega sanjak was an Ottoman military-administrative unit that encompassed a larger part of present-day Slavonia. The most important centers of Ottoman authority in Slavonia were Osijek and Požega. During its existence, the sanjak was a part of several eyalets, higher administrative units (Budin Eyalet, Bosnian Eyalet and Kanije Eyalet).The first sanjak-beg was Arslan-beg, the son of Mehmed-beg Jahjapašić, the conqueror of Požega. The Požega “kanun-nama,” a collection of laws and legal provisions, was used throughout this region, determining all taxes, duties and obligations of the local population.
During the first few decades of Ottoman rule, Požega experienced economic development; the number of trade and craft shops increased and new crafts emerged. The city acquired an oriental appearance with a series of buildings of new purposes (mosques, smaller mosques, caravanserais, bathhouses, etc.), as well as water supply systems and fountains. The Požega Tekke, a gathering place for dervishes, was built in the mid-16th century. In 1565, Požega acquired the status of a kasaba, a developed urban settlement. In the city, there were four mosques, among which the one in the present-day Church of St. Lawrence had imperial status. Besides those, an additional 14 smaller places of worship were erected throughout the neighborhoods.
PEOPLE OF POŽEGA
The religious life of the Catholic population in the Požega area was maintained through pastoral work conducted by the Franciscans, who had a monastery in Velika. In it, service was performed by Fra Luka Ibrišimović Sokol. The Christian neighborhood in Požega consisted of today's Sokolova Street and Vučjak, where a chapel was located, once dedicated to the Holy Spirit, and now to Saints Philip and James.
