Most souvenirs are made somewhere else and shipped in. Pag lace is the opposite: a craft that has been practised on this island for roughly six centuries, passed from hand to hand, and recognised by UNESCO. If you are staying in Novalja and want one thing to take home that is genuinely, stubbornly local, this is it.
A Craft Born in a Convent
Pag lace (paška čipka) is documented from the mid-15th century, in the Convent of St Margaret in Pag town, where the nuns taught local girls the craft. Over the centuries it travelled well beyond the island: according to the Pag tourist board, women from Pag demonstrated their work at the imperial court in Vienna, and the lace was sold on to Venice and Vienna. A lace-making school then ran in Pag from 1906 to 1945, which gave production a real boost.
In 2009 Pag lace was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, together with the lace-making traditions of Hvar and Lepoglava.
What Makes It Special
This is needle lace: it is made with nothing more than a needle, thread and a firm pillow as backing, with no bobbins involved. Traditionally the lacemakers worked without drawn patterns at all. Motifs and techniques were handed down from mother to daughter, and each woman added a personal touch, which is why two pieces are never quite identical. Originally the lace trimmed church vestments; today it appears as framed wall pieces, collars, table linen and small decorative ornaments.
Where to See It in Pag Town
The best starting point is the Pag Lace Gallery in the Rector’s Palace on Petar Krešimir IV Square, in the middle of the old town. Its collection has been looked after by the convent nuns for more than 150 years. Opening hours change with the season, so check with the Pag tourist board before you drive over.
Then simply wander. Pag’s Renaissance grid of stone lanes is small enough to walk in under an hour, and in summer it is common to see local women sitting with their work in the street, needle in hand. Please ask before photographing someone at work, and expect a smile and a quick demonstration more often than not.
Buying Lace: A Few Tips
Genuine handmade lace is slow work, so real pieces are priced accordingly. A few things help you buy well:
- Ask who made it and how long it took. Makers are usually proud to tell you.
- Look closely at the stitching: handmade needle lace has small, slightly individual variations; machine copies look perfectly uniform.
- Small pieces such as ornaments or bookmarks are a good entry point if a large framed work is out of budget.
- Buy from the gallery, the convent or lacemakers themselves rather than from bargain bins.
Plan the Day
Pag town is about half an hour by car from Novalja. Combine the lace gallery with a stroll to the Church of St Mary on the main square, a look at the salt pans, and lunch of Pag cheese and lamb. Our day trip guide to Pag town has the full route.
Simple experience of joy, stitched one knot at a time.
