An old legend says: “If you drink your fill of fresh spring water in Banj, you will certainly want to return to this peaceful and beautiful place”

This placid settlement of exemplary olive growers, vintners and fishermen developed around the Church of St. Cosmas, built in 1356. The surrounding hills offer a spectacular view of the Pasman Channel.

The settlement Banj was first mentioned in 1265 in the form of Bagni. This was also the name of the island, “Insula Bagni”. The island had this name in the years 1290 and 1333. The name itself derives from the Roman word Balnea which means bath (spa). Discovered Roman coins prove that Banj was inhabited in antique times and that the Romans had their baths in it. The church of St. Lucas is the main church in Zdrelac, which was always the part of Banj and from which it was separated in 1825.