Enjoy the most beautiful view of the Adriatic / Uživajte u najljepšem pogledu Jadrana! Brdo sv. Mihovila (263 m) drugo je brdo po visini na otoku Ugljanu i predstavlja važnu vojno stratešku točku zadarskog arhipelaga od prapovijesti do danas. Naseljavanje brda sv. Mihovil datira u srednji
neolitik, a prva gradina na ovom mjestu podignuta je u željeznom dobu (4. Kr.). Dimenzije gradine (200 x 140
m) govore u prilog tome da je vrlo vjerojatno bila refugij. Osim vanjske linije suhozidnih bedema željeznodobne gradine, utvrđeno je postojanje još dvije unutrašnje linije kasnoantičkih rimskih (3.-4. st.) ili bizantskih (5.-7. st. ) bedema. U 6. na brdu je podignuta bizantska utvrda koja je bila dio fortifikacijskih građevina duž jadranske obale.
Krajem 10. na brdu je sagrađena crkva sv. Mihovila, a potom se krajem 11. gradi i istoimeni benediktinski samostan koji je djelovao do kraja 14. stoljeća. Nedugo nakon križarskog razaranja Zadra, 1203. godine, Mlečani na ovom mjestu grade tvrđavu sv. Mihovila kako bi kontrolirali Zadar, spriječili njegovu obnovu i zaštitili svoje brodove i trgovce. Zadrani izbjegli iz porušenog grada su tvrđavu sv. Mihovila osvojili, pri čemu je tvrđava znatno oštećena, a venecijanska posada zarobljena. Tvrđava se prvi put spominje kao castrum S. Michaelis de monte 1345. godine prilikom mletačke opsade Zadra. Premda je te godine nisu uspjeli osvojiti, 1346. godine, tvrđava pada u ruke Mlečana. Zadarskim mirom iz 1358. godine, tvrđava je ponovno u rukama Zadrana koji pokreću radove obnove tvrđave koja je značajno stradala u dvjema mletačkim opsadama. Nakon što su je Zadrani obnavljali više od četrdeset godina, tvrđava sv. Mihovila dočekala je prodaju Dalmacije i ponovnu mletačku vlast 1409. godine. Kako više nije postojala potreba za tako velikom tvrđavom naredna četiri stoljeća služi kao osmatračnica, te za paljenje signalnih vatri u slučaju opasnosti. U Drugom svjetskom ratu tvrđava doživljava znatnu štetu, crkva je porušena do temelja, zidine oštećene i dijelom srušene. Tvrđava je pretrpjela oštećenja i za vrijeme Domovinskog rata kao meta zbog radio-televizijske antene postavljene neposredno prije rata. Tvrđava sv. Mihovila od 1973. godine uvrštena je u Registar nepokretnih spomenika kulture, a od 2004. u Registar kulturnih dobara RH - Lista zaštićenih kulturnih dobara (Z-1564). The hill of St. Michael (263 m) is the second highest hill on the island of Ugljan. It has been an important military and strategic point of the Zadar archipelago from prehistory to the present days. The settling of St. Michael hill dates back to the
Middle Neolithic, while the first hill fort was built in the Iron Age (4th century BC). Its dimensions suggest it was most likely used as a refuge. In addition to the external drystone walls dating to the Iron Age, two inner lines of late Roman
(3rd or 4th century) or Byzantine (5th or 6th century) drystone walls were found. In the 6th century the Byzantines built a fortress on the hill, which was a part of the fortification chain along the Adriatic coast. At the end of the 10th century the church of St. Michael was built on the hill. Benedictine monastery bearing the same name was built at the end of the following century. The monastery was in function until the end of the 16th century. In 1203, shortly after the Crusaders had devastated Zadar, the Venetians built the fortress of St. Michael to control Zadar, prevent its reconstruction and protect their ships and merchants. Citizens fled the destroyed city and
seized the fortress. The fortress was damaged and the Venetian crew taken as prisoners. The first mention of the fortress as castrum S. Michaelis de monte dates back to 1345 and the Venetian siege of Zadar. Although their attempt to seize the fortress in 1345 failed, it was taken by the Venetians the year after. Signing the Zadar peace treaty in 1358, the fortress once again came under the control of Zadar. At that time the people of Zadar began to rebuild the fortress which was badly damaged during the two Venetian sieges. After reconstructing the fortress for forty years,
Dalmatia was sold to Venice in 1409 and St. Michael taken once more by the Venetians. As there was no longer any need for such a large fortress, for the next four centuries it served as a lookout and for lighting signal fires in case of
danger. During World War II the fortress was substantially
damaged. The church was demolished to the ground and the walls damaged and partly destroyed. The fortress was also damaged during the Croatian War of Independence, having been targeted on account of the radio-television
antenna mounted on the fortress just before the war. The fortress of St. Michael, with its centuries-old
history and significance, has been placed under the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Croatia.
