Lovro Šitović

Lovro Šitović was a Croatian Franciscan friar, grammarian, preacher, and Baroque writer whose works significantly influenced Croatian literature and education in the early 18th century. Born Hasan Šitović in Ljubuški, Ottoman Bosnia and Herzegovina, to a Muslim family, he was kidnapped as a child during the Morean War by Catholic hajduks from Venetian Dalmatia. This exposed him to Catholicism, and in 1699, he converted, taking the name Stipan upon his baptism. He joined the Franciscans in 1701, adopting the religious name Lovro, and began a career that blended scholarly pursuits with pastoral service.