krunici

Krunici is the plural form of the South Slavic noun krunica, commonly used in Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian and related languages to denote a rosary or chaplet. As a religious object, a krunica is a string of beads or knots used to count prayers, especially within Roman Catholic devotion for reciting sequences such as the Hail Marys and Our Fathers arranged in decades. Typical forms include five-decade rosaries, single-decade chaplets and various regional variants; materials range from wood and glass to metal and carved stone.

Beyond its liturgical function, the krunica carries cultural and social significance in Catholic communities across the Balkans. It is used in private devotion, communal prayer, processions and devotional rituals tied to lifecycle events. Rosaries may be blessed, worn as devotionals, or kept as heirlooms and are often associated with popular piety and local devotional practices.

The term krunica is etymologically related to words for a small crown or chaplet (cf. Latin corona) and appears alongside comparable terms in other Christian traditions, such as chaplets and prayer ropes. Krunici can also occur as a toponym or family name in the region, though such uses are secondary to the religious sense. Variations in form, use and devotional emphasis reflect local liturgical and cultural contexts.