Blinja

Blinja is a village in central Croatia, in the Town of Petrinja, Sisak-Moslavina County. It is connected by the D30 highway.
History.
Petar Keglević obtained the Medieval Fortification in Blinja in XVI century. In 1559 Ivan Lenković proposed destruction of the fortress so that it does not fall into the Ottoman hands. In a report written by the commissioner of the Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand I, fortress is described as the last one before the Ottoman controlled lands, and that its walls are damaged and surrounded by water. During the wider Siege of Gvozdansko offensive in 1578 the fortress was sieged, damaged but was not conquered by the Ottomans. The fortress remained unconquered all until the Ottoman retreat after the end of the Great Turkish War and signature of the Treaty of Karlowitz. Since that time fortification was not used and it deteriorated over the years. The modern day ruins of the fortification are located in the forest covered hill south-east of the village.
Demographics.
According to the 2011 census, the village of Blinja had 78 inhabitants. This represents 37.14% of its pre-war population according to the 1991 census.
Religion.
Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah.
Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah in Blinja was constructed in 1809 on the site of earlier wooden church from 1780. The local Orthodox parish was established in 1777 while its public records books are kept already from 1770. The architectural stile selected for the new church was a combination of neoclassicism and baroque. The permission for the construction of the church was issued by the Zagreb General Command of the Military Frontier and it is therefore believed that the project itself was designed by some of Zagreb's architects.