Baljci

Serbian-Orthodox church and cemetery gates in Baljci

Baljci was founded at the end of the 15th century by vlachs coming from Eastern Herzegovina, who essentially belonged to the Mirilovići clan. These people, most of whom where of Serbian Orthodox faith, were settled there by the Turks after the previous population had almost entirely fled to the Republic of Venice and the Kingdom of Hungary. The name of the village itself was probably chosen in reference to Baljci in Herzegovina, from where some of the new settlers came from, as for the neighboring settlement of Mirilović, today known as Mirlović Polje. Over a few decades, Baljci was definitely established on the territory of a former medieval village known in historical sources as Suhovare. Under this former settlement name, Baljci was included in the Ottoman nahiye of Petrovo Polje, itself part of the Sanjak of Klis.

At the end of the 17h century, after the War of Candia, Baljci and the neighboring villages were annexed by the Republic of Venice. New settlers came to the village in the 18th century, which also saw the building of an Orthodox church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist in 1730.

The population of the municipality was 470 in 1991, with 453 (96.38%) declaring themselves Serbs. The village was part of the Drniš municipality before the Yugoslav Wars. As a Serbian village, it became part of the Republic of Serbian Krajinaa rebel Serb occupied territory of Croatia.It was integrated back into Croatia after the Homeland War

The village krsna slava (Serbian Orthodox patron saint veneration) was that of St. John the Baptist (Jovanjdan), on July 7. The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was built in 1730.