Due to the importance of the Pašman Channel as a protected waterway, the eastern side of the island was densely populated in antiquity.

Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus probably mentions Pašman in the middle of the 10th century, and his records show that the island was uninhabited at the time.

With the transfer of the command (church property given to the administration and lease) in 1434, and the loss of land ownership due to the Ottoman conquests, the monastery gradually weakened.

During the French rule in Dalmatia, the abbey was abolished (1808), but the religious community was rebuilt in 1956, so that it is, to this day, the only male Benedictine monastery in Croatia.

Numerous Glagolitic manuscripts were created in the monastery, of which the Rule of St. Benedict, whose translation from Latin into Old Slavonic was made as early as the 11th century.

It is connected to the island of Ugljan by the Ždrelac Bridge, and is separated from the mainland by the Pašman Channel, which in some places is only 2 km wide.

On the east side of the island you can swim among natural rocks with long stone plateaus and crystal clear sea.

Pašman is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and pine forests on the north side of the island facing the mainland.

The south side of the island abounds in untouched nature, numerous bays, blue sea, old fishermen's houses and all with a view of the Kornati National Park.

A rich tourist offering has been developed: rooms of several categories, apartments, holiday homes, boarding houses, car camps, taverns and restaurants serving numerous types of local fresh seafood.