The first historical mention of Pirovac was in 1298, under the name "Zlosela". At that time, the village belonged to noblemen from Bribir — the Šubiæ family, and later it became the property of the Šibenik Diocese and noblemen from Šibenik.

The settlement itself was founded in the 15th century by refugees who fled from the Turks. Nevertheless, this area was inhabited many centuries earlier, as shown by remnants of Roman settlements found on the islet of Sveti Stjepan (St. Stephen). Many other historical monuments tell us about the gradual settlement and development of this place.

The defence wall, erected around 1505 by Petar Draganiæ, has been partly preserved in the village. The 1506 parish church of St. George was restored in Baroque style in the 18th century. The graveyard chapel of the Draganiæ-Vranèiæ family features a Gothic sarcophagus with a relief made in 1447 by Andrija Budèiæ from Šibenik and Lorenzo Pincino from Venice, according to the sketches by Jurja Dalmatinca (George the Dalmatian). Roman artefacts have been found on the islet of Sveti Stjepan in front of the village; here also are the ruins of a Franciscan monastery (from 1511), which was abandoned in 1807.