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OPUS COLUMNARUM OF THE ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL IN KRK
Stanko Lulić
; HR, Zagreb, Otavička 13
Sažetak
The St. Mary's Cathedral in Krk is a three vessel cathedra], serving this function since early Christianity. The researches led by A. Mohorovičić revealed the main, horse-shoe shaped apse and the first intercolumniation at the eastern side, presently walled in. Excavations established that the cathedral in the earlier periods way a three-apse basilica with colonnade consisting often intercolumniations, the column bases laid on a joint colonnade basement strip. The Cathedral's early-Christian floor is 80 cm below the present presbytery floor. Excavation pits made by the second and the third columns revealed joint basement strip and position of columns in the early-Christian epoque. The Cathedral elevation consisted of ten intercolumnia/ions. The first eastern intercolumniation has been walled in. A 1731 Cathedral drawing, found by l. Žic-Rakov, presents this intercolumniation open till as late as the mid lSth century. A. Mohorovičić deems the excavated apse and the walle-in intercolumniation to belong to the early-Christian phase of the Cathedral. Having reviewed the research materials and the photographic documentation, l deem the apse and the walled-in arch to belong to the Romanesque reconstruction o fthe Cathedral. The key elements by which I relate the apse and the arch to the Romanesque period are the building technique and the shape ofdressed stones in the apse, almost identical to those in the apse of the church of St. Quirinus, connected to the Cathedral. According to M. lurković, remains of the apse could belong to the Rom.anesque period, because the moulding ofthe main apse shoulders overlap the lateral apses mouldings made during the Rom.anesque reconstruction ofthe Cathedral. The similarity is most evident in the lower part of the central apse of St. Quirinus, at its point of connection with the triumphant arch. The arguments presented by M. lurković and similarities between building techniques of central apses of the Cathedral and the St. Quirinus' indicate that the excavated Cathedral apse probably makes part of the Romanesque reconstruction. During the Romanesque period, comprehensive works were performed in the Cathedral, as documented by a stone inscription. Among more significant discoveries made during A. Mohorovičić's researches is the first capital ofthe northern colonnade of the Cathedral. Three of its sides are visible today. The capital begins in its lower, narrower, zone with a protruding ring above which, along all three sides, there is, most probably, the stylised motifofacanthus leaves. There are three leaves visible, gradually narrowing and bending outwards at the end. In the central zone o fthe capital there are two birds, turned back to back, touch ing with their beaks the fishes situated in the upper corners of the capital. Between the birds, in stead of cartouches there is a rosette (flower J. At one side there is visible an unidentified motif, connected with the rosette and reaching down to the lower zone of the capital. The capital ends with a powerful rectangular abacus with protruding middle part, at the visible sides, below which there is the capital rosette. The composition of fishes and birds undoubtedly belongs to the early-Christian period, as agreed with by A. Mohorovičić as well. Still, the early-Christian composition does not make the key element in dating the capital. The first element distancing it from the early-Christian dating is the "dept" of cutting of the birds and the rosettes, not a typical early-Christian one. Besides the depth of cutting, the very bird is depicted quite "unskilfully", again not typical for the early Christianity. The "unskiiful" quality relates to the way of depicting of the bird wings. The birds are depieted in their profiles, and what distances this treatment from the early Christianity is the image of the second wing, "illogically" turned towards the viewer. Namely, it is made much shal/ower and is situated behind the bird's neck, in a way typical for the pre-Romanesque and Romanesque periods, not for the early Christianity, where fore the capital probably belongs to the Cathedra!'s 12th century Romanesque reconstruction. Of the Romanesque reconstruction there also survived several capitals, by their treatment belonging to the said period. Most of them are Corinthian acanthus two-zone capitals, presented flatly and drilled. The capital lower zone is some what wider than the upper one, ending with powerful bending of the acanthus leaves, which eJJect is achieved by much deeper treatment than the rest ofthe acanthus. ln the lower zone there are nine such deeply cut /eaves, enclosing the lower part ofthe capital. The upper zone is ofsomewhat smalier radius and made in the same manner as the lower one. The leaf ends end with smali, barely noted volures. Unlike the lower (One, in the upper ZOlle there are eight plasticaliy desiglled leaves. The Ilillth capital ofthe northern side is a typical Acanthus Spinosa capital. This is a single zone capital, callsisting ofpowerful acanthus leaves. ln the upper zone the leaves suddenly bend outwards. Above the bent part there are powerful abacus volutes. The acal1lhus leaves are mutually connected, forming triangular and square motives in the central parts of the capital. Similar by composition is also the eight capital of the southern colonnade. This one, too, consists of acanthus leaves power fully bending at the end, however, unlike the northern ninth capital, there are no volutes here. M. Jurković dates this capital to the early-Romanesque period, but it is more likely to belong to a more recent reconstruction made by copying the ninth capital of the northern colonnade, which is an early Christian one. The northern eight capital is unique relative to other capitals for its figural images, and can be divided into three zones. In the first zone, the capital begins with a garland in which there is a continuous double tendril ending with a trefoil. Above the tendril zone there is a zone containing eight smooth leaves ofequal size, mildly bending outwards in their upper parts. Surrounded by the leaves is a stylised !ion biting his tail. This motifis present with six leaves, whereas two leaves are added the motifofbirds "prickling" the lion. The third, uppermasi, zone also consists of eight smooth leaves. Leaves in corners are larger than those in the middle. In the larger, corner, leaves there are a gryphon and a !ion with human head (manticore) and a bird on the !ion sbody touching the lion 's head with its beak. In the smaller leaves, in the central part of the capital there are birds touching the central motif with their beaks, probably a stylised cantharos.lt is hard to say which bird species this is, same as the birds on the first northern capital. Regardless ofthe much smaller dimensions of birds on this capital than those on the first northern capital, there can be noticed similarity in treat ing the wings and the tail, especially the very much bent and marked beak. Simi/arity in treatment of the described capitalS places them both in the Romanesque period, probably made by the same craftsman or the same workshop. The uppermost zone ofthe capital ends with volutes made oftriple bands. By its treatment and motives, the capital undoubtedly belongs to the 11th or the J2th century Romanesque period. Columns in the Cathedral colonnade have suJJered numerous changes since the early-Christian times, too. The colonnade consists ofmonolith columns made ofmarble, local grey stone and local white stone. Most ofthe columns have been cut or shortened in changing the arcade height. The height ofthe fourth southern column, shortening ofother marble and some sIOne columns, as well as their present-day position, indicate that the earLy-Christian colonnade was higher than the present-day one. Ifthe columns have been shortened, than the present-day arcades are lower than the earLy-Christian anes. Lowering ofthe arcades and shortening of the columns caused no modification of the arch span. Confirmation of unchanged arch dimensions is provided by excavation pits below the second and the third columns ofthe southern colonnade, that have revealed a common basement strip from the early-Christian period. On the strip there are columns found by the researches not to have been moved since initially placed there. A major reconstruction ofthe colonnades took place in the Romanesque period. The colonnade height was lowered, a larger part of the marble columns were removed or shortened, and new, Romanesque, capitals were placed. At the eastern side, a three-apsidal system with semicircular lateral apses and the horse-shoe shaped central one was built. In the subsequent centuries, the Cathedral presbyter area and floor were raised. The central apse was widened eastward, and the lateral apses were rebuilt. At the northern and the southern sides, chapels were added and the cololInade QJ'ches were rebuilt. The Cathedra!'s present-day appearance results mostly from the reconstructions perfonned between the l5th and the 18th centuries. Translated by: D. Kečkemet
Ključne riječi
colonnade; capital; column; early Christianity; Romanesque; St. Mary 's Cathedral in Krk
Hrčak ID:
81845
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.12.2005.
Posjeta: 1.803 *