Pregledni rad
SYMBOLISM ON SOME EARLY MEDIEVAL STONE MONUMENTS
Magda Zorić
; HR -22000 Šibenik, Državna uprava za zaštitu kulturne i prirOdne baštine
Sažetak
The theme resurrection as an essential element of Christian religion is widely represented on stone church furniture. It represents the most important interest of early Medieval man which he transported in symbolic and iconographic visual language by means of well established symbols whose roots can be followed in the cultural heritage of pre-Christian peoples. The ciborium from Biskupija near Knin (pl. 1) is decorated with leaves and bunches of grapes. Christ's words from the Gospel according to John: " I am vine and ye are the branches" symbolize Christ's identification with vines, and since Christ is also the Resurrection, the vine is the synonym of resurrection. Christ was inaugurated king at the moment of Resurrection. According to the apostle John, man must also be "rebom" in order to become a part of the kingdom of God. Christ's res urrection occurred three days after the saviour's sacrifice on the cross on which, according to John, Christ was raised from the ground so that the . act of raising the crucified Christ is the presage of Resurrection. The cross symbolizes Christ's sacrifice and in a larger sense, also the Christian religion. Jesus Christ is at the same time the sun and the tree. Since in the New Testament the tree of the cross is identified with the tree of life, both the cross and tree of life are equivalent symbols. The combination of the cross with birds, various plants, flowers, animals or other symbolic motifs in one picture is a frequent symbolical representation. The cross in combination with birds (pl. 2) and vines alludes to resurrection. The cross is the symbol of both Christ and resurrection, and birds represent souls which, also in the New Testament, have already been resurrected or are awaiting it. That is, the soul is only one principle craving to achieve oneness with another principle (body) which is fully possible only after resurrection. On two Zadar monuments (pl. 3, 4) there is a palmette, that is, a lily between two symmetrically rendered birds. When comparing it to other early Christian representations of two birds with a chalice it can be concluded that scenes with birds flanking a lily, palmette, bunch of grapes, chalice, cantharos, leaf, souls shown as birds drinking from the source of immortality, source of life, are related to Christ. The cross appears in combination with palmettes (pl. 5) and palmettes and laurel (pl. 9) which are symbols of immortality. On an early Christian pluteus in the village Gale near Sinj (pl. 10) the cross is in combination with concentric circles. According to Christian belief the cross is alpha and omega of everything, that is God himself. Although the Sinj pluteus is earlier than other monuments, it was mentioned because of its peculiar motif. Lions strangling lambs (sheep) are shown on the ciborium in St Thomas' Church in Zadar and on the Kotor ciborium (pl. 11). The lamb-Christ is attacked by the lion-Satan who only seems to be stronger in the fight to overtake the world. The crucial moment when Satan loses his power is Christ's death and resurrection. On the ciborium in Komolac (pl. 12) the representation is enriched with the figure of a man who fights with the lion and saves a lamb. Symbolically said, God fights with the devil to save a believer. It was with the Saviour's death and resurrection that Satan's power over man was abolished. The lion, however, has good connotations as well. According to the Bible (Rev. 5:5) Christ is a !ion from Juda's clan. In the Middle Ages it was a symbol of resurrection. The ambiguity of the lion as a symbol can be seen on the ciborium from Ulcinj. On this ciborium (on one side) two lions are shown on opposite sides. One is shown with a palmette, the tree of life, while the other one is catching a small animal. Apart from the mentioned scene with the lio n (one in each corner) catching a lamb (sheep) on the ciborium from St Thomas' Church in Zadar, the scene depicting two dogs stretching trying to reach the tree of life is also intreresting (pl. 15). The dog is psihopompos in all religions. The tree of life as the source of life is at the same time the source of immortality, and accordingly, Jesus Christ himself who makes resurrection possible. That is why dogs re ar trying to reach him.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
93880
URI
Datum izdavanja:
19.12.1995.
Posjeta: 4.498 *