Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.50.97.7
Christianity and Ecclesiastical Organization in Medieval Vinodol until the End of the 13th Century
Antonija Mažuranić
; Ivana Mažuranić Primary School, Novi Vinodolski, Croatia
Gordan Ravančić
; Croatian Institute of History, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The early development of Christianity and church organization in Vinodol up to the 13th century is characterized by scarce and often contradictory sources, which makes the reconstruction of its earliest phases exceptionally complex. The Baška Tablet (c. 1100) already raises a fundamental question regarding the political and ecclesiastical framework of this area, suggesting a broader territorial entity of the Krajina and prompting debates on whether Vinodol was integrated with Krk at the time or constituted a separate county (županija). Insights into the church organization are further obscured by discrepancies in the transcriptions of the Acts of the Synod of Split from 1185, which place Vinodol alternately under the Diocese of Senj or the Diocese of Krbava. Meanwhile, King Stephen’s 1163 decision to provisionally return the Vinodol parishes under the Split metropolia bears witness to the fluid administrative relations of the second half of the 12th century. In support of the hypothesis of a distinct ecclesiastical unit stands the Vinodol Statute of 1288, which confirms the existence of the Archpresbyterate of Vinodol centered in Bribir. The wide range of clerical offices—from pop (priest) and plovan (parish priest) to prvad (presbyter) and arhiprvad (archpresbyter)—alongside peculiar vernacular terms such as the Croatian malik and Vlach macarol, points to a cultural and liturgical diversity that remains insufficiently explored within cultural history. Concurrently, the inauthenticity of the 1193 charter precludes a definitive conclusion regarding the relationship between Vinodol and the County of Modruš, although the sheer distance of the episcopal see of Krbava somewhat accounts for the weaker episcopal presence recorded in the same statute. The reconstruction of the earliest periods is further hindered by a lack of archaeological evidence, given that excavations to date have yielded neither pre-Romanesque churches nor interlace (pleter) ornamentation; the only reliable trace of early sacral architecture is found alongside the small church of St. Marina on the islet of Čaplen. Nonetheless, the continuity of Christian influence can be discerned in the remnants of the cult of St. Martin and Frankish missionary ties, while local toponomastics—such as Cape Veles—points to a complex dynamic in the interplay between Christian and pre-Christian traditions. Of particular significance is the Glagolitic tradition, validated by the papal permission of 1248, which testifies to the vitality of the Slavic liturgy in the Diocese of Senj and Vinodol, rendering this area one of the most intriguing cultural-ecclesiastical landscapes of Western Christianity. All of the aforementioned demonstrates that by the end of the 13th century, Vinodol had shaped an ecclesiastical-administrative structure that was distinctive in many respects, determined by metropolitan relations, the influence of surrounding dioceses, the local Glagolitic tradition, and the powerful position of feudal lords. At the same time, it opens a series of research questions – ranging from the reconstruction of diocesan boundaries and the development of the parochial network to the interlacing of liturgical and cultural layers-making Vinodol an exceptionally fertile ground for further interdisciplinary research.
Keywords
Vinodol; Middle Ages; ecclesiastical jurisdiction; archpresbyterate; Christianization
Hrčak ID:
350297
URI
Publication date:
23.8.2026.
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