Original scientific paper
EARLY MEDIAEVAL SCULPTURE FROM KAPITUL NEAR KNIN
Tonči Burić
; Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika HR -Split 21 000
Abstract
The investigations in Kapitul near Knin represent pioneering work of Croatian national archaeology. They were initiated by the building of the railway line from Siverić to Knin in 1886. A large, triple-naved basi1ica from the thirteenth century was excavated, in addition to the remains of the walls of the church, which was identified as the cathedTaI of the bishop of Knin, several fragments of romanesque architectural remai!lls were found. To this should be added about seventy fragments of pre-romanesque and early-romanesque sculpture which belonged to the older 'P·re-romanesque church of St. Bartolomej, the remains of which have not been found. According to historical sources, on this site was also an important Benedictine monastery. In the second half of the eleventh century the monks played an important role in the royal court. To this monastery belonged an older church. Evidence for a settlement of Roman weterans was also found. It had developed from a road station which belonged to the eleventh legion from Bumum founded in the first century.
This paper analyses, for the first time, pre-romanesque and early.q-omanesque architectural .remai!lls from Kapitul. A groUip dated to the middle of the ninth century can be identified on the basis of style and chronology. Beslt preserved are the altar elements Gpilasters, plutei of the antependii), parts of the plutei and pilasters of the altar screen, capitals and a fragment of an architrave. A second larger group includes fragments of various furnishings which can be dated to the middle of the tenth centu.ry on the basis of the well-known inscription of King Drži-slav on the plutei of the steps leading to the pulpit. Thus one century after the construction of the buildil!lg, a radical change in the furnishing takes place. To this phase belong the elements of the pulpit and ciborium, the remains of the aHar screen and individual decorative elements. Smaller fragments are difficult to idel11tify, whereas a fragment with a palmette I attI'ibute to a monastic seat which cannot be connected to either of the two groUips. lit is possible that it re presents an individual piece unconnected to major changes in the furnishings.
Several smaller, early-romanesque fragments point to another renewal of the inteI1ior, but their small number and great fragmentation do not allow a detailed reconstruction. All phases have their analogies in the architectural remains from the neighbourhood of CI1k.Vii.na-Bi'Skupija and K.n:in. The finds which are attdbuted to Knin are problematical because material from Kapitul was mixed with that from Knin in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Two fragments were even joined together although they were thought to have been from two different sites.
From the analysis above it can be concluded that on the Roman complex in Kapitul, in the middle of the ninth century a larger pre-romanesque basilica was built which was included in the royal monastery. Large changes were carried out in the basilica in the middle of the lOth and at the end of .the llth centuries. Ml the phases at Kapitu.l. can be closely connected to the various groups of finds at Crkvina, in ~he neaTby Biskupija, and the 10th and llth century phases have their parallels in the remains from Knin itself.
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Keywords
Hrčak ID:
95500
URI
Publication date:
9.10.1990.
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