Original scientific paper
PALEO-CROATIAN CHURCH ON THE SITE »MASTIRINE« IN KASIĆ NEAR ZADAR
Vedrana Delonga
; Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika HR -Split 21 000
Abstract
During the period from 1955 to 1957 archaeoIog.icaI
on the site of Mastirine in the village of Kašić by Zadar. On the foundations of
a Roman structure the remains of an early mediaeval six-apsed church, a complex
of late mediaeval structures and amediaeval cemetery were bund. The results
of the investigations of the old Croatian cemeteries have been published.
This paper deaIs with the architectural remains and especially with the pre-roma
nesque furniture found in the Six-apsed Old Croatian church.
The site of Mastirine is situated in a striking position in the otherwise tame
Kašić topography. The location has had a sacral and sepulchral role since prehistary.
The archaeological excavations reveaJ.ed several temporal and cultural pha·
ses:
a) Roman architecture with and early Christian phase;
b) pre-romanesque six-apsed church and an early mediaeval cemetery (9th12th
century) which extends round the church and to the east side of the site;
c) an extension of a smaller rectangular vestibule at the errtrace to the six
·apsed church with the bell-tower;
d) the building of a late mediaeval complex which represented a smaller mo·
nastic structure;
e) adaptations of more recent times within the late mediaeval architecture
and in the pre-romanesque church.
To the Roman period dates a pagan sacral structure (janum) whioh belonged
to the neall"by villa rustica. In the fifth century part of the pagan sanctuary be·
came an early Christian oratory. In the early mediaeval .period on the same site
was built a church with six apses whose function was to be a .private feudal oratary
or a votive church. Gradually during the middle ages the church became public,
congregational and later also a cemetery church for the adjoining cemetery.
The altar screen whose .fragments have been found bears pre-romanesque cha!
acteristios which suggests it to be contemporary with the six-apsed church. Stylis
tic analysis shows that it was made in a local workshop which belonged to a
school of workshops whose origin was Zadar.
The septum from Kašić differs from the others found in six-apsed churches
HI that it has a triangular gable over the central passage into the presbytery,
whereas the others have an arch. Apart from that, six-leaved churches are usually
connected with Saint Mihovil which seems not to be true for Kašić where the
architraves and the gables lack evidence for a patron saint.
In the mediaeval period a rectangular vestibule and a romanesque bell tower
were added to the front. A smaller rural monastic complex was later built beside
the church with a series of dwellings to serve as amonastic hospice. In more
modem times the area of the monastery was secularised and was used mostly
by the military in the long term wars between Venice and the Turks. During the
war of 1645 to 1669 the buildings were demolished and the locals massively deserted
the area of the Zadar hinterland. With the coming of the new population
in the second half of the seventeenth century Kašić remains a rare example of
the preservation of amediaeval toponym while numerous other site names are
submerged under the new demographic wave.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
95501
URI
Publication date:
9.10.1990.
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