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The last season of systematic rescue archaeological excavations at Crkvari – St. Lawrence church in 2013
Tatjana Tkalčec
orcid.org/0000-0003-3963-7706
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This year's investigations marked the end of the excavation around the outer foundations of the present-day chapel and the entire surface was prepared for future drainage works.
The excavation of trench 1 corroborated the previous stratigraphy of grave burials at the site from the High Middle Ages (no early medieval burials were documented this year) to the Modern period, that is, the 18th century. A total of 44 burials were found, increasing the number of graves excavated by the Institute of Archaeology in the eleven research campaigns at the site to 599. The excavation of trench 2 defined the plan of the corner buttress of the three-aisled Gothic chapel.
The second objective of this year's research was to define the architecture in the southern part of the plateau of this position surrounded by a fortification ditch, that is, to determine the room annexed along the middle of the southern aisle of the three-aisled Gothic church. The outlines of the architecture were defined, but there were insufficient financial means to excavate the interior of the structure, which would have provided a stratigraphically clear definition of its function. The mentioned room – presumably a lateral chapel, whose interior measured 3.8 x 4.15 m, was certainly operative at the same time as the three-aisled Gothic church, namely during the time the Ilok dukes ruled the neighbouring Ružica Castle. As to whether it served as the burial place for any nobles, we cannot tell without first carrying out the excavation in the interior.
The architectural remains discovered in trench 1 also open certain questions regarding the appearance and function of the sacred structure in the shape of an elongated single-aisled hall-like Saalkirche that preceded the three-aisled Gothic building.
Keywords
archaeological excavations; Crkvari; St. Lawrence’s church; cemetery; sacred architecture; Romanesque period; Gothic period; Baroque; mediaeval earthen fortification; Early Middle Ages; Late Middle Ages; Modern period
Hrčak ID:
128693
URI
Publication date:
17.10.2014.
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