Review article
https://doi.org/10.31745/s.72.8
The Historical Context of Beram /Istria, Croatia/ (Middle Ages and Early Modern Period): Sources, Historiography, Interpretation
Tomislav Galović
orcid.org/0000-0001-8408-0615
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of History and Institute of Croatian History Zagreb, Croatia
Elvis Orbanić
; Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute for Historical and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Local unit in Pula, Pula, Croatia
Supplements: 008 Galovic-Orbanic - za web.pdf
Abstract
Beram is a settlement in central Istria (Croatia) that has existed since the early Middle Ages. Its predominantly Slavic-Croatian character has been verified very early in archival records and documents, as well as in its Glagolitic cultural features. Beram (Vermo in Italian, Verm in German) holds an important place in the study of Mediaeval Istria and Croatian Glagolitism. Though it is a rural area with some urban elements (it was one of the castles of Pazin County, and had e.g. 148 hearths in 1578, with the status of a minor city [Ger. Stätl]), this settlement boasts historical and artistic monuments and a Glagolitic heritage of exceptional importance. Primarily, these consist of Croatian Glagolitic manuscripts (the 15th-century First and Second Missal of Beram and the First and Second Beram Breviary, held at the National and University Library in Ljubljana, Slovenia); the present day parish church of St. Martin, originally from 1431; and the Gothic church of St. Mary on Škrilinah with frescoes painted in 1474 by master Vincent of Kastav (Lat. Vincentius de Castua). These frescoes are among the most valuable works of local Istrian Mediaeval art. In the early modern period (16th to 18th century), Beram was host to both dramatic wartime conflicts (1615-1618) and an attempt at spiritual regeneration by means of Catholic restoration. It is a place that was divided in terms of government during the period under study. While administratively belonging to the Habsburg Monarchy, spiritual authority was exercised by a Venetian subject holding the office of bishop of Poreč. This fact will represent an important obstacle in the spiritual development of both this and other micro-locations in Istria. The paper analyses the cultural, social, and religious circumstances of Beram throughout a period stretching from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. The paper is also based on the existing historiographic literature and an unpublished 17th-century record of pastoral visitations. Special emphasis is placed on the historical perspective of the study of Beram and its sacral and manuscript heritage from the Middle Ages to the early modern period; an interdisciplinary approach to future research and appreciation of this historical region is suggested. A review of published works related to the history of the Catholic Church in Istria is also provided, noting that an overview of the Istrian Church’s history in the 16th and 17th centuries has yet to be produced. Details are also provided concerning archival materials from the period found in depositories such as the Diocesan Archives in Poreč, the Diocesan Archives of Trieste, and the Vatican Apostolic Archive, as well as in local parish archives and registers, which were mainly written in Glagolitic. The authors will seek to guide scholars to this rich vein of sources as a basis for future research.
Keywords
Istria; Beram; Middle Ages; Early Modern Period; sources; historiography; interpretation
Hrčak ID:
269831
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2021.
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