Preliminary communication
Bela – a burg of the Knights Hospitaller at Ivanščica
Juraj Belaj
orcid.org/0000-0001-8953-3820
; Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper discusses the burg of Bela at Ivanščica, a former fortified centre of the preceptory and subsequently a kastelanat of the Knights Hospitaller. The site was surveyed, which served as the basis for a description of the material remains of the burg as well as its first detailed ground-plan. Considering that no archaeological excavations have been carried out so far, the information in the text is supplemented by a review and study of written documents, toponymy and traditions. The thesis about the existence of a defensive tower of a circular ground plan is refuted; its alleged ‘’remains’’ are attributed to a cistern, while the massive defensive tower of a rectangular ground plan is tentatively placed in the southern part of the courtyard. Based on the collected indicators the date put forward for the creation of this stone burg is the beginning of the 13th or the end of the 12th century.
Keywords
burg; knightly orders; Knights Hospitaller; Middle Ages; Pusta Bela; Ivanščica
Hrčak ID:
40290
URI
Publication date:
31.8.2009.
Visits: 3.829 *