Preliminary communication

Island of Majsan : Overview of historical events with a new hypothesis on the disappearance of the saintly relics

Ivan Pamić orcid.org/0000-0003-0639-9502

Abstract

This article presents a chronological overview of the historical events on the island of Majsan that led to the transformation of the original villa rustica into a complex architectural structure, one of the oldest monastic buildings in the region. The centre of this architectural structure was the memoria, a dedicated place where, from the end of the 4th century, the relics of a saint were kept. Most likely, these were the relics of Saint Maximus, after whom the island was named. Research conducted in the 1960s concluded that the central grave in the memoria was intentionally emptied, and that the saint’s relics were taken to a safer location. It was assumed that this occurred at the beginning of the 7th century, during the time when, due to the threat of barbarians, saintly relics from Salona and other centres were taken to safer places like Split and Rome. If this is true, the question arises as to why Majsan remained a sacred place even in later periods where people were buried, a dome was built over the memoria, and ultimately a new church of Saint Maximus was constructed. This article presents the hypothesis that the saint’s relics remained on the island until the 11th century, when Doge Peter II Orseolo took them with him to Venice. Such “sacred thefts” were common in the Middle Ages, and the seizure of saintly relics by the Doge could have been a confirmation of his absolute power in the region, as well as an expression of dominance over the conquered population.

Keywords

Majsan; monastery; memoria; saintly relics; Doge Peter II Orseolo; Korčula

Hrčak ID:

328174

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/328174

Publication date:

30.12.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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