Original scientific paper
TOPOGRAPHY OF MEDIAEVAL ROAD VIA MAGNA TENDENS PER LUCAM
Nikola Jakšić
; HR - ZADAR
Abstract
In the early Middle Ages a road called Via Magna; vulgo .cesta vocata, in documents, ran through Ravni Kotari. Its direction was approximatelly defined by the follOwing words de Nona . .. tendens per Lucam. The road went from Nin over Krneza and Radovin to Islam, and over Kašić. 'alld Smiljčić, Biljane Gornjej ·KorIa,t and Kula J\tla.gjćato. Benkovac. From Benkovac road led towards Knin. ~t was the main road in the early mediaeval Croatia wh~ch connected Ni~ with Knin... This paper is concerned with only ap.aTt of it in the Zadar hinterland (mediaeval Luka) about 20 chilometres long, from Islam Latinski to Benkovac, trying to trace its direction more precisely and to fix mediaeva1 remains, especially churches and other archaeological finds. The mentioned part of the road was in Turkish hands from 1570 till 1647, and in the 17th century it was the place of the ethnical migrations which consequently drastically changed mediaeval toponomastic picture which the paper tries to reconstruct.
Islam, a Turkish fortress built in the 16th century was first called Učitelj village. Učitelja Vas was first mentioned in 1272 as Chetiglavci, and in the 15th century as Uciteglianas. That was the place on which the house of the Nin Bishop domus episcopi Sansonis and 2 churches of Sv. Juraj (George) were situated as early as 13 century. The Romanesque one is still preserved while the pre-Romanesque one was pulled down. The very house of the Nin bishop was one the place of the present-day Stojana Jankovića dvor (manor-house).
Kašić is mediaeval toponym after Kašić's family which was mentioned in the pact between Colomanus (Hungarian king) and Croatian noble-families as early as 1102. A pre-Romansque church and early Croatian necropolis were found here.
Smiljčić is the 17th century toponym that covered 3 mediaeval villages. Cerinci bordering on Kašić was also situated on Via Magna. It was mentioned as early as the 13th century. The foundations of the excavated small church near the well Cerinac was identified as the church of Sv. Kuzma and Damjan (Cosmas and Darnianus) buHt in 1444. Pritičevci was also on the road on the territory of the present-day village Smiljčić and to the west of the road, Trnovo, around the ruin identified as Sv. Mihovil (Michael) mentioned in documents in the middle of the 14th century.
Biljane (Gornje), amediaeval toponyrn, is the village through which a big road was passing. To. the south and the west of the road there were Grbovčane and Buković villages in present-day Biljani Donji village. The village Draginići was situated by the church of Sv. Jure (George), and not far away Domakovci, whose toponyrn was preserved in a nearby velI. In the 14th century the border of the Zadar district was at Draginići, while Croato-Venetian one was at the same place but from 1409. Korlat or mediaeval Korlatovići (gens and village) with the Romanesque church of Sv. Jerolim (Jerome) mentioned in 1449. Korlatovići was mentioned as castrum in the 15th and 16th centuries but no traces were found. To the south-west of the road in the present-day Korlat the village Praskvić was situated with Sv. Marija (Mary) church, present-day Sv. Marija Runjavica, mentioned in 1449.
Kula Atlagića toponym covers the mediaeval villages Tihiići with a small Gothic church of Sv. Nikola (Nicholas) from 1446 and Bojišta with the early Romanesque church of Sv. Petar (Peter) which was mentioned as property of templars from Vrana as early as 1195.
Benkovac is the mediaeval fortress first mentioned under that name in the 15th century.
The names of saints after which mediaeval churches were named were great help in our search for the disappeared mediaeval villages as veIl as some wells which in many cases bear old names as those of Mirač, Cerinac, Bukovići, Trnovo and Domakovci.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
97314
URI
Publication date:
14.2.1985.
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