Original scientific paper

THE FONT OF THE BAPTISTEHY IN ZADAR

Pavuša Vežić ; Zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture Zadar

Abstract

The author publishes the architectural sketches of the early Christian baptistery in Zadar on the basis of research and the remains. and the original sketches of the baptistery dating from 1916. Furthermore, he considered the early Christian and Romanesque font. The latest research has determined that the basin has two long and two short extensions. The steps were probably in the long one, which was destroyed with the construction of the foundations of the Romanesque font. According to typological characteristics, the early Christian extension may be said to date from the 5th century, which is when the baptistery was done. The structure of the Romanesque font was placed on the above mentioned foundations reaching to the bottom of the early Christian baptistery, its height reaching beyond the floor level by the height of the round stylobate. The font consists of two octagonal rings. While the inner one functions as holy water stone basin, the outer one is its decorative screen, made as enclosure. Between these two rings there used to be a four-leaf "shell", that is, a small font basin made for individual baptisms. The font was damaged in World War Il, and the elements of the outer ring were put togather only in 1974 for the Permanent exibition of church art in Zadar. Elements of the inner ring were deposited as archaeological material, while the damaged font foundation, its stylobate and the baptistery floor, remained in situ. The entire font was reconstructed in 1991. A scheme, according to which it was possible to restore the entire baptistery was carved in the foundation. Iron spikes and cooper hooks, stopped by molten lead, were important parts of the structure. Another important technical solution in putting up the structure were concealed joints made of waterproof mortar, which was also used to make the bottom of the stone basin. In the restored interior of the nave stands the Romanesque font, erected in a splendid symbiosis of architectural form and liturgical act, which was established as early as in the 5th century, when the baptistery with the crossshaped basin, buried in the floor, was built, and then in the 12th century, when, at the site of the early Christian basin, a new one, in the shape of an octagonal wreath raised on the stylobate of circular steps, was constructed.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

144072

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/144072

Publication date:

15.12.1993.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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