Original scientific paper
The role of church furniture in the communication of identity in early medieval Croatia
Goran Bilogrivić
orcid.org/0000-0002-1108-4380
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of History
Abstract
The early medieval Croatian Duchy emerged and
developed in a close relation with the Frankish Empire,
and the new identity of the local elite in the Dalmatian
hinterland was also formed within this context.
In the earlier period, the key role in its communication
was played by luxury items of Carolingian origin deposited
in graves, but such practices generally ceased
by the middle third of the 9th century. This paper contains
a detailed discussion of what followed, primarily
the time and context of the formation and development
of the Croatian Duchy and ducal authority and
its succession. This period was rather turbulent, with
rulers often finding themselves in a precarious position
even within the confines of their own state. Under
such conditions, they often looked to the Church for support of their authority. Since the names of rulers
and other members of the elite, as well as ethnic
designations, are indeed carved into church furniture,
it may be asserted that one component of the communication
of their identity was in fact conveyed to
this medium. In this light, the construction of pre-Romanesque
churches will be analysed, particularly the
stone altar screens and their frequent alteration during
the 9th century.
Keywords
early medieval Croatia, Carolingians; identity; pre-Romanesque; pre-Romanesque architecture; church furniture
Hrčak ID:
217254
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2018.
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