Original scientific paper
Th e 1939 Split Statute of the Holy Sacrament Brotherhood and Aff iliated Brotherhoods of the Holy Spirit and the Bless ed Virgin Mary of Dobrić
Nataša Bajić-Žarko
; State Archive Split
Abstract
Brotherhoods are the organisations founded for the purpose
of mutual support and came into existence on the eastern
Adriatic coast in the 12th century, simultaneously with those in
Italy. Brotherhoods can be divided into religioprofessional and
confessional ones being mainly set up under the aegis of particular
church or monastery and having fundamentally a religiocharitable
character. They ware both named after their patron saints.
The Split brotherhoods appeared during the communal ascent
period in the advanced Middle Ages. Since then and up to the end
of the 18th century there had been 65 brotherhoods having had
an important role in the social and cultural life of the city. Their
seats were mainly within their eponymous churches, or sometimes
in more than one though. Brethren were usually plebeians, from
Split mainly, but also from othere places, even foreigners. In
some brotherhoods there were noblemen as well. The number
of administration members varied from one brothrhood to
another. They usually were district perfect, i.e. president, judges,
procurators, and gastaldi. Each brotherhood had its insignia, and
most of the brotherhoods wore in procession monastic habits of
different colour. Property title provided brotherhoods with legal
and economic independence within the communal system. The
property scale of brotherhoods varied singificantly: from church
construction, altar acquisition, works of art, church income to
vestments etc.
GRAĐA I PRILOZI ZA POVIJEST DALMACIJE br. 21
30
On the eve of the dissolution of brotherhoods in 1808, the
wealthier brotherhood was that of the Most Holy Sacrament and
Holy Spirit.
The Venetian authorities had not impinged so much upon
brotherhood activities althouth they would abolish them had
they found it necessary to do so. The Austrian administration
continued with the reforms initiated by the Venetians in relation to
brotherhoods, so they dissolved many monasteries, some religious
oreders, holidays, processions as well as some brotherhoods. The
French authrorities were still more radical uopn their arrival in
Dalmatia in 1806 for they considered that brotherhoods’ revenues
might be put to better purpose. So the French put an end to all the
lay brotherhoods in 1808 except for the Most Holy Sacrament and
the Good Death. At the beginning of the 18th century there were
still 34 brotherhoods functioning in Split. Following the second
Austrian rule in 1813, the reforms started over and the abolished
brotherhoods were not renewed. Some brotherhoods such as those
of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Vergin Mary managed to avoid
being abolished because their churches proclaimed themselves as
subsidiaries in the Grad parish thus continuing their activity under
the umbrella brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament to the cathedral
of Split. Preserved from that time of their common activity is the
1839 Statute unpublished so far and kept in the Archbishop’s
archives of Split.
According to that Statute all the three brotherhoods had
particular and common rules and laws layed down by the Council
of the principle church. The Statute provided a revealing insight
into their common operation and specific rules relating to the local
customs or occupational rquirements
Keywords
Austrian church reform; 19th century; brotherhoods; statute; brorherhoods of holy sacrament; holy spirit: virgin Mary of Dobrić; Split
Hrčak ID:
39261
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2008.
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