Heritage Preservation of Medieval Dubovac Through the Worship of Our Lady of Dubovac

Review article

Abstract

Historiographic analysis of the paper presents the historical continuity of the Dubovac settlement with an emphasis on the worship of Our Lady of Dubovac and her importance and rootedness in the consciousness of the inhabitants of Bili Brig and the surrounding region as religious and patrimonial heritage. The first mention of the Dubovac village, in the Brod-Posavina County, appears in the middle of the 13th century as a wealthy estate, and since then, it has been mentioned in various royal charters and owned by various noble families. The written mention of the village disappeared in the 18th century, but it is considered directly connected with the newly formed nearby settlement of Bili Brig. Particularly important, along with Dubovac, is the medieval church of the Blessed Virgin Mary on today’s Gospino polje (Our Lady’s field), which was for a time the parish centre but was demolished in the early 19th century. Nevertheless, Gospino polje (Our Lady’s field) has remained a pilgrimage destination for many local inhabitants of the surrounding area to this day. This is strongly contributed by the worship of Mary’s statue, to which several legends of its miraculousness and mysterious relocations are attached.