Prispevek k opredelitvi in dataciji prostorskega križa na Gradišču pri Krkavčah v istrski Sloveniji

327 The author analyses the recent attempt to date the spatial cross in Gradišče near Krkavče in Istrian Slovenia made by J. Puhar and A. Pleterski. Their attempt relies on analogies, primarily that from Prague, assuming the existence of Sv. Križ (Holy Cross) Church near Gradišče and the erroneous attribution of the patron of Sv. Štefan (St. Stephen) Church near Gradišče. In conclusion, the author touches upon the discovery of the milestone of Emperor Titus near Krkavče and the association of the relief in Gradišče to the god Mitra by prof. F. Zerri.

The author analyses the recent attempt to date the spatial cross in Gradišče near Krkavče in Istrian Slovenia made by J. Puhar and A. Pleterski.Their attempt relies on analogies, primarily that from Prague, assuming the existence of Sv.Križ (Holy Cross) Church near Gradišče and the erroneous attribution of the patron of Sv.Štefan (St.Stephen) Church near Gradišče.In conclusion, the author touches upon the discovery of the milestone of Emperor Titus near Krkavče and the association of the relief in Gradišče to the god Mitra by prof.F. Zerri.

Matej Župančič
The attempt at spatial interpretation of the area near Krkavče as presented by Jana Puhar and Andrej Pleterski is based on the spatial distribution of four surrounding churches from the central reference point, which may not necessarily yield an accurate result.A separate fact that calls for a re-consideration of their interpretation is the indicated chronological stratigraphy.
Their conclusions as well as their methodological approach to the data collected through fieldwork and a study of literature are summarized in the following points.
1.The central point of spatial connotations of the examined area is Gradišče, near Hrib; i.e., the location of a two-sided relief -the 'Kamen' (Stone) -on the outskirts of Gradišče.2. Bell tolls from three churches located in the surrounding area can be heard at this location.3. The location where the relief was erected had a role in the rituals of the procession.The 'Kamen' relief has (or was supposed to have had in the past) healing powers and stimulates fertility.The western relief displays a phallus and a vulva.
4. The proximate area radiating from Gradišče and the 'Kamen' is considered to either represent the victory of good over evil, or vice versa, or a combination of both principles. 5. Combined with some sacral buildings, the lines linking the churches with the 'Kamen' intersect at its location at right angles.6.If the length of these lines is delimited with the closest churches, a Latin cross appears on the map, turned by half a right angle from the north-south direction.7. The two authors observed an almost identical situation regarding the orientation of the cross in Prague, and partly in other locations as well.8.The origin of the Krkavče cross is dated according to archeological remains of Sv.Štefan Church and analogies to the 12 th century -therefore, the relief 'Kamen' is supposed to have been standing approximately in the current location, only earlier.The present text exclusively focuses on the dating of the origin of the cross suggested by the two authors.After realizing that the available data on the 'Kamen' and the spatial cross are insufficient to provide a clear explanation for the role of the 'Kamen' (the victory of good over evil, or vice versa, or combination of both), the authors assumed that the construction of the surrounding churches in a cross-like shape and the bell tolls represented an attempt made by the local population at a defined moment to reduce the unwanted powers of Gradišče and the 'Kamen'.This moment is dated to the 12 th century, yet the hypothesis regarding who might have ordered the construction remains highly tentative.In their opinion, he could not have been anybody of lower status than the Bishop of Koper and they suggest it might have been the Patriarch of Aquileia himself.The statement that the disturbing 'Kamen' had been standing there even before the construction of the spatial cross in Gradišče is not questioned.
The dating that the two authors propose for the origin of the spatial cross relies on analogies, a supplementary denomination of Sv.Štefan Church mentioned earlier, as well as its orientation and name.
Convincing analogies to the spatial cross were found as early as the 7 th century in the Bajuvarian burial sites Altenerding and Lauterhofen (Pleterski 2003, Fig. 286;Pleterski, Belak 2004, Fig. 4), and written sources from the 11 th and 12 th centuries (Puhar, Pleterski 2005, 67) for groups of churches, especially in towns.As the authors assert these groups of churches are not positioned in entirely accurate geometrical relations, though a particularly convincing example presented is that from Prague where the linking lines intersect at nearly exact right angles.The intersecting point is the location of Holy Cross Church.The orientation and relations between the arms of the cross are identical to those found in the spatial cross of Krkavče.Analyzing the latter, the two authors highlight the role of the missing Sv.Štefan Church located along the way from Krkavče to Puče (Naldini 1700, 420).In 1579, Cardinal A. Valier somewhat uncertainly mentioned the churches of Sv.Štefan as well as Sv.Maver and Štefan (St.Maurus and St. Stephen) among the churches near Krkavče. 6An excellent Austrian military map from 18047 (Rajšp, Trpin 1997) de-picts a church in this area called S. Croce (Holy Cross) and not Sv.Štefan, which provides an exception that is more than welcome to justify the analogy to the Prague cross.In the discussion the authors emphasize that the origins of Sv.Štefan Church can be dated to before the erection of the spatial cross and the supplementary denomination of Holy Cross.However, had it been constructed according to the same program as the spatial cross, it would have been located precisely in Gradišče while its main patron would not be St.Stephen.
The authors also believe that the role of the spatial cross near Krkavče was to silence the 'unwanted' powers of Gradišče or the 'Kamen', and thus was structured such that they lay in the centre.But when did that happen?
The remains of Sv.Štefan Church south from today's cemetery have been partly excavated8 by V. Šribar, who also reliably dated them to the 14 th century (Šribar 1956, 67; 1957ab; 1967), while Puhar's and Pleterski's dating includes an additional element -the dating according to the spatial orientation of the walls at an azimuth of 55 o , which is supposed to indicate the direction of the rising or setting Christmas sun, coinciding as well to the day of St. Stephen -26 th December - (Puhar, Pleterski 2005, 68). 9 The practice of the orientation of churches toward the geographical east is supposed to have begun in the 12 th century, while orientation by date had been used earlier.According to the two authors, as early as approximately between 1125 and the beginning of the 13 th century the churches were oriented toward the east while deviations from this rule could be observed again more frequently in later periods.Dating the church, the authors opt for the earlier alternative -that construction of Sv.Štefan Church, oriented according to the Christmas sun, began before the 12 th century.Only later, with the construction of the spatial cross with the four churches, or even later, was it given the additional name of Holy Cross.Therefore, the 'Kamen' would have been located in the Gradišče area even earlier, before the 12 th century.
Their discussion displays several weaknesses.The connotation related to the Holy Cross is late and despite the authenticity of the map somehow unlikely.In addition, the orientation by the day of the patron and consequent dating before the 12 th century do not seem to be credible.The patron of the church is actually a different St. Stephen -the martyr and Pope -whose day is not immediately after Christmas, rather on 2 nd August.Bishop P. Naldini lists the churches in the surrounding of Krkavče in the description of (his) Diocese of Koper (Naldini 1700, 419-420): "...Le prime sono di Santo Steffano Protomartire alle sponde della Dragogna, di S. Mauro Abbate sùl Colle à fronte del Castello, e di S.Steffano Papa, e Martire sù la strada di Puzzole."In my opinion, given the reliability of this source, the attribution of the patron and the dating suggested by the two authors should be dismissed.As a consequence, the construction of the spatial cross remains largely undated (at least by means of architecture or the orientation of the church of St. Stephen's, martyr and Pope).The church of the other Stephen, the first martyr, is located at the end of the southwestern prolongation of the spatial cross along the Dragonja River.Given the vagueness of the dating, the assumption that the 'Kamen' with its controversial powers had been standing in Gradišče even before the construction of the spatial cross becomes even more unreliable.Furthermore, the use of healing bell tolls before the 13 th century is highly unlikely; they probably were tuned into a trio at a later time.
Irrespective of the dating 'after the construction of Sv.Štefan', the authors attribute the construction of the cross to 12 th century Koper bishops and hence date it to the time of the construction of the Prague structure.However, the Trieste-Koper and/or Koper bishops of the 12 th century (Mihelič 2005, 36: Dietmarus, Artuichus, Warnardus, Odorlicus, filius Stephani de Duino, Aldigerius, Aldericus...) were -at least up to the mid-12 th century -occupied with the construction of the Koper cathedral.Intense consecration and construction activities in the countryside were only performed by Bishop Absalon at the beginning of the 13 th century, when two churches in the proximity -Sv.Jurij (St.George) in Pomjan and Sv.Marija (St.Mary) in Šmarje, only an hour away by walk -were consecrated.This, however, leads us astray from our purpose.
In conclusion, I would like to add two comments: one refers to the discovery of the milestone of Emperor Titus near Krkavče10 that also draws the route of the Roman road past Gradišče.The road not only determined the spatial values of the area for many centuries (Župančič 2005) but also significantly contributed to the formation of the Šavrini dialect of the Slovene language (Crevatin 2005, 8).And finally, the insight: "Dio Mithra!" reached by the late prof.Federico Zerri after he had laid his eyes on both reliefs on the 'Kamen', in particular the east one, during his visit to Istria, provides new challenges for interpretation.Unfortunately, his premature death made publication of his thoughts and conjectures impossible.