The Benedictines and Pre-Romanesque Sculpture in Northern and Central Dalmatia

Abstract

The paper explores the role of the Benedictine order as a key factor in the emergence and dissemination of pre- Romanesque sculpture in the Eastern Adriatic. Emphasis is placed on the Benedictines of Zadar as commissioners of some of the most notable pre-Romanesque reliefs in Croatian early medieval heritage. Their influence extended to shaping artistic tastes in the wider hinterland of Zadar and across northern and central Dalmatia in general, including the territory of the early medieval Duchy of Croatia during the 9th century. Recently published pre-Romanesque reliefs from the churches of St Chrysogonus and St Mary Minor, still largely unknown to the wider public, provide crucial evidence of the earlier presence of the Benedictine order in Zadar than previously assumed. The early pre-Romanesque reliefs uncovered in these two important Benedictine churches suggest that the order was active in Zadar from the last quarter of the 8th century at the latest, although their presence in the city is indirectly attested in historical sources only from the early 10th century.