Arheološki vestnik 61, 2010, str. 229-244 229 The Diocese of Narona (Ecclesia Naronitana) Ante ŠKEGRO Izvleček Abstract Krščanski skupnosti naronitske škofije (Ecclesia Na- The Christian community of the Diocese of Narona ronitana) je treba pripisati največje zasluge za pokristja- (Ecclesia Naronitana) deserves the most credit for the njevanje ljudstev, živečih v osrednjem delu vzhodnega Christianization of the population living in the central Jadrana. Že zgodaj so glasniki vere širili krščanstvo na part of the Eastern Adriatic. From very early times, heralds to območje, najprej vzdolž transportnih poti, ki so po- of the faith brought Christianity to this region primarily vezovale mesto Narona s Salono, in po dolinah Neretve, along the transportation routes that connected Narona Trebižata in Bregave v Hercegovini. Sv. Venancij, ki je with Salona, and the valleys of the Neretva, Trebižat, and kot mučenik umrl med letoma 257 in 260 n. št. nekje Bregava rivers in Hercegovina. St. Venantius, who died a med Dalmati (inter Dalmatas), je svojo misijonsko pot martyr between 257 and 260 A.D. somewhere amongst the začel ravno z območja Narone. Naronska škofija je Delmatae population (inter Dalmatas), departed on his bila ustanovljena pred Marcelom (Marcellus episcopus missions from the Narona region. The Diocese of Narona Ecclesiae Naronitanae), edinem po imenu znanem škofu was founded before the appearance of the name of its only Narone. Zgodnje krščanske bazilike v zaledju Narone so known bishop, Marcellus (Marcellus episcopus Ecclesiae bile zgrajene in okrašene v istem arhitektonskem slogu. Naronitanae). The early Christian basilicas in the inner Zatorej lahko upravičeno domnevamo, da so bila ozemlja, hinterland of Narona were built and decorated according to ki ležijo v neposredni bližini Narone in tudi v dolini the same architectural style. Accordingly, it can be reasonably Neretve, pod jurisdikcijo naronskega škofa. Otoki Mljet, presumed that the territories gravitating towards Narona Korčula in Lastovo, polotok Pelješac in makarska obala and its basin were under the jurisdiction of the bishop of so bili del epitavrske (Ecclesia Epitauritana) in salonske Narona. The islands of Mljet, Korčula and Lastovo, the škofije (Ecclesia Salonitana) ter po letu 533 n. št. tudi Pelješac peninsula and the coast around Makarska were all mukurske (Ecclesia Muccuritana). Vsaj od 6. stol. naprej part of the Diocese of Epidaurus (Ecclesia Epitauritana) and je imel salonski (nad)škof vrhovno cerkveno avtoriteto v the Diocese of Salona (Ecclesia Salonitana), and after 533 Dalmaciji. Cerkvene stavbe, prvotno cerkve, locirane v A.D., of the Diocese of Muccurum (Ecclesia Muccuritana) zaledju, ki so ohranile svojo prvotno funkcijo ves srednji as well. From at least the 6th century onwards, the (arch) vek, kažejo na to, da nekaj segmentov krščanstva, ki se bishop of Salona had supreme ecclesiastical authority in je širilo iz Narone, ni usahnilo po prenehanju delovanja Dalmatia. Sacred buildings, primarily churches located in naronske škofije. the inner hinterland, which managed to maintain their original function throughout the Middle Ages, indicate that Ključne besede: rimska provinca Dalmacija, zgodnje some segments of Christianity that spread from Narona krščanstvo, naronska škofija (Ecclesia Naronitana) did not cease after the disappearance of Narona. Keywords: The Roman Province of Dalmatia, Early Christianity, the Diocese of Narona (Ecclesia Naronitana) Skegro_AV_61_var.indd 229 10.11.2010 13:34:49 230 Ante ŠKEGRO INTRODUCTION (the region of Stolac) and the Makarska coastline.6 The border between the Diocese of Narona and The Christianization of the inner central East- the Diocese of Salona – before the foundation of ern Adriatic hinterland is owed to the Diocese of the Diocese of Muccurum – is placed in the Ma- Narona and even more so to the Diocese of Salona, karska district, between Epidaurus and Narona, whose beginnings can be traced as far back as the south of Pelješac.7 The three basilicas discovered Apostolic times.1 Judging from the acts of the Salona in Narona do not exclude the possible existence Church Councils2 of 530 and 533 A.D., presided of still more basilicas.8 over by the archbishop of Salona, Honorius II In his works on early Christian archeology on (528–547),3 the Church of Salona played a lead- the Eastern Adriatic coast9 and the late Roman ing role in organizing the Christian institutions in architecture of Narona, Nenad Cambi also studied Dalmatia. The missionaries of Narona aimed their the Diocese of Narona.10 According to him, the efforts primarily at the population inhabiting the border between the Diocese of Narona and the territories which gravitated economically, culturally, Diocese of Epidaurus was south of Pelješac; the and by transportation routes towards Narona and border with the Diocese of Salona up until the its basin. The surviving clergy of Narona and the foundation of the Diocese of Muccurum was at Christianized population, as well as those of the Makarska, while the basilica at Cim in Mostar Diocese of Sarsenterum (Ecclesia Sarsenterensis),4 was its border to the north.11 According to Branka all contributed towards the Christianization of Migotti, the border between the Diocese of Salona the Slavic-Croatian people who settled these ter- and the Diocese of Narona (before the foundation ritories later on. of the Diocese of Muccurum) was on the Cetina River.12 Together with the Diocese of Salona, the Diocese of Iader, and the Diocese of Epidaurus, AN OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH Nenad Cambi contends that the Diocese of Narona TO THE PRESENT was one of the most important dioceses on the Eastern Adriatic.13 Narona influenced the entire Until now, only a single study has been dedicated region, especially the continental hinterland, whereas to the Diocese of Narona, which only partially the Diocese of Salona had the leading role in the deals with the diocese itself and the question of coastal region. Cambi presumes that there existed the bishop’s jurisdiction. According to this work, several early Christian buildings,14 among them prior to 533 A.D. when the Diocese of Muccurum three basilicas15 – whose style (single aisle build- was founded,5 the Diocese of Narona comprised ings with an apse and rooms built alongside its the former ager of Narona (the region of Ljubuški lateral walls) definitely influenced the ecclesiastical up to Klobuk; the regions of Mostar and Čapljina architecture in the whole region,16 particularly – all in Hercegovina; the Pelješac peninsula, the in its inner hinterland;17 the coastal region of islands of Mljet, Korčula and Lastovo); the territory Lučnjak,18 Gubavac19 and Sutvara in the Pelješac of the municipium Novae, (the region of Imotski) and the territory of the municipium Dilluntum, 6 Vučić 2005, 159, 163, 167. 7 Vučić, Antička Narona /www.vid.hr/narona.htm [date 1 Ad Rom. 15, 19–21: Ita ut ab Hierusalem, per cir- of accession Okt. 2010]. cuitum usque ad Illyricum repleuerim euangelium Christi. 8 Vučić 1998, 102–105; id. 2003, 202. Sic autem hoc praedicaui euangelium, non ubi nominatus 9 Cambi 1976, 246–247. est Christus, ne super alienum fundamentum aedificarem: 10 Cambi 1984–1985, 33–59. sed sicut scriptum est: Quibus non est adnuntiatum, de eo 11 Cambi 1984–1985, 44. uidebunt: et qui non audierunt, intellegent. Ad Timoth. II, 12 Migotti 2008, 355, map 1, 356. 4, 10: Festina uenire ad me cito. Demas enim me dereliquit, 13 Cambi 1984–1985, 58. diligens hoc saeculum, et abiit Thessalonicam: Crescens in 14 Cambi 1984–1985, 35. Galliam, Titus in Dalmatiam. Comp.: Cambi 1976, 239–240; 15 Cambi 1972, 62–63; id. 1976, 246–247; id. 1984–1985, Kovačić 2008, pass. 35; id. 1989, 2398, fig. 7. 2 16 Dodig, Škegro 2008, 9–23. Cf.: Ribarević Nikolić 1998, 693–714. 3 17 Regarding this bishop: Kuntić-Makvić 1998, 997–1002. Cambi 1976, 247; id. 1978, 145–146; id. 1980, 145, 4 Puljić, Škegro 2006a, 7–50; Puljić, Škegro 2006b, 146, 147; id. 1984–1985, 36. 18 219–241. Fisković 1963–1965, 156–163; id. 1980, fig. 27 a–b; 5 About this diocese: Škegro 2008a, 9–26; id. 2008b, Cambi 1984–1985, 50, fig. 16. 19 291–303. Fisković 1980, 151–155; Cambi 1984–1985, 50, fig. 17. Skegro_AV_61_var.indd 230 10.11.2010 13:34:49 The Diocese of Narona (Ecclesia Naronitana) 231 channel,20 Ubli – on the island of Lastovo,21 as 7th centuries did not necessarily mean the end of well as the monastic complex on the island of life in the Narona region.36 Majsan in the Pelješac channel.22 He considered Emilio Marin regards Narona as a missionary the northwestern part of the island of Mljet part religious centre for the hinterland,37 whose min- of the Diocese of Narona,23 as well as the basilica istry certainly did not cease with the passage from at Zmijavci in the region of Imotski.24 The 530 ancient times.38 During the 6th century it was a well and 533 A.D. Church Councils acts of Salona; its organized Christian community with a bishop at former status as a Roman colony (Colonia Iulia its head and three basilicas: (in Narona under the Narona), and the fact that it was one of the three church of St. Vitus,39 and at the Erešove marshes site juridical-administrative convents in Dalmatia – fig. 1).40 According to Marin, the early Christian (conventus iuridicus), were sufficient evidence for building style found in the hinterland41 and the Cambi to consider Narona as the centre of a very Southern Dalmatian islands spread from Narona.42 important diocese.25 Like Igor Fisković,26 Cambi While not attempting to define the territory of the dated the intense Christianization of the rural Diocese of Narona, Marin pointed out that until Dalmatian regions to the 6th century.27 533 A.D., when the Diocese of Muccurum with Regarding the Christian topography of Narona, its centre in Makarska was founded,43 its south- Frane Buškariol (1957–1989)28 registered five ern border was the Diocese of Epidaurus; in the early Christian basilicas on its territory (on the northwest it shared a border with Salona.