Bijaći was a medieval Croatian village, some northeast of

Trogir Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island ...

. The village developed around the church of St. Martha on the site of a former 1st century ''

villa rustica Villa rustica () was the term used by the ancient Romans to denote a farmhouse or villa set in the countryside and with an agricultural section, which applies to the vast majority of Roman villas. In some cases they were at the centre of a large ...

'' at Stombrate locality, about half way between Tragurium and

Salona Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western ...

, in the hinterland of the Roman veterans' coastal settlement of . Renovated in late antiquity, part of the villa became an

early Christian church Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and bey ...

, which evolved between the 5th and 7th centuries. Following the arrival of the Croats, it is believed that the complex of the villa was transformed into the center of a Croatian ducal estate, which stretched to the coast, incorporating the Divulje area and the church of St. Vital. During this period, the early church was repaired and rededicated to St. Martha; arguably, the church was a court church of the early Croatian dukes. The earliest mentions of Bijaći date back to 852 (Byaci) in the grant of duke Trpimir, and 892 (Biaci) to the duke Muncimir's document confirming the Trpimir's grant, each known from later copies. An inscription on a stone ciborium from the early 9th century that was during Duke Mislav's reign placed within a baptistery, as well as the mention of priest Gumpertus, provides evidence of a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

missionary post in the Croatian ducal estate. This signifies the final stage of the

christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

of Croats within their new Adriatic settlements, a process supported by the papal authority of Rome and the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

under

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. Built on the remains of an early Christian three-nave basilica, the early Croatian church of St. Martha was a three-nave structure with an angular apse and a Romanesque bell tower that was added in 1197. The church measures 14.8×8 m. Close to the ruins, the remains the a

late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...

early Christian cemetery with 15 graves were discovered in the 1902–1905 excavations, as well as 13 early medieval Croatian graves, mostly from the 10th and 11th centuries. In an early Christian sarcophagus dated to the 9th century a pair of earrings and an iron knife were found. Around the complex, walls that enclosed it are still visible. Numerous fragments of '' Croatian interlace'' from the 9th and the 10th centuries have been found, including a late 8th-century inscription mentioning a Croatian nobleman (''župan'') and a Croatian ruler. This inscription is the oldest known reference to the Croatian name after their migration. The reconstructed quadrilateral ciborium that was found in pieces is now kept at the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

. Six stone lintels have also been found in the vicinity of the church; they may have belonged to the buildings of the ducal palace. The medieval church was damaged in Ottoman raids, and a smaller church was built on top of its baptistery in the 17th century. Because of some incorporated

spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin for 'spoils'; : ''spolium'') are stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice (spoliation) whereby stone that has been quar ...

, the church was demolished during the early 20th century excavations and rebuilt in another place.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bijaci Geography of Split-Dalmatia County Former capitals of Croatia 9th century in Croatia 10th century in Croatia Archaeological sites in Croatia