Glagolitic Alley ( hr, Aleja glagoljaša) is a memorial composed of a string of eleven outdoor monuments dotting the road between the villages

Roč Roč ( it, Rozzo, german: Rotz) is a village in Istria County, north-west Croatia. Administratively it belongs to the town of Buzet. Roč is considered a historic town rather than a village due to its rich cultural heritage. Geography It is si ...

and Hum in Croatia. Sculptures were erected between 1977 and 1985 to honor the historical Croatian scribal tradition in

Glagolitic script The Glagolitic script (, , ''glagolitsa'') is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed to have been created in the 9th century by Saint Cyril, a monk from Thessalonica. He and his brother Saint Methodius were sent by the Byzan ...

. The road is long and located in the region of

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

History

Idea for the memorial was conceived by a writer

Zvane Črnja Zvane (Ivan) Črnja (October 8, 1920 – February 26, 1991) was a prominent Croatian poet, prose writer, essayist, culturologist, screenwriter, playwright and filmologist, journalist, publicist, polemicist and publisher. He's considered one of ...

, while the individual monuments themselves were worked out by a sculptor

Želimir Janeš Želimir is a masculine given name. People bearing the name include: * Želimir Altarac Čičak (1947–2021), Bosnian rock promoter * Želimir Bebek (born 1945), Bosnian singer * Želimir Cerović (1948–2019), Montenegrin basketball executive ...

and a literary historian Josip Bratulić. Alley shows the path of Istrian, Croatian and Slavic Glagolitic tradition, illustrating the centers of Croatian Glagolitic medieval literature in Istria, suggesting its Slavic roots and literacy and its continuity from the 11th century to the present day.

Monuments

The memorial is composed of eleven individual monuments, ten of which are made of stone, and one (City Gate) made of copper. The monuments appear along the road as following: # Pillar of the Čakavian Parliament (1977) - in the form of Glagolitic letter ''S'' symbolizing logos, mind, reason # Table of Cyril and Methodius (1978) - a three-legged table before two cypresses which symbolize the two brothers # Assembly of Clement of Ohrid (1978) - Clement was the student of the Cyril and Methodios and the founder of the first Slavic literary school # Glagolitic Lapidarium (1984) - copies of the most important Glagolitic monuments from regions of the former Yugoslavia # Gorge of Croatian

Lucidarius The ''Lucidarius'', an anonymous medieval book, was the first German language summa, written circa 1190-1195. It was based on different sources, the chief one being the ''Elucidarium'' and other texts by Honorius Augustodunensis. Other sources incl ...

- symbolizing the Istrian Mount Olympus: Učka # Belvedere of Grgur Ninski - a stone book with Glagolitic, Cyrillic and Latin letters inscribed # The Rise of the Istrian Demarcation (1980), stone door in the form of Glagolitic letter ''L'', through which a road runs and around which stones are scattered forming Glagolitic letters, spelling the words of ''Istrian Demarcation'' # Wall of Croatian Protestants and Heretics - a stone

clepsydra Clepsydra may refer to: * Clepsydra, an alternative name for a water clock. * In ancient Greece, a device (now called a water thief) for drawing liquids from vats too large to pour, which utilized the principles of air pressure to transport the ...

with names of Croatian Protestants # Resting Place of Žakan Juraj - commemorating the first Croatian printed book in seven stone chairs forming the letters that spell the name of Žakan Juraj # Monument to Resistance and Freedom (1979) - three stone blocks representing the

Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

, Middle Ages and Modern Period # City Gates - a copper door with

bucrania Bucranium (plural ''bucrania''; Latin, from Greek ''βουκράνιον'', referring to the skull of an ox) was a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. The name is generally considered to originate with the practic ...

, knocker and a calendar, showing the work in the field for each month of the year

Gallery of the monuments

Glago Roc Hum 2006-08-26.jpg, (1) Column of the Chakavian People's Assembly Glago Table 2006-08-26.jpg, (2) Table of Cyril and Methodius Glago Seat 2006-08-26.jpg, (3) Assembly of Clement of Ohrid Glagolitisches Lapidarium.jpg, (4) Glagolitic Lapidarium Klanac hrvatskog Lucidara.jpg, (5) Gorge of Croatian Lucidarius Vidikovac Grgura Ninskog.jpg, (6) Viewpoint of Gregory of Nin Glago Path 2006-08-26.jpg, (7) Rise of the Istrian Code Zid hrvatskih protestanata i heretika.jpg, (8) Wall of Croatian Protestants and Heretics Glago Juri 2006-08-26.jpg, (9) Resting place of Žakan Juri Hum–The town gate-02.jpg, (11) Hum's Gates

References

{{coord, 45.3916, N, 14.0446, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:HR, display=title Monuments and memorials in Croatia Cultural history of Croatia Buildings and structures in Istria County Tourist attractions in Istria County