Hollow Church ( hr, Šuplja crkva) is the

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

of what used to be a Romanesque

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church in 11th century

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

. Originally named ''Basillica of Saint Peter and Moses'',Solin.hr - Šuplja crkva
the building was built on the foundations of an older Christian church next to a 6th-century

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

in the vicinity of the ancient ruins of

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in ...

. The church is notable for being the crowning place of King Zvonimir, and along the lines of buildings like ''Saint Stephen'' and ''Saint Mary'' in Solin, is one of the remains of churches built by the

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic ...

in the 11th century. It had three apses; 26 meters long and 13 meters in width, each separated by a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...

. The

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narth ...

was positioned on the western entrance, while the southern side obtained a

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

, from which only few steps still remain. The narthex allegedly contained a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...

quite possibly of a Croatian king. The location was first excavated in modern times in the 1920s. In 1931, the excavation work was done by

Ejnar Dyggve Ejnar Dyggve (17 October 1887 in Liepāja, Russian Empire - 6 August 1961 in Copenhagen) was a Danish architect and archeologist. He worked extensively on Balkan architecture starting in 1922 during an expedition to Salona in Dalmatia Dalmat ...

, whose work there ended after the death of

Frane Bulić Frane Bulić (October 4, 1846 - July 29, 1934) was a Croats, Croatian priest, archaeologist, and historian. Biography Bulić was born in Vranjic (now part of Solin), and studied theology in Zadar and then classical philology and archeology in ...

in 1934. In 1935,

Ljubo Karaman Ljubo Karaman (15 June 1886 – 19 April 1971) was a Croatian historian, art theorist and conservator. After graduating from the Classical Gymnasium in his hometown of Split, Karaman enrolled at the University of Vienna where he graduated in h ...

restarted works for a period of time. Some restoration work was undertaken in the 1950s, but the most serious archaeological investigation was done in 1990-1993. The site was secured and mostly excavated, but is still threatened by the waters of Jadro and a nearby road.

References

Gallery

File:Krunidba kralja Zvonimira,1897.jpg, Romanticised portrayal of King Zvonimir's coronation by Ferdinand Quiquerez File:Pluteus with the figure of a Croatian king.jpg, Pluteus dating from 11th century, showing a Croatian king. Some speculate that pluteus could be actually showing the actual corronation of king Zvonimir.

External links

Images of Hollow Church

Hollow Church on Solin's website
Churches in Croatia 11th-century establishments in Croatia Archaeological sites in Croatia Medieval architecture Medieval sites in Croatia

See also

References

Gallery

Further reading

External links