La première cathédrale de Zadar

Relying on the historical description in Constantine Porphyrogenitus’ text (10th century) as well as on the incomplete archaeological researches, the author tries to describe the original building which preceded the construction of the romanesque cathedral of Zadar built through the 12th and the 13th century. On the basis of Porphyrogenitus’ description one can conclude that the building was a basilica with galleries above the lateral aisles, that its floor was decorated with rich mosaics and that some other parts of the building were painted, too. The author suggests a new interpretation of Porphyrogenitus’ syntagm xylographia archaia which would refer to the painted ceiling or the painted beams as proved in the 9th century architecture in Zadar (fig.3). Although very few, the remains of the mosaics in the lateral aisles show the basic ground plan of the carpets. There was a series of 11 identical motives in each of the aisles (fig.2) which directs us to the conclusion that there were 11 bays of the original building.

The cathedral was built in the vicinity of the Forum, leaning on the northern side of the back of the former tabernae. It integrated itself completely into the urban matrix of the Roman city so that its consignatorium occupies the space of three former tabernae while the baptistry occupies the space of the other two (fig.5). In the archaeological researches in today’s sacristy, i.e. in the former consignatorium, a 5th century mosaic floorboard with deer was discovered (fig.9), while below there is a monochrome mosaic floorboard. This earlier mosaic is the floorboard of a room that was made by joining the three former tabernae and it had a subsellium in the eastern part of the building. So this was Zadar’s first christian place of worship which was transformed into the consignatorium of the monumental cathedral after it was built during the 5th century. Its northern wall has been completely preserved (today this is the wall that divides the sacristy from the cathedral), as well as the stone gutter for rain water at the height of 6m which also belonged to it (fig.8). Thus it is possible to reconstruct the entire primitive church building of Roman Jader (Zadar) (fig.6). The history of the first christian community in Zadar is not known. The oldest cult building was built in the middle of the city, in the vicinity of the Forum. Thus one may conclude that the city government provided a space for the gathering of the christian community and that this may have happened not earlier that at the time of Theodosius I, when christianity became the official state religion.