History and Archaeology of Monasteries and Ecclesiastical sites in the Eastern Adriatic (IVth-XIIth c.) – MONACORALE

The methods used are based on archaeological, archaeometric, palaeoenvironmental and historical disciplines. They are mainly :
1- Archaeological excavations involving: stratigraphic analyses (in order to define relative chronologies), anthropological and archaeozoological analyses, carpological analyses, topographical surveys, elevation surveys and 3D architectural modelling using orthophotographs (for building archaeology studies);
2- In addition to radiocarbon dating (bones, charcoal), we are experimenting on the scale of the Croatian coast with the dating of construction mortars by the use of single grain optically stimulated thermoluminescence (OSL-SG); Ancient glass is being analysed by mass spectrometer using a plasma torch; human and animal bones from the excavation of the Martinscica complex (WP 3 -Zone-atelier) are being determined by isotope and DNA analysis (analyses carried out within the framework of the IATEKA-ISITE UBFC programme correlated with the ANR Monacorale)
3- Paleoenvironmental studies (IATEKA-ISITE UBFC programme, correlated with the archaeological excavations of the workshop area/WP2), concern palynological and sedimentological analyses, from cores taken from lakes in the Kvarner archipelago, and ancient DNA and stable isotopes on human bones from archaeological excavations carried out within the framework of WP3;
4- Research in various known or unpublished archives in Croatia and Italy.

The results obtained from the first survey campaigns on the Croatian coast and islands within the framework of WP2 commit us globally to a re-evaluation of the major archaeological and historical potential of many ecclesiastical and monastic complexes, both for previously studied or excavated sites (several of which had not yet been identified as surely or potentially monastic or even as ecclesiastical complexes), and which require a revision of the documentation, but also for others, still unpublished.
In parallel, the mortar sampling campaigns for OSL-SG dating should lead to the establishment of new chronological milestones for outstanding monuments or for poorly dated features in the region (e.g. the appearance of the cloister feature), while at the same time constituting a new and innovative methodological approach in Croatia (and beyond).
For WP3, the excavations carried out at the site of Martinšcica (island of Cres) confirmed in 2022 the presence of a second early Christian church only a hundred meters away from the large church bordering the ancient sea villa. Above all, the discovery of new domestic spaces and facilities during the last two years supports the hypothesis of the transformation of a Late Antique heritage church into a potential monastic complex from the 8th-9th century.
Regarding the historical studies of WP4, as announced, the study of written sources is organised in two complementary parts:
1: Study and translations of narrative sources: the Life of St. Gaudentius of Osor, the Life of St. Germanus of Pula and the Life of St. Maur of Porec have been translated and annotated in full;
2: Missions to ancient collections (archives, manuscript books, etc.).
The study of medieval written documentation (acts of practice, charters, cartularies) mentioning ecclesiastical establishments has given rise to several field missions.
Missions to archives have already led to the discovery of previously unpublished documentary collections of great interest.

WP 1 : Construction and modelling by a geomatician recruited on a fixed-term contract (MSH Dijon) of the Monacorale GIS database with a view to putting on line an Atlas of the ecclesiastical and monastic complexes of the Croatian coast and islands; organisation of a mediation exhibition for the general public on the theme of Monacorale at the Croatian Archaeological Monuments Museum in Split; organisation and publication of a concluding colloquium on the programme at the EFR;
-WP 2 : continuation of the documentary study, surveys, prospections and topographic surveys on the selected sites of the 4 regions; implementation of the geophysical prospection campaigns of selected sites; organisation of a doctoral workshop in collaboration with the University of Zadar in spring 2023;
-WP 3: continuation and completion of the excavation of the church of the Martinšcica complex and opening of an excavation area in the related ancient maritime villa (question of a medieval monastic reoccupation);
- WP4: organisation of a colloquium «The Eastern Adriatic (4th-12th century): history writing and hagiography«; translation and commentary of the Historia Salonitana by Thomas the Archdeacon; publication of a book containing all the translations; further study of documentary sources and archival data, in Croatia and Italy.

1. CAUŠEVIC-BULLY (M.), BULLY (S.), CROCHAT (J.), avec la coll. de CHEVALIER (P.), « Quelques considérations sur l’architecture et les installations liturgiques de l’église paléochrétienne de Martinšcica (Punta Križa, île de Cres) », in MENS ACRIS IN CORPORE COMMODO, Zbornik povodom sedamdesetog rodendana Ivana Matejcica/Festschrift in Honour of the 70th Birthday of Ivan Matejcic, M. Bradanovic, M. Jurkovic (éd.), Zagreb-Motovun, 2021, p. 107-125.
hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03499828
2. PACTAT (I.), CAUŠEVIC-BULLY (M.), BULLY (S.), PEROVIC (S.), STARAC (R.), GRATUZE (B.), SCHIBILLE (N.), « Origines et usages du verre issu de quelques sites ecclésiaux et monastiques tardo-antiques et haut médiévaux du littoral nord croate », in Il vetro in transizione (IV-XII secolo). Produzione e commercio in Italia meridionale e nell’Adriatico, A. Coscarella, E. Neri, G. Noyé (dir.), Bari, 2021, p. 289-302.
hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03405212
3. CAUŠEVIC-BULLY (M.), BULLY (S.), DELLISTE (A.), LEFEBVRE (S.), MUREAU (C.), Les sites ecclésiaux et monastiques de l’archipel du Kvarner (Croatie), campagne 2019 : Martinšcica (île de Cres), Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l’étranger, 2021.
doi.org/10.4000/baefe.1971
4. CAUŠEVIC-BULLY (M.), BULLY (S.), « La mission Kvarner et le programme Complexes monastiques et ecclésiaux de l’archipel du Kvarner du IVe au XIe s. », Catalogue d’exposition, 50 ans d’archéologie Franco-Croate, M. Cauševic-Bully, I. Radman-Livaja (éd.), Musée archéologique de Zagreb, 2021, p. 77-93.
hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03499850
5.S. Gioanni, « Riflessioni sulla “libertas” dalmato-croata nella documentazione pontificia di Gregorio VII e Innocenzo III », Colloque From words to acts: written sources for the reconstruction and understanding of diplomatic negotiations, Zagreb (Croatia), 29-30/11/2021.

The research project “MONACORALE – History and Archaeology of Monasteries and Ecclesiastical sites in the Eastern Adriatic (4th-12th c.)”, is born from the collaboration of French, Croatian and Italian researchers working on archives, texts and ecclesial, and notably monastic sites of the Istrian and Dalmatian Adriatic coast between the 4th and the 12th century. It aims to constitute a reasoned corpus of these sites synthesizing all available sources and to study a "workshop area" (island of Cres, Croatia) including several major sites. Through a resolutely multidisciplinary approach combining the sources of archeology, history, history of art, literature, epigraphy, paleo-environmental study and landscape archeology, the objective will be to study : 1. the topographical aspects and the historical conditions of their foundation (relations with the natural environment, human context, reuse of ancient sites, etc.) ; 2. their territorial and social organization in the eastern Adriatic context (expansion of Benedictine monasticism and Romanesque architecture, recruitment and mobility of monks, cultural exchanges with Italy, etc.) ; 3. their functions in spreading reformist ideas and, more broadly, pontifical authority in a period of confrontation between the powers present in the Adriatic (Franks, Byzantines, Normans, Venetians, Slavs).