Archaeological Excavations at the Crkvari - St. Lawrence Church site, 2008

Abstract

Nastavljena su arheološka istraživanja srednjovjekovne crkve s grobljem u Crkvarima. U istraživanjima oko apside crkve pronađena su 32 groba iz razdoblja srednjeg vijeka i novog vijeka, što ukupno daje broj od 233 istraženih grobova na lokalitetu. Najznačajnija otkrića postignuta su otvaranjem veće površine ispred zapadnog pročelja današnje crkve. Dispozicija novootkrivene arhitekture te stilska obilježja kompleksa ukazuju na otkriće velike trobrodne crkve s moćnim zvonikom.In August and September 2008, the Institute of Archaeolog y continued the sixth season of archaeological excavations of the medieval church with a cemetery situated on a hill close to the village of Crkvari, Orahovica Municipality, in Virovitica-Podravina County. The purpose of excavations around the apse of today’s chapel is not only to unearth the foundations of the Gothic apse and buttresses and ascertain other scholarly facts, but also to lay the groundwork for future drainage projects. In this area, 32 graves were found, dating from the Middle Ages to New Era, so that the overall number of excavated graves at the site is 233. The excavations in the east, around the apse, with complex layers and rich finds, yielded a great deal of information that helps interpret the sequence of the burial horizons at the site, as well as the sequence of individual construction phases. The finds of coins minted by Nikola of Ilok in the archaeological complexes facilitate the chronological analysis of the layers, at the same time suggesting the great significance of the site in the Middle Ages. However, the most important discoveries in 2008 were made upon excavation of a large surface in front of the western façade of today’s church. The disposition of the newly uncovered architecture and the stylistic characteristics of the complex imply the potential discovery of a large church with a nave and two aisles, and a powerful bell-tower. It seems that it was also built over several construction phases, but it was all within the period which in the Croatia’s territory was characterized by the Gothic style, as indicated by the buttresses on the building, as well as individual finds of moulded stone sculpture, and moulded window frames made of brick. In order to define the possible stages of construction more precisely, it is necessary to continue systematic archaeological excavations