A CONTRIBUTION TO OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SERIES OF PICTURES DEVOTED TO ST SIMEON IN THE CHURCH OF ST SIMEON IN ZADAR

Abstract

U radu se analizira ciklus kasnobaroknih slika posvećen sv. Šimi iz crkve sv. Šime u Zadru, koji je naslikan temeljem narudžbe zadarskoga nadbiskupa Vicka Zmajevića. Komparativna ikonografska analiza motiva iz zadarske historiografije o sv. Šimi prikazanih na spomenutom ciklusu otkriva ne samo onodobne historiografsko-teološke nego i političke narative. Ona pokazuje u kojoj je mjeri takva specifična vrst sakralnog slikarstva posvećena štovanju komunalnih svetaca zaštitnika bila medij pomoću kojega su dalmatinski nadbiskupi propagirali državne i komunalne političke ideje.Author analyzes iconography of late baroque series of pictures devoted to St Simeon from the church of St Simeon in Zadar. All these pictures were painted for Vicko Zmajević the archbishop oz Zadar. Iconographic analysis begins with recognition of all the motifs from the history about Zadar that can be related to the cult of St Simeon and depicted on the certain pictures. The purpose of this step is identification of the contemporaneous historical, theological, and political narratives included in the depiction of St Simeon. Thanks to this series of pictures, ordered and designed by Vicko Zmajević, all the coming believers could easily »in vivo« imagine all the important events from the saint’s life, as well as to associate them with well known stories about history of relation between Zadar and the St Simeon’s relics. Namely, archbishop Zmajević was quite aware of local tradition and history »communicative« powers regarding the relics and church of St Simeon in the Diocese of Zadar, and its importance for the capital of the Venetian Dalmatia. Pictures portray a realistic image of the St Simeon church’s apse, together with his chest, which are symbolically incorporated with St Simeon’s cultural and historical significance within local historiography. In this respect, this series of pictures is undoubtedly important to understand political and religious accordance regarding the saint’s relics in Zadar during the time of Vicko Zmajević. Exactly this point proves cultural importance of this series of pictures

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