POVLJA - POVLJA LINTEL

The POVLJA LINTEL

In 1184, Benedictine priests built a door in the western wall of the baptistry in Povlja (which became their church). Copy of Povlja Lintel

For the lintel of that door, the Croatian stonemason Radonja, possibly from Trogir, chiseled a stone slab and engraved on it using Croatian Cyrillic script , a text about the return of estates to the monastery (see the Povlja Charter.) This lintel, known today as the Povlja Lintel, forms a significant part of Croatian history: it is a metaphor of a certain place and time denoting possession.

It is a document of an author and a monastery, and is as an open book placed on the most prominent place of the building : the lintel. Text on Povlja Lintel

This lintel, it's significance, forgotten, had for an incredibly long time, served as a humble stone seat in front of the church and then later one of the neighbours used it as a lintel for the wine-cellar door of his house near Lokve. Where, in 1894, it was spotted by the renowned archeologist, the Rev. Frane Bulic, who took it to Split. It is now kept in the Museum of Croatian Archeological Monuments in Split.

Copy of Povlja Lintel Copies of the Povlja Lintel are also kept in Povlja and in the Regional Solitude Museum of Brac in Skrip.

Carving on Scirova Glava The monastery in Povlja was attacked and heavily plundered several times between 1145 and 1294 and by 1357, it was a deserted ruin.
In 1415 the island authorities, during a visit to the island, chiseled crosses in the stony shore near Scirova glava west of Povlja. These crosses are still visible today on the sea shore.

The centuries that followed saw numerous disputes regarding the governing of the abbey. Napoleon's occupation of Dalmatia brought an end to the abbey in 1807 and towards the middle of the 19th century, the abbeys possessions were auctioned.
The abandoned abbey became a private dwelling, was restored and extended and during the first decade of the 20th century it was used as a school.
What little remained of the abbeys' possessions were taken to nearby Pucisca.
On display in the Pucisca parish church office, are the original of the Povlja Charter, along with the mitre and the crozier that belonged to the prior of Povlja.

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Last updated on 2001/04/22

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	In 1184, Benedictine priests built a door in the western wall of the baptistry in Povlja (which became their church).
	For the lintel of that door, the Croatian stonemason Radonja, possibly from Trogir, chiseled a stone slab and engraved on it using Croatian Cyrillic script , a text about the return of estates to the monastery (see the Povlja Charter.)	This lintel, known today as the Povlja Lintel, forms a significant part of Croatian history: it is a metaphor of a certain place and time denoting possession.
	It is a document of an author and a monastery, and is as an open book placed on the most prominent place of the building : the lintel.
	This lintel, it's significance, forgotten, had for an incredibly long time, served as a humble stone seat in front of the church and then later one of the neighbours used it as a lintel for the wine-cellar door of his house near Lokve.	Where, in 1894, it was spotted by the renowned archeologist, the Rev. Frane Bulic, who took it to Split. It is now kept in the Museum of Croatian Archeological Monuments in Split.
		Copies of the Povlja Lintel are also kept in Povlja and in the Regional Solitude Museum of Brac in Skrip.

		The monastery in Povlja was attacked and heavily plundered several times between 1145 and 1294 and by 1357, it was a deserted ruin. In 1415 the island authorities, during a visit to the island, chiseled crosses in the stony shore near Scirova glava west of Povlja. These crosses are still visible today on the sea shore.
	The centuries that followed saw numerous disputes regarding the governing of the abbey. Napoleon's occupation of Dalmatia brought an end to the abbey in 1807 and towards the middle of the 19th century, the abbeys possessions were auctioned. The abandoned abbey became a private dwelling, was restored and extended and during the first decade of the 20th century it was used as a school.	What little remained of the abbeys' possessions were taken to nearby Pucisca. On display in the Pucisca parish church office, are the original of the Povlja Charter, along with the mitre and the crozier that belonged to the prior of Povlja.