Emil Hilje

The numerous monuments of late mediaeval religious architecture on the island of Pag are a valuable witness to the development of mediaeval architecture not merely on Pag, but also throughout the broader geographic region. Unfortunately, only a few of these structures have remained in function to the present. Most of these churches are in ruins today, and many of them have disappeared entirely. It is nonetheless possible to reconstruct to some extent on the basis of what has been preserved and also the data offered in archival records the full wealth of the architectural activity in this period, as well as particular elements in the manner of construction, and certain stylistic developmental advances.
Several churches had already been constructed in Pag as early as the early Christian period, and also during the early mediaeval period. Some of them remained in function afterwards (St Jerome in Vlašići, the older church of the Blessed Virgin in Stari Grad, St Nicholas at Povljana, St George above Pag, St George at Smokvica, St Peter at Prosika). The real expansion in architectural activity took place at the end of the 13th century and during the 14th century, when a large number of small churches were built next to fields and salt flats, as well as churches in the town itself.
Of the numerous religious structures built at the end of the 13th and in the first half of the 14th century, the majority of those located in the southeastern part of the island belong to the characteristic type of single-naved rectangular churches of small dimensions, with a semicircular apse, roofed with a barrel vault which was strengthened by a horizontal band supported on laterally placed pilasters. The ruined remains of the following churches show that they belonged to this type: St Michael near Gorica, St Martin at Stara Povljana, St Nicholas at Pag Point, and the most attractive of them all, the Church of St Guy on the hill above Kolan. For some churches, such as St Andrew and St John at the salt flats, St Martin in Stari Grad, SS Cosmos and Damian in Stari Grad, and St Gregory near Stari Grad, it is not possible to determine whether they belonged to the same time because of their poor preservation, but the preserved remains indicate a similar plan.
In the northwestern part of the island, remains have been preserved from the cited period of the Churches of St Christopher near Stara Novalja, St George at Caska, St Guy at Vidasovi Stanovi, St John near Jakišnica, St Martin at the tip of Lun Point, and St Andrew near Novalja. In contrast to those in the southeastern part of the island, these churches exhibit neither typological nor stylistic uniformity, and the two constructed on the Lun peninsula, which was owned by inhabitants of the adjacent island of Rab (St Guy and St John), are stylistically more advanced than the contemporary structures in other sections of the island.
The greatest number, however, of the religious structures from the end of the 13th century and from the 14th century disappeared entirely (or the structures were later remodelled completely). The following churches are known merely on the basis of archival records: St Ambrose, St Andrew, St Francis, St George, the Holy Cross, St Margaret, and St Matthew in Stari Grad, St Maurus at Barbat, St Quirinus near Pag, St Euphemia and St Stephen near the salt flats, St Maurus at Dinjiška, the Holy Cross at Stara Vasa, St Catherine at Novalja, and St Anthony in the Novalja plain.
The large Cathedral of the Our Lady was constructed at the beginning of the 14th century in Stari Grad, in a simple form of the developed Romanesque, even in a somewhat rustic style (due to lack of funds). Its impoverished aesthetic appearance was somewhat modified at the end of the 14th century, when the previous facade was demolished and a new one built, decorated with reliefs by the Zadar sculptor Pavao of Sulmona. The migration of the inhabitants of the town to the new Pag, and the construction of a new cathedral, meant that the Church of Our Lady lost all of its importance. Nonetheless, thanks to the fact that it later belonged to the Franciscans, who built a monastery next to it, this church has remained in function up to the present.
There are somewhat fewer monuments of religious architecture from the second half of the 14th century, but they are as equally poorly preserved as those from the earlier period. Ruined remains are preserved of the following churches: St Christopher at Barbat Point, St Anthony in Stari Grad, Our Lady near Stara Novalja, St Mary Magdalen in Bošana, St Catherine in Pag, St James in Stari Grad and the Holy Spirit near Kolan. These structures mostly show typological differences in relation to the monuments from the previous period, which is apparent in the increased dimensions, the loss of the vault, and the somewhat more careful construction technique, but they retained the semicircular apses and the technique of walling layers of dressed stone characteristic for the Romanesque style.
A large number of churches from this period have also not been preserved: St Thomas in Košljan, St Bartholomew in Zamet, St Chrysogonus, St Lucia, and St Dominique in Stari Grad, and St Helen near Prosika.
Architectural activity was concentrated in the area of the new city of Pag during the 15th century. Only a few small churches were erected in small places and on agricultural estates. Two of them (St Mary in Metajna and St Jerome near Kolan) have been preserved in their original form and are still in use, two are in ruins (the Holy Trinity near Pag and St Bartholomew near Dinjiška), while one has been reconstructed from the very foundations (St Luke in Kolan).
Five churches were built in Pag itself during the 15th century. The Church of St James was demolished in 1903, and its appearance is known from only a single panoramic photograph. The Dominican monastery and the Church of St Anthony were adapted for profane functions, and were greatly damaged. Nonetheless, on the basis of remains and the preserved plans from the beginning of the last century, the appearance of both the church and monastery is known. The Church of St Francis has been entirely preserved, and is still in function, but the monastery structures that were once located next to it have entirely disappeared. The Church of St George is no longer in religious use, but it has been completely preserved. All three of these structures represent simple types of provincial Gothic architecture – elongated single-aisled structures with rectangular apses.
The Church of the Annunciation and the Benedictine Convent are still in function today. The church, with its rib vaulted apse and lateral chapel, and rich architectural decoration, is a fine example of developed Gothic architecture.
The central Church of Our Lady, intended to be but never actually the cathedral of Pag, the most significant monument of religious architecture on the island, is also important in a wider context. Constructed according to the forms of other Dalmatian cathedrals, and thus close to their Romanesque spatial conceptions and solutions, it also represents a combination of Gothic and Renaissance elements. The lengthy period of construction and the succession of architectural groups (the Zadar architects, the brothers Pavao and Juraj Dimitrov, Šibenik architects from the circle of Juraj Dalmatinac, and the Korčula master-builders Marko Andrijić and Nikola Alegreti) made their mark on this structure with a variety of artistic experience and orientations, all pleasingly incorporated into a unified conception.
The data about over fifty late mediaeval religious structures on one island speaks for itself about the spiritual climate of the time and space, but all of these churches (both those preserved and those no longer extant) represent an orientation for better knowledge of the past on the island of Pag. No matter how modest and artistically undefined in the sense of a given stylistic category, the churches of Pag represent the most intact segment of late mediaeval architecture in the Northern Dalmatian region, a true reflection of the period and the way of life, and the emphasized aesthetics of individual segments of this architecture would require a far more active approach to the preservation of these monuments.

ZADAR'S SCULPTOR AND BUILDER PAOLO DI VANUZZI DA SULMONA

Paolo di Vanuzzi da Sulmona was an important Dalmatian sculptor, whose activity is entirely linked to Zadar and the surrounding region. So far, there are no conclusive indications of his possible activity in his hometown or the formation process of his artistic personality. However, it is evident that his artistic expression mirrors the tastes of a provincial setting, in which certain traditional visual elements combined with contemporary achievements. Although Paolo developed a somewhat archaic style, with strong reminiscences of Apulian Romanesque sculpture, he nevertheless managed to express his own, individual sensibility, which is especially evident in details and smaller forms, and reveals his capacity for surpassing the level of finding simple technical solutions for sculptural tasks. His careful treatment of drapery, manifest in all his artworks, reveals contacts with the contemporary artistic tendencies, which were spreading from Tuscany throughout central Italy. Paolo di Vanuzzi was not a great sculptor. His work lacks an outspoken artistic power, as well as skill in solving specific problems of visual persuasion, or even realistic quality of depiction. His working method remains conceptually close to the outdated Romanesque forms, which results in unrealistic proportions, inaccurate anatomy, and implausible psychologization of his figures. Paolo practically never produced full sculpture. All his artworks are reliefs, varying only in the depth of the volume, with no sign of aspiring to achieve full three-dimensionality. Nevertheless, his figures almost regularly emit the warmth of true humanity, all the more admiring for having been achieved with modest means. This flaunting vivacity is additionally accentuated by decorative elements and the way Paolo employs them, especially the vegetal motifs, which he uses and varies with preference, the most striking being his small roses, somewhat reminiscent of the sculpture of his homeland.
The oeuvre of Paolo da Sulmona is rather heterogeneous. However, besides the quite common differences in quality, which is more or less present in any artistic profile, especially with sculptors working with a variety of assistants, Paolo’s work also reveals rather significant differences in performance, as well as certain visual elements that do not fit into his usual artistic expression. It is almost certain that most of these differences result from his using (or not using) model drawings, which varied in quality. Beside the documented design for the tomb of Bishop Matafar, one or other work of Paolo da Sulmona may have been done after designs by painter Menegelo Ivanov de Canali. The long years of collaboration between the two masters, attested in several documents that mention them together, is only an incentive to seek for answers to the question to which extent Menegelo influenced Paolo’s artistic expression, as the latter came to Zadar as an accomplished artist. Menegelo’s presence from Paolo’s first commission in 1386 (the tomb of Bishop Matafar) to the last one in 1400 (St Simon’s chapel) may help to understand some solutions typical of a painter, which occur in Paolo’s sculpture. Moreover, it seems that Menegelo’s element gave a somewhat more modern appearance to Paolo’s sculpture, including the presence of Gothic aspects, which are more outspokenly present in such projects than in Paolo’s independent work. There may have been other designs that Paolo used besides Menegelo’s, which is indicated by artworks such as the relief of St Anne with Mary as a child from St Chrisogonus’ church, which reveals a sort of iconographic misunderstanding between the depicted subject and the design on which it was modelled. In any case, Paolo’s involvement in the artistic scene of Zadar, which featured prominent personalities such as the most distinguished Dalmatian painter of the time (Menegelo Ivanov de Canali) as well as the most prominent goldsmith of the time (Francesco from Milan) must have had a considerable impact on the sculptural expression of this South Italian master, even though he remained attached to the traditions of his homeland, with a touch of visual archaism, especially in motifs and the way he used decorative elements.
As recognizable and characteristic elements of Paolo’s artistic expression one may primarily mention the faces of his figures: regularly broad and somewhat round physiognomies with accentuated cheekbones and small, pursed lips, straight noses, and slightly squinting eyes. Regardless of the actual volume of the head, the faces are rather shallow, barely protruding from the surface, which makes them seem like a relief applied on the roundness of the head. All faces reveal an attempt at expressing a particular psychological moment. Mostly it is a somewhat reserved, blissful smile, which is so typified that one sometimes has the impression as if all heads were the same. In an attempt at rendering suffering (in the two Lamentation reliefs), Paolo is less successful and the facial expressions largely turn into a grimace. Apparently, the most successful psychologization appears in those figures where the master did not aspire at expressing a particular emotion (such as the two extant heads on Matafor’s monument or the saintly figures on the portal of St Michael’s church). Hands are usually anatomically inaccurate, with typically thick palms and stylized fingers, separated by deep incisions and without a hint of details. However, Paolo dedicated particular attention to drapery, which is almost always rather voluminous and rendered in fine detail. It is in this depiction of fabric that the sculptor takes the most decisive step away from the overall archaism of impression, embracing the Gothic affinity for carefully elaborated, rich drapery instead of the traditional stylization. To be sure, the realism of drapery may vary in different artworks, but it is regularly among the best aspects of Paolo’s artistic expression. The use of ornaments, mostly vegetal, is rather reserved, but its performance always reveals an exceptionally refined approach, with a careful elaboration of each particular leaf. In Paolo’s work, vegetal ornament is so unobtrusive that it almost goes unnoticed, yet its function in compositions primarily dominated by human figures is nevertheless significant. Similarly to most authors of mediocre artistic achievement, Paolo di Vanuzzi is a passionate master of detail, which is particularly striking in his vegetal ornaments. In his reliefs, the compositions are always carefully assembled and the relationship between different characters and their relationship to the observer are purposefully combined so as to give the character of both timeless sublimity and everyday presence to the depicted subject matter.
It is difficult to say anything certain about Paolo da Sulmona as a builder. The construction of the apse of St Michael’s church was completely subjected to the predefined design, and the front façade of the Pag church seems to have been subjected to the commissioner’s demands, which implied an outspokenly archaic concept. However, it is precisely the way in which Paolo incorporated the elements of modern visual relations into the structure thus predetermined indicated that, also as a builder, he was a more individualistic artistic personality than it may seem at the first glance. Moreover, his elaboration of the iconographic programme and the distribution of reliefs in the Pag church indicate that the artist, when creating sculptures, always kept in mind what place they would have within a particular architectural concept.
Even though it cannot be denied that Paolo da Sulmona was basically a modest provincial artist, one should not forget the fact that he was the most significant Dalmatian sculptor of the second half of the 14th century, and that his artistic achievements reflected the artistic tastes of his environment as well as its links to the opposite Adriatic coast.