About the matroneum of Zadar Cathedral

U radu se analizira i problematizira vrijeme nastanka galerija katedrale u Zadru te utjecaji koji su mogli biti presudni na njihovu izgradnju. Citatima bizantskih povijesnih vrela i tumačenjima dijelova obreda s istog područja podupire se u literaturi prethodno postavljena teza o kasnoantičkoj dataciji matroneja zadarske stolne crkve. U prilog tome idu i izrazi za galerije zabilježeni u zadarskoj povijesnoj baštini – kao što je gynecei, termin koji potvrđuje arhaičnost iz grčkog/bizantskog govornog područja te ujedno označava smještaj žena u određenom prostoru crkve, u ovom slučaju na gornjoj etaži bočnih brodova katedrale.In his work “In What Manner Did the 10th Century Zadar Cathedral Resamble the Chalcopratiae Basilica in Constantinople”, Pavuša Vežić assumes that this church is a Romanized form of the early Christian one with its medieval interpolations. The author believes that the Cathedral of Zadar, along with its primary architectural styles such as a longitudinal three-nave basilica, or a chapel at the rear of the northern side nave, could even resemble the famous Constantinople Chalkoprati Basilica in having galleries. This is supported by the very archaic terms which, in the history of Zadar Cathedral, were used until the 19th century and which were characteristic of the early Christian period: matroneum and gyneacei. They must refer to the functions derived from the Byzantine rite, or to the placement of the worshippers during the liturgical service, mainly the placement and presence of women in the galleries. The term gynaeceum is so symptomatic as it would probably not have come to life in the Zadar area during the Romanesque period and the dominance/supremacy of the Roman liturgy. This may indicate that along with the Roman service, which is undoubtedly the main form of ceremony in the Zadar area, probably very early parts and items of the Constantinople rite were introduced. Women sitting in them gallery is characteristic of the beginning of the Byzantine period. If we accept the assumption that cathedral galleries date back to late antiquity, the ambivalent atmosphere of Zadar Cathedral could be corroborated further. The galleries in Zadar churches reappeared only in the early Middle Ages. We find them in the Basilica of St. Mary’s Birth’s Church and the Church of St. Nicholas, which belonged to a monastery complex. The former is intended for the Benedictines and the latter for the Poor Clares. This fact indicates that closed female religious orders also used galleries to accommodate nuns during the service. This confirms the influence that is likely to have come from the cathedral itself