Gravestones from Mirlović Zagora and Konjevrate

Autor daje kritički prikaz nadgrobnih spomenika na seoskim grobljima u Mirlović Zagori i Konjevratama. Najviše su zastupljeni motivi iz skupine heraldičkih i religijskih simbola te po jedan motiv oružja, oruđa i vrlo rijetko ornamentalni sklop s astronomskim i geofizičkim značenjem. Budući da nema nikakvih izričitih naznaka datacije, što je najčešći slučaj i kod ovih spomenika u Zagori, nastanak im je, temeljeći se na analogijama, okvirno određen u razdoblje od 1400. do 1475.In Mirlović Zagora and Konjevrate, villages in the Šibenik area of the Dalmatian hinterland, there are two necropolises of Medieval tombstone monuments. The once upon a time more numerous group in Mirlović near the church of the Ascension of Mary today numbers 26 tombstones while only one stone-plate has been preserved in Konjevrate near the church of St. John. Besides the at times astounding dimensions, one’s attention is even more drawn by the relief motifs with which the stones are decorated. The most represented heraldic motif is the fleur-de-lis (fig. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9), and its specific characteristic is the base or the foot from which it grows. The reason this motif was accepted was the rule of the Angevin dynasty which had a lilac in its coat-of-arms. The second if we go by numbers is the cross as a fundamental religious symbol (fig. 3, 5, 11, 12). Special attention ought to be paid to the double Y – the cross. Weapons are to be found on one monuments (fig. 13) as well as a ploughshare (fig. 14). Above all it is an aurora borealis motif that excels particularly (fig. 10). Such a spectacular phenomenon could not pass unnoticed which is testified to by Medieval manuscripts and by contemporary figurative images. According to international standardized terminology, it can be seen that in Mirlović Zagora we are dealing with two curtains similar to the letter “C” and one arch in the shape of the upturned letter “T”. Owing to the fact that a half moon is a constituent part of the composition, we can with certainty maintain that the whole image represents the real appearance of the heavenly vault at the moment of the deceased death. Since no inscription exists which could help us date the monument, it remains to determine the period when it was made from 1400 to 1470 by way of analogy with surrounding necropolises. Typologically speaking, eight monuments belong to the group of plates, while seven belong to the casket group. The Medieval tombstones from Mirlović and Konjevrate are a constituent part not only of the corpus of monuments which can be found in the Dalmatian hinterland but of the sepulcher artifacts within the wider area and are the most impressive reflection of a distinct Croatian folk art