The Knežević Family and the Renovation of Former Pauline Monastery in Čakovec in Early 19th Century – Interpreting Historical Records and Archaeological Traces

U ovom radu govori se o sudbini čakovečkog pavlinskog kompleksa nakon ukinuća pavlinskog reda na području Habsburške Monarhije 1786. godine. U prvo vrijeme brigu o bivšim samostanskim građevinama preuzima Ugarska dvorska komora, a početkom 19. stoljeća njihov vlasnik postaje barun Vinko Knežević, koji cijeli nekadašnji samostanski sklop pretvara u svoju privatnu rezidenciju. Govoreći o samostanskom kompleksu, možemo utvrditi da je to njegova posljednja građevinska faza, izuzev kasnijeg stilskog ujednačavanja vanjštine crkvenog svetišta. Nakon Kneževića slijedi degradacija i u konačnici rušenje samostanskih zgrada, najvjerojatnije potkraj 19. stoljeća. Od čitavog kompleksa danas se u cijelosti očuvalo samo svetište nekadašnje samostanske crkve pretvoreno u kapelu sv. Jelene, dok je ostatak u arheološkom sloju. Analizom pronađenih temelja zidova te dostupne literature i dokumentacije, izdvojene su arheološke strukture koje se mogu pripisati toj građevinskoj fazi, ali se ne isključuje mogućnost da one u velikoj mjeri nastaju još u baroknoj pregradnji samostanskog sklopa.The Knežević family has its roots in the old Croatian-Hungarian nobility that originated from Hercegovina, where their main estate was in Broćno (Brotnjo). As a result of Ottoman conquests and ongoing warfare, the family moved to Croatia, namely to Krbavsko Polje, where they gained hold of estates in Gračac. Thanks to the military record of some members of the family, in 1763 Maria Theresa issued Martin Knežević a Hungarian charter of nobility, granting him baronetcy. In the early 19th century, Martin’s sons exchanged their estates in Gračac for those in Međimurje, i.e. for the estates of the Čakovec Pauline Monastery which was disbanded in 1786. This is how the family got hold of the villages of Šenkovec, Mačkovec, Zasad, Knezovec, and a larger part of the market centre of Štrigova with the nearby village of Leskovec, including all appurtenances of the former Paulines. Initially, the estates were owned by all the Knežević brothers, namely Vinko, Juraj, Antun, Ivan, Petar and Leopold, while the sisters, Marijana and Cecilija, were given dowries. Vinko and Ivan then bought portions of the estates in Međimurje from their brothers, thus becoming sole owners of Sveta Jelena and Štrigova with accompanying estates. They divided the Međimurje estates between themselves, whereby Vinko became the owner of Sveta Jelena and Ivan of Štrigova. Although Vinko had three sons, after his death only his son Ivan is recorded, probably as the sole heir to the estate of Sveta Jelena. After him, the estate passed down to Count Feštetić, whereas Štrigova remained in the hands of the Knežević family. Vinko Knežević and his heirs played a vital role during the first half of the 19th century in preserving the former Čakovec Pauline Monastery. They transformed it into their private residence, a mansion to be precise, in accordance with the living requirements of this noble family. Buildings that were unnecessary, as well as those they considered to be beyond repair, were brought down. Nonetheless, even if the church nave, belfry and the side chapel – the so-called Zrinski Mausoleum – were demolished, and the sanctuary of the church walled up approximately where the triumphal arch once was and turned into the present-day chapel of St. Helen, the intervention can still be considered a positive one, as the ensemble of the monastery was preserved and renovated, clearly, by respecting the condition in which it was found. Today, the former monastery complex, save for the chapel of St. Helen, is preserved only in its archaeological layer. The first archaeological explorations were undertaken as early as 1924, while systematic investigations were conducted later, in the period between 1990 and 2002. As after these investigations it was still impossible to determine more precisely the archaeological structures, a revision archaeological research was launched and conducted in two campaigns of 2011 and 2012. Having analyzed all available documentation, sources, literature and the structures revealed, it can be concluded that a major portion of the foundations that were discovered matches the condition of the architecture after it was transformed into a private residence of Baron Vinko Knežević, in the early 19th century. This is best witnessed when the discovered foundations are compared to the surviving cadastral plans and layout of the monastery, which all originated in the early 19th century. Given the historical records of the reconstructions of the monastery wings and considering the fact that the Knežević family was not wealthy enough to bring down the monastery and erect a mansion in its place – which ultimately proved unnecessary – we are at liberty to conclude that the majority of the found archaeological structures attributed to this phase also belongs to the Baroque renovation of the monastery. A portion of the structures, such as the bay windows, did originate in the 19th century. However, the basic spatial layout set in the Baroque period remained largely preserved until the building was demolished in the late 19th century