JURANDVOR, Sept 23 (Hina) - Croatia's Culture Minister on Saturday delivered a speech during a celebration in Jurandvor, on the northern Adriatic island of Krk, marking the 900th anniversary of the Baska Stone Tablet. The minister
described the tablet as the most important among Croatia's ancient Glagolitic monuments.
JURANDVOR, Sept 23 (Hina) - Croatia's Culture Minister on Saturday
delivered a speech during a celebration in Jurandvor, on the
northern Adriatic island of Krk, marking the 900th anniversary of
the Baska Stone Tablet. The minister described the tablet as the
most important among Croatia's ancient Glagolitic monuments.#L#
He reminded that scientists first noticed the tablet in mid-19th
century, assessing it represented a monument of outstanding
importance which testified to the foundation of the Croatian state
and was an indelible mark in national history.
Philologists saw the Baska Stone Tablet as the basis whence to start
researching the Glagolitic script, the history of the Croatian
language, and recently, the history of Croatian literature.
The tablet, dating back to around 1100, is one of the oldest
monuments of the Croatian language, written in Glagolitic letters.
Made of limestone, it is 197cm wide, 99cm high, and 8cm thick. It was
located in St. Lucia's Church near the village of Jurandvor, in the
vicinity of Baska. Engraved in the tablet are 13 lines speaking
about the building of said church and containing the text of a deed
of gift in which Croatian King Zvonimir donated land to the church.
The text also bears the names of the witnesses.
"The 13 lines of text on the Baska Stone Tablet... are sufficient to
make (it) of inestimable worth... For the first time, it bears
testimony to the name of that Croatian king in the national
language," said the culture minister.
He reminded the tablet was a "strong document of the Croatian
people's original creative force on the verge of its affirmation in
early medieval Europe's cultural and political environment."
Vujic said the Baska Stone Tablet "also laid the foundations for the
medieval development of literature and education on Croatian
territory. These foundations were first laid in the ninth century,
and in the 11th and 12th their quantity and quality reached the
level which strengthened further development."
According to Culture Minister, Croatia developed strong relations
with the West in the 11th and 12th century, as testified by numerous
sources and facts discovered along the Adriatic coastline.
He ended his speech to the residents of Croatia's biggest island by
conveying regards from Prime Minister Ivica Racan, who is in
London.
Vujic's speech, which was preceded an address by Croatian President
Stipe Mesic, was followed by a cultural programme marking the 900th
anniversary of the Baska Stone Tablet.
(hina) ha