engleski

The early Christian church in Gata, Croatia: The sacral architecture from Justinian’s time in the rural landscape on the eastern Adriatic coast

The early Christian church in Gata is a unique building from Justinian’s time situated on the eastern Adriatic coast in Croatia. Gata is a village located at the foot of the mountain Mosor, near the river Cetina. It is identified with the ancient village Gedatae which was located about 25 km southeast of Salona, capital of the Roman province Dalmatia. During the Roman period Gedatae and its surroundings were inhabited by roman citizens who resided in a scattered villae rusticae. In addition to them, during the early Christian period a sacral architecture was built. Scholars perceived this sacral complex as an important contribution to the Christianization of the eastern Adriatic coast in Justinian's time. The aim of this paper is to determine the role of Gata and its surroundings in the early Byzantine era with regard to the archaeological findings and a high reach of early Christian architecture of this area.

Gata; early Christian church; late Antique graves; villae rusticae

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