Zalai Múzeum 11. Kereszténység Pannóniában az első évezredben (Zalaegerszeg, 2002)

Migotti, Branka: Early Christianity in Aquac Iasae

Early Christianity in Aquae lasae (Varazdinske Topi ice) and lovia (Ludbreg) in Pannónia Savia 57 discarded, desperately needs more convincing substantiation. There is, however, another spot within the archaeological topography of Ludbreg, possibly indicative of a Christian site. The present-day parish church of the Holy Trinity in the far north-western corner of the town overlay a medieval predecessor, which had itself been erected directly above the late Roman fortifications (Fig. 13). The church is oriented, and in its immediate vicinity an abundance of late Roman and early medieval small finds, as well as remains of walls, were found during the excavations in 1968-1979. Since it was not possible to excavate beneath the floor of the modern church, only a more or less plausible hypothesis remains that this should be the place to look for an episcopal complex, if such had ever existed there. Given all the pros and cons for the existence of an early Christian see at Ludbreg and Alsóheténypuszta respectively, a question arises of whether there is any argument at all in favour of Ludbreg, that is, the lovia of Pannónia Savia. On closer scrutiny, not many. Yet, it is useful to call to mind that Aquae lasae was another early Christian site which failed to produce any small finds of religious significance. This comes close to an archaeological enigma, as those sections of the settlement that have been excavated were researched thoroughly in the course of the long-term planned excavations in 1953-1982. Ludbreg was also archaeologically researched over a ten-year period (1968-1979), but only rescue excavations employing limited and sparse soundings were conducted there, leaving much of the area untouched. Therefore the majority of the archaeological record remained below ground, and, moreover, hardly accessible to scholarly excavation on account of the living urban organism on the surface. In other words, unexpected, or rather, expected, finds might be awaiting there. It would be interesting to quote in this context Dr. Mirja Jarak of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb who, seeking to defend the theory of an episcopal see at present-day Ludbreg, in only two sentences condensed the pressing problems of the early Christian archaeology of northern Croatia. It goes: Ifit is known that Hungarian early Christian, and in general late Roman finds are very numerous and rich, while they are scarce in Croatia, the extensive finds from Heténypuszta do not represent an argument for the location of a bishopric in this town. Other Croatian sites, such as Sisak, Osijek and Vinkovci, also have very scarce early Christian finds (in the sense of a lack of early Christian architecture), but nontheless no one considers that Siscia, Mursa and Cibalae should be relocated elswhere because of this.,

48 These true and witty remarks are eloquent not only of the specific issue of the see of lovia but also of the circumstances of northern Croatian early Christian archaeology as a whole. It comes out clearly from the above-mentioned data that without further archaeological research neither the question of the diocese lovia nor any other similar problematic issue of the early Christian horizon in northern Croatia is likely to be succesfully thrown into light. Note: 1 Migotti 1997. 2 Tóth 1994,247. 3 Mócsy 1974, 117; Barkóczi 1980, 86, 90-92; Fitz 1980, 164; Lengyel - Radan 1980, 25; Póczy 1980, 239; Fülep 1984, 285; Sasel 1992; Poulter 1996, 118, 122. 4 Mócsy - Szentléleky 1971, 32; Mócsy 1974, 307-308 5 Fitz 1980, 169; Tóth 1994, 244-245; Jarak 1996, 265. 6 Catalogue; Migotti 1997. 7 Gorenc - Vikic 1979. 8 Hoffiller - Saria 1938, 205-211; Rendic-Miocevic 1992, 74. 9 Krautheimer 1963, 8, passim; Yegül 1992, 317-322; Salway 1993, 514; Migotti 1999, 64-65. 10 Rendic-Miocevic 1992, 68; Bratoz 1996, 304-305. 11 Migotti 1999, 54-58. 12

Pohlsander 1996,21-44. 13 Vikic-Belanőic - Gorenc 1961, 210-212. 14 Vikic-Belancic 1978, 590-591; Migotti 1997, 33-35. 15 Migotti 1999. 16 Vikic-Belancic-Gorenc 1961, 210-212; Yegül 1992,488. 17 Gorenc-Vikié 1979,37. 18 Migotti 1997,79-80. 19 Dorigo 1966, 125-125, passim; Migotti 1999, 76-77. 20 Gorenc - Vikic 1979,45. 21 Bilaniuk 1998, 381, passim. 22 Vikic-Belancic 1978,590. 23 Migotti 1997,54. 24 Mócsy 1962,750. 25 After discarding Fitz's hypothesis of Iovia/Ludbreg in Pannónia Valeria and placing it rightly in Pannónia Savia (Tóth 1982, 70), unexpectedly Endre Tóth changed his mind and started repeatedly to note down this settlement as a place in Panonia Prima ( 1989, 390-91 ; 1994, 252). As far as I know he never bothered to argue this attitude.