state of built heritage from late antiquity in nis facing the celebration of 1700 years since the...

7/25/2019 State of Built Heritage From Late Antiquity in Nis Facing the Celebration of 1700 Years Since the Creation of -Libre

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- 2012

15-17 201215-17 NOVEMBER 2012

International Jubilee Conference UACEG2012: Science & PracticeUNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL ENGINEERING AND GEODESY

STATE OF BUILT HERITAGE FROM LATE ANTIQUITY IN CITY

OF NIS FACING THE CELEBRATION OF 1700 YEARS SINCE THE

CREATION OF MILAN EDICT

A. Miric1, E. Vasic Petrovic2, A. Marinkovic3

Keywords: late antique, heritage, protection of historical monuments, Nais, Mediana

Research area:protection of historical monuments

ABSTRACT

City of Nis, the birthplace of Roman emperor Constantine I the Great, that in313AD signed the Milan edict- the proclamation of religious freedom in the Roman Empire,is one of the oldest and largest cities in Serbia. Material traces of life from prehistoric, antic,Byzantium and medieval periods are integrated in modern city core and are largely defining

its character.According to existing strategies of City of Nis cultural and touristic development,year 2013 will be dedicated to celebration of 1700 years since adoption of Milan edict.

Numerous projects of promotion of religious and ethnic tolerance, as well as valorization andpopularization of built heritage, will be realized before and during the festivities. Particularimportance belongs to the projects of preservation, presentation and popularization of lateantiquity period built heritage.

This work presents the results of efforts to protect late antiquity built heritage ofCity of Nis through the prism of critical analyses of state of the antique monuments and

possibilities for their sustainable management before and after the jubilant 2013.

1. The City of Nis in the late antiquity

City of Nis, antique Naissus, was located in the center of the Roman province UpperMoesia (Moesia Superior), at the crossroads of major antique roads. Epigraphic data

provides information that the city core was formed in the last decade of 1st century AD. In 2nd

century AD Naissus was one four largest cities in Dardania. Not only the soldiers and their

1 Aleksandra Miric, Phd student, IRAA, Universit de Lyon, France, [email protected] Elena Vasic Petrovic, Post.grad. student, University of Belgrade, Serbia, [email protected] Aleksandra Marinkovic, Phd student, University of Nis, Serbia, [email protected]


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families, but also numerous merchants and artisans inhabited the city. In the second half of

the 2nd

century AD Naissus acquired the status ofmunicipium. In the first decades of the 3rd

century AD the city reached a very high level of development and became an importantmilitary, economic and political center of the region. In the 4th century AD Naissus belongedto the newly created province of Mediterranean Dacia (Dacia Mediterranea). In this periodthe city became the residence of the Roman Emperor, who remained here and thanks towhose activities Naissus witnessed significant architectural activities. Constantine the Great,

born on the territory of ancient Naissus, ruled the kingdom from 306 AD to 337 AD. Thegreatest merit to the increase of number of luxury buildings is attributed to his stays in

Naissus. One of the most important and far-reaching consequences decisions of his reign,was his proclamation of "Edict of Milan", signed in 313 AD, which proclaims freedom ofreligious expression.

The incoming 2013 is the year of the great jubilee "1700 years since the Edict ofMilan, so the attention of the scientific community is focused on the study and presentation

of cultural monuments that date from late antiquity. Their state and possibilities for theirsustainable management will be presented in the lines below.

2. Late antiquity built heritage of City of Nis

The most important monuments, legacy of the late Roman period, in the urbanstructure of modern Nis are: Nis fortress, archaeological site Gradsko polje, archaeologicalsite Jagodin Mala, Square of King Milan and its surroundings, the archaeological founds inGorica hill and Vinik hill, archaeological site Mediana and archaeological founds in NiskaBanja.

Ottoman fortress, constructed in 18th century AD on a slight hill on the right riverbank, took place of destructed antique fortress [1]. All the available material from older

buildings was used for the construction of Ottoman walls and bastions fort, whichcontributed to the poor condition of the antique archaeological findings.Archaeological site Gradsko polje, where a number of antique remains have been

registered, is a plateau located just outside of the north gate of Nis Fortress. The greatest partof that space is occupied by large industrial and military complex, so the archaeologicalfounds are unavailable to the public.

The remains of the city's largest antique cemetery is in Jagodin Mala. It was locatedalong the axis of the road that led to the northeast Naissus, on the right river bank. Thenecropolis was in use during the period from 4th century to 6th century AD.

Even though the following founds are not presented, it is useful to mention thefollowing late-antique locations situated in city core: Pantelej, Ribnik, Beograd Mala, TrgKralja Milana, Apelovac, Ciglana and Stara zeleznicka kolonija on the south bank of theriver.

Besides Vinik and Gorica, where residential buildings, villas and water supplyconstructions are registered, the suburb of ancient Naissus, Mediana is importantarchaeological complex, which is partially explored. Looking at the wider area of the city, itis necessary to mention the tombs discovered in Niska Banja


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3. The state of research and protection

When the Serbian army liberated Nis from the Turks, the works on reconstruction andreorganization of Nis fortress started. In the late 19th century, the Lapidarium of epigraphicmonuments found in the ancient Naissus and archaeological sites in the region, was formed,see [2]. Lapidarium is still there, but the condition of the monuments that are exposed toweather and temperature fluctuations is very bad. Among the various antique structuresfound in the Fortress, the most attention have attracted the remains of the street (called"Byzantine street") with porticos and buildings dating from 4th century AD, that is found onthe south side of the Bali Beg mosque. This part is conserved after the archaeologicalresearch, but from that time until today, nothing further has been done on its maintenanceand presentation. A large number of archaeological founds are researched and covered: partsof water supply construction and several facilities of unknown purpose, the remains of metalworkshops, but also elements that have shown the existence of religious (cult) facility in the

later stages of construction, see [3]. At the central plateau of the fortress well-preservedremains of "ancient streets" were discovered, with a well-finished stone slabs, a portico withcolumns and remains of a public building with a rich architectural decoration. In the south

below the excavated parts are remains of "building with arches". In the southwestern part ofthe fortress are the finds of the remains that may belong to "Asclepius temple".

All that is currently visible of impressive findings on the central plateau, well-preserved pieces of ancient streets and public buildings, is only the indefinite recess in whichcan be discerned the outlines of the former architectural elements. A conserved part ofByzantine street and termae near Belgrade gate are still in good condition, butunfortunately, like other buildings in the fort, has no signs and written information, so theyare completely incomprehensible to observers and visitors.

Numerous finds dating from late antiquity and Byzantium period that were foundoutside the fortress walls are covered or destructed, so no remains are presented to thevisitors.

Near to Nis Fortress, at Gradsko polje archaeological site, a building named "Villawith octagon" was discovered,. It is assumed that this was a luxury facility that could servethe needs of senior provincial government and royal officials, and Emperors themselves. The

presence of mosaic and floor heating systems is determined in all investigated areas.Researches were never completed. "Villa with Octagon" is, as many other archaeologicalstructures, only preventively conserved, so its decay progressively increase with eachsuccessive changes of seasons. The effect of atmospheric conditions and parasite vegetationinfluence is disastrous for the rest of this very important building, see [4].

There are a many late antique buildings with a mosaic floors discovered in Naissus.One of them is a remarkable Roman villa of larger dimensions situated at the locationKonjsko groblje, contemporary military complex in Jagodin mala. Facility has not beenstudied systematically. The Remains of buildings were found in many archaeological probes,so it is possible that the villa covered an area of 600m2, see [2]. The villa is not presented.

Researches of the antique necropolis at Jagodin Mala run sporadically from the firsthalf of twentieth century. From that time until now six tombs with frescoes, dozens of brickvaulted tombs and hundreds of free burial graves have been investigated. Only Basilica withMartyrium and mentioned tombs with frescoes ("Tomb with Christ-monogram," "Tomb ofthe Christ-monogram at the ceiling," "Tomb with the calottes," "Tomb of the north-southorientation" and 2 more Tombs at the courtyard of the House of secondary school students)are accessible. Condition of graves in Jagodin Mala is catastrophic. Protective buildingserected over their entrances are ruined and full of rubbish. Neither one of them has their


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guardian instution; no one invests in their maintenance nor exploits their potential. Forgotten

by all but researchers who write about them and publish photos and drawings from the timeof their discovery, these valuable early Christian monuments are in unrecognizable state.Mediana is an important archaeological site from the late Roman period located in the

eastern suburb of the Roman Naissus and it is his best-preserved part. The site dates to thereign of Constantine the Great, see [5]. Except representative villa withperistyle, excavationsdating from the beginning of 19th century have revealed baths, horreum, crafts center, earlyChristian church and great number of late antique houses. One part of antique suburb was

beyond the legally protected archaeological site, so the construction of the industrial zonecaused an irreversible destruction of archaeological remains. In the area of the factorycomplex of electronic industry a large tank with a water tower used to supply the suburb, wasdiscovered, and later destructed, see [6]. Research works on this huge area are still going on,and on several occasions the remains of antique architecture has been conservated andreconservated.

Even though Mediana was added to the Archaeological Sites of ExceptionalImportance list, protected by Republic of Serbia, only the well-preserved mosaics protectedin situ by the museum building erased in1936 are presented. The rest of more than 900m2 offloor mosaic is covered by sand and not presented in any way, see [7].

3. Actual projects

In recent years the City of Nis has made an effort in defining the Strategy of culturaldevelopment, and in adopting the Qualicities standard. Qualicities methodology and LocalPlan of the progress of sustainable architectural heritage development for the city of Nis, isadopted at the Assembly of Nis in December 2011. The goal of methodology Qualicities isthe differentiation of the local community as a whole of specific cultural and historical

values that are positively valued by residents and visitors. In these documents, thepresentation of late antique cultural heritage as an attractive resource, on which the city ofNis have been recognized, is given special attention , see [8].

The latest plans of the city authorities are focused, among other, on the antiquemonuments situated in Nis Fortress and Gradsko polje. These plans, to some extent, givehope that serious reflection and planning will take place and will open opportunities for its

permanent protection and better utilization. As a result of this initiative in 2011, Nis Institutefor Protection of Monuments of Culture made a Conceptual project of landscape design andrevitalization of Fortress of Nis, which has elements of the strategy document, see [9]

Moreover, the idea of the architect N. Petrovic-Spremo from the year of 1965. hasbeen actualizated. It was a plan to make an archaeological park Mediana. The project for apresentation of the Villa with peristyle, which includes the presentation of a part of themosaics, is in progress. Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments Nis developed a

number of projects that are aimed at the presentation of the archaeological site. In the courseof 2011, the project of construction of small visitor center at the entrance to the site isrealized, see [10].

The implementation of these initiatives gives us a chance to improve the condition ofthe archaeological remains in terms of their protection and presentation.


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3. Conclusion

Poor condition of late antique built heritage defies City of Nis efforts to build itseconomic growth on cultural heritage presentation, as well as modern trends of revitalizationof world architectural heritage.

Extreme economic crisis that marked the previous period, the continued lack offunding for planned actions, the lack of continuity in the study and maintenance of culturalheritage material, the lack of accountability in the organization and management of urbanresources and urban planning and inadequate exploitation of the entire space to a large extent

prevented or limited the professional timely, preventive and operative engagement ofappropriate protection regime, as well as the maintenance and use of Nis cultural heritage.The current situation is a reflection of the impact of economic, social and politicalcircumstances in the development of the city.

Causes for such a situation include also continual neglect and incomplete research and

conservatory interventions which did not remove numerous essential problems thatcontribute to devastation of constructions. Lack of strategies to research, protection andsystematic presentation of late antique monuments and delayed implementation of existingconservation projects could result in significant damage and complete disappearance ofarchaeological remains. Exactly for these reasons, reexamination of possibilities forconservation and re-conservation of architectural heritage is imposed.

One of the factors of which, in the context of globalization, the success of the City ofNis and the entire region, is depending and which is affecting the quality of life andeconomic progress is the preservation of architectural heritage of great cultural and historicalsignificance. Its value is reflected in the high potential for territorial differentiation of thespecific environment and local economic development. The role of late antiquearchaeological remains, as an important element of heritage, is very important in the process.However, the realization process of protecting and presenting in a way that contributes to

local economic development is conditioned by the existence of a permanent budget line forthe implementation of programs and activities designed and coordinated on the level of inter-institutional and professional collaboration.

Nis archaeological heritage should have great significance for understanding thehistory and understanding of cultural, religious, political and social conditions in generalearly Christian period. The incoming jubilee "1700 years since the Edict of Milan, wasevidently a good opportunity to think and rethink the late antique heritage state. It is evidentthat an initiative of its improvement was made. The question is not only if the multi-layered

Nis Fortress, tombs found in residential zone of Jagodin Mala, ancient buildings of Medianalocated few inches below the level of the soil, are managed in a proper, sustainable way, butalso if our generation will accomplish its duty to preserve them for the upcominggenerations.

4. Citation

[1] According to Petrovi, 1993, The segments of its urban structure are registeredduring previous research, but it is not enough to assume the dimensions of the ancientfortifications, the position of roads and buildings.

[2] More information in Andrejevi, 2001[3] More information in Ljubinkovi, 1963


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[4] According to, Jeremic, 2006, the surface of villa is 300m2. According to Vasic-

Petrovic, 2011, the project for the conservation and restoration and the financial support wereapproved in 2012, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture.[5] Group of authors, Encyclopedia of Nis-history, Gradina, Ni 1995[6] More information in Dra, 2006[7] according to Miric/Vasic-Petrovic, 2012, Floor mosaics of late antique buildings

from Naissus and its environment are not adequately protected and presented. The onlypermanent shelter is built above a small triclinium mosaics of the Villa with peristyle atMediana, the temporary shelters are built above mosaics of early Christian church with themonogram of Christ, mosaic floor of the hallway in theperistyle villa and mosaics from theVilla with conch are displaced. Other mosaics are not available for the public.

[8] According to Miric, 2012, Becoming a member of European Capitals of CultureAssociation and accepting Qualicities methodological guideline, Nis has shown multiannualtendency to use the potential of heritage for improvement of economic, social and cultural

life and to respect the European standards for heritage management.[9] According to Vasic-Petrovic, 2011, the project for planning and revitalization of

Nis fortress provides the plans for systematic research and presentation of the ancientheritage, including Villa with the octagon and its mosaic.

[10] According to Vasic-Petrovic, 2011, the financial support was provided by CityMunicipality Mediana

LITERATURE

Andrejevi, B, Lapidarijum u tvravi, u:Spomenici Nia-zatiena kulturna dobra odvelikog i izuzetnog znaaja, Drugo izdanje, Prosveta, Ni, 2001

Dra, S, Medijana, Nis, 2006

Group of authors, Encyclopedia of Nis-history, Gradina, Ni 1995Jeremi, G, Mozaici graevine sa oktogonom iz antikog Naisa, u: M. Rakocija (ur.),Ni i Vizantija, Peti nauni skup Ni, 3-5. jun 2006. Zbornik radova V, Ni 2007, 87.

Ljubinkovi, R, Tvrava, Ni-srednjevekovna tvrava, u: M.Garaanin(ur.),Arheoloki pregled br.5, 1963

Miric A., Experiences and results in the application of European standards Qualicitiesat the example of Nis, Local government in planning and spatial planning and settlement,Proc.of the 4th scientific symposium with international participation, Belgrade 2012, 486-487

Miri, A, Vasi Petrovi, E, Possible use of modern tretmans and materials forconservation of outer walls and architectural heritage within Nis fortress, 2nd InternationalScientific Meeting, GTZ 2012, Tuzla, June 07-09, 2012

Miric, A, Vasi Petrovic, E, Presentation opportunities of residential and publicbuildings floor mosaics from late antique Naissus and its environment, Phidac 2012, Nis,

2012, (proceeding in publishing).Petrovi, P, Naissus, zadubina cara Konstantina, u Rimski carski gradovi i palate uSrbiji-Sirmium, Romuliana, Naissus (priredio D.Srejovi), Srpska akademija nauka iumetnosti, Beograd, 1993

Vasi Petrovi, E, Planning and revitalization of the Ni fortress, in Z.emeriki(ed.), Architect, Journal of Architects of Nis society, No.35-36, Ni, 2012, p.54-574.

Vasi Petrovi, E, Ranohriansko naslee u okvirima savremenog Nia, Nauni skupHriansko naslee Romulijane, u susret 1700-godinjici Milanskog edikta 30.april 2011,Zajear-Gamzigrad, (proceeding in publishing)

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