After settling the territory of their present
homeland, the Croats accepted Christianity in the period between the seventh and eighth
centuries, and entered the world of European culture and civilization as members of the
Roman Catholic Church. Friars from Western Europe who came to Croatia at the invitation of
Croatian princes and kings helped to strengthen Christianity in Croatia. They established
the now renowned Benedictine monasteries which became centers of spiritual life in Croatia
and the cradle of literacy, culture and civilization. Moreover, the Benedictines created
the oldest Croatian medieval church codices ornamented with initials and miniatures
depicting Christmas motifs. Many friars copied a number of medieval royal charters, as
well.
By accepting Christianity and Christian culture and civilization, Croatian rulers accepted
European ideals as well, and established their own chancelleries by following in the
footsteps of European rulers. That is why the dating of the oldest Croatian documents was
deeply-rooted in the Christian era and Christian holidays dated from the birth and
incarnation of Jesus. King Petar Kre?imir IV, for instance, granted a benefice to the
Benedictine monastery of St. John the Baptist which exempted it from paying all taxes in
"1059, in the Year of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, our Lord." Moreover,
Dalmatian bishops and the bishops from northern Adriatic diocese held a synod in the
presence of Petar Kre?imir IV on Christmas 1066. On this occasion, the nun Cika from the
Zadar Convent of St. Mary applied to Petar Kre?imir IV to exempt her convent from the
payment of local taxes, which he did. These privileges were confirmed to the monastery by
Kre?imir's successor, the new Croatian King Dmitar Zvonimir, beginning with the words:
"In the name of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in the year of our Lord 1075."
There are a number of other Croatian medieval charters which are dated according to
Christ's birth or resurrection.
The presence of Christmas is also shown by the many beautiful Christmas carols. This is
particularly true of the best-known Christmas carols such as those that begin with the
words "God was born in Bethlehem," and "All seasons of the year,"
which were recorded in an old Glagolitic manuscript from the beginning of the fifteenth
century. An old Croatian Glagolitic missal was written at roughly the same time. It begins
with the world "Praise be to God the Father/Who sent us his Son." At the
beginning of the eighteenth century, the famous hymnal Cithara octochorda was published.
It contains many Christmas songs in a lovely rendering of the Kajkavian dialect, among
them the well-known carol "The King of Heaven is born to Us." Moreover, the
church hymns from Cithara octochorda were harmonized in the nineteenth century and thus
their tradition and substantial value have been preserved up to the present day.
Scenes of the birth of Jesus Christ can be found in the oldest Croatian sculptures and
paintings. Almost every cathedral in Croatia has them, and more than a few rural churches
are decorated with such representations of Christ's birth. Among the oldest and most
valuable art works containing Christmas themes and messages is the portal of the cathedral
in Trogir. On this thirteenth century masterpiece, Master Radovan succeeded in connecting
scenes of Christ's birth, the journey of the Three Kings and the adoration of the
shepherds. The belfry of the cathedral in Split bears large reliefs of the Annunciation
and the Nativity, made by artisans from Radovan's circle also in the mid-thirteenth
century. Somewhat earlier, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the well-known
Croatian sculptor Andrija Buvina made the gates for the same cathedral which bear scenes
from Christ's life, including the Annunciation and the Nativity. These works are also
notable because they bear signs of the traditional old Croatian lattice motif. The oldest
depictions of the Nativity can be found on an ivory diptych from the treasury of the
Zagreb cathedral which was made in the ninth century.
There are numerous other artistic works that testify to the deep roots of the Christmas
tradition and its messages among the Croatian people. Among these, the most notable are
the illuminations on manuscripts, particularly breviaries made for both private and public
use. Since the 500th anniversary of the birth of Julije Klovic was recently
celebrated, we should note the breviary made in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which
Klovic illuminated with numerous miniatures. Among the finest scenes painted by Klovic are
the Nativity, the Adoration of the Shepherds, the Presentation of the Three Kings and the
Holy Family. It is believed that Julije Klovic painted the renowned Missal of Juraj de
Topusko, in which there is also a miniature of the Nativity. Parts of this Missal are
today kept in the treasury of the cathedral in Zagreb. (Agneza Szabo, Matica)