Catch-up: Saint Theodore

We set out to find Sv. Tudor on a sunny day in early October, the last day of sun before the rains came. At the time of course all we knew was the delight of hiking in pleasant weather on a sun dappled path through pine, over stone, and between stoney walls in an air laden with rosemary and other herb. 

This was my second year church hunting equipped with GPS, but as I had found out last year, without coordinates or a good map showing your target's location, GPS was of limited use.  It could show you where you were but not where you needed to go.  As an aide, then, I had researched some descriptions of the church's location:  "below the mound on Velo Brdo";  "on the northwest slope of the ridge below Crno Korita";   "150 meters west of Zurmo."  (This last bit was either 180 degrees wrong, or we misunderstood what "Zurmo" meant in this context.)

We drove out of Nerezisce, off the pavement, onto the sharp rocky road so typical of the island, past the recently lighting-struck church of Sv. Jakov, and past the turn off to the stone formation Kolac.   The lane narrowed between shrubs and stone walls, changed suddenly from the crushed rock to well-worn stone, plunged, and came to an end --  as far as our auto was concerned -- in an valley, part agriculture, part rusting machinery.   

The pathway that climbed out of this valley was a surprise.  It was wide and elegant, with cut stone curbing and cobble-stones in places, evidently once a pathway of some importance running from the capitol town.  (I have a memory of a section of stones, round and polished as ostrich eggs, heavily eroded between, although when I look at photograps I can't find this.)  Along the way, it offered panoramic views of Nerezisce, the white mountains of the mainland, wooded valleys and piney mountains.  As we walked, we were kept company by Velo Brdo just to the northwest, sporting its enormous, highly visible prehistoric cairn.

Sv. Tudor -- or Theodore -- is a warrior saint especially important in the Eastern Orthdox church.  A general in the Roman army in 4th century Turkey, brought before a tribunal he refused to repent of his Christian faith even though it was a capital crime.  Set free, he attempted to burn a temple to Cybele and was subsequently martyred.  (Note: Cybele takes care of her own.) Tales of his exploits grew so complex and so contradictory, that eventually he was split into two Sv. Theodores, he of Amasea and he of Heraclea, distinguished by a beard with a single point or with two points.  He was the patron saint of the Byzantine army and the first patron saint of Venice until he was dislodged by a pieced together St. Mark in the 9th century as Venice attempted to divest itself of Byzantine influence.

Finding a church here dedicated to him seemed puzzling.  He  is of little importance to the populace now on this Roman Catholic island.  His church here is in ruins and the one in Bol that he shared with St. John was rededicated in the Middle Ages to St. John only.  But then the curator in the island museum in Skrip reminded me of the Byzantine emperor Justinian's reconquest of the Western Roman Empire int the 6th century.  Neighboring Salona was retaken in 536. There was a Byzantine army camp here in Bol.  This small church was evidently built in thanksgiving for victory over the Goths.  And too as I mentioned Sv. Theodore was the patron saint of Venice. And Venice of course ruled Brac for 800 years from the capitol in nearby Nerezisce, just a couple of kilometers away.

And finally and certainly Sv. Tudor known as the dragon slayer  found a welcome for a while at least on this island of vipers and adders until he was replaced by St. George,  his sometime companion and now the patron saint of the island.

Obilivious of this history at the time, we walked on, climbing steadily until we heard sheep, glimpsed briefly, running in their faux-panic through the trees.  Soon after, we came upon the ancient Roman water hole, Zurmo. 

Zurmo is "Roman" in that there once existed a Roman settlement there that used the watering hole for their livestock.  The presence of the nearby tumuli suggests that it has an even older history.  The sheep today suggest that it continues to fulfill its ancient role.  At any rate, it is unmistakable and easily spotted along the trail.  From there, after several false starts trying to interpret the clues I had found, we had the presence of mind to backtrack about 240 paces from the water until we spied an old but distinct path on the south side of the path sweeping up towards the ridge and Crno Korita.  Climbing this a very short way and we found what remains of the 1500 year old church of Sv. Tudor / Theodore.

The ruins are perched on a piney hillside and are perhaps a meter or more high.  The four walls, the semi-circular aspe, and what may be some unusual square column work on its east side are all visible.  The apse is full of toppled stone and dressed stone lies round about.  Sitting atop the stones looking out the doorway facing west, you have a fine view of Velo Brdo before you, the quarry works of Donji Humacs and the site of the old church of Sdv. Illija to your right, and through another piney valley  the sea to your left. Off to the side is a natural sculpture garden,  altars, or perhaps a picnic area, of white stone.  It is very close and beautiful.  You hear the sheep, the wind;  you feel the silent pressure of ages.

At some later time perhaps I will tell of the gift that Sv. Tudor offered me there and of what efforts I subsequently made to claim it.