ARCHEOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE ROTUNDA OF HORIANY

Abstract

The research of the monuments in the eastern suburbs of Uzhhorod in the Rotunda tract of Horiany region was one of the most important solutions to the cardinal questions in the Middle Ages History of the Carpathian region. This territory has been defined in the Scientific History as a possible place of localization of the Slavonic fortified settlement – Ung. This hypothesis is based on the existence of the rotunda which is the oldest stony sacral building in Transcarpathia. The scientists don’t know exactly the date of its foundation. The assumption of the rotunda’s age is waving from the 10 th to the13 th centuries. Unfortunately, the scientists don’t have any true, written data about the time of the church’s erection. It this case, the archaeological materials can be the basic ones to define the time of rotunda’s building and the kinds of people’s activities around the rotunda in the following periods. The lack of the published materials of the previous investigations of the rotunda and the necessity to specify their chronology and stratigraphy of the monument induced the archaeological expedition of Uzhhorod National University to begin the excavations in the rotunda’s surroundings. The area of about 700 m² has been investigated during seven years (2007-2009, 2012-2014 and 2016) (fig. 3), the most part of which is situated at the church (fig. 4). As a result, a valuable collection of findings of the Middle Ages and the Modern period has been collected. The analysis of these materials shows that the erection of the rotunda of Horiany could be dated not early than the end of the 13 th century or the first years of the 14 th century. At that time Uzhanshchyna was under the rule of the Aba dynasty (1279-1317). A cemetery was laid out at the church’s walls where people had been buried till the end of the 17 th century. Eventually the church began to play more important role. As a result, the rectangular Gothic nave was attached to the rotunda in the middle of the 15 th century. Thus, it became the altar part of the cathedral. At the same time the stone walls and a small rectangular construction were being built, the foundation of which had been found from the eastern side of the church (fig. 4). We could suppose surely that these architect changes were connected with the activity of the noble Drugeths dynasty who were the owners of Uzhanshchyna at that time. Their fortified palace was stranding not far from the rotunda (80 meters in the south east from the church). The walls surrounding the church were destroyed at the end of the 17 th century. Later, the sacristy was added to the church at the beginning of the 18 th century. It is one of the latest annexes of this monument. During the restoration its eastern wall was crashed and a new one was erected nearer the nave in 1912 (fig. 4). Only due to these works the church has got a modern look.