In the Gallery of the Museum of Herzegovina in Trebinje, an exhibition titled Terracotta Icons of Vinica Kale has been opened, organized in cooperation with the Local Archaeological Museum Terracotta from Vinica in North Macedonia and the Museum of Herzegovina in Trebinje. The authors of the exhibition are Julijana Ivanova, Blagica Stojanova, and Magdalena Manaskova. Visitors to the Museum of Herzegovina will be able to view the exhibition over the next three weeks.
In the eastern part of North Macedonia, near the town of Vinica, lies the archaeological site – the fortress Vinica Kale.
The first archaeological research at this site began in 1985, confirming that the area was inhabited from the Eneolithic period (5th millennium BC) as the earliest registered phase, up until the 12th century.
The fortress experienced its greatest flourishing during the Late Antique period, from the 4th to the 6th century, as one of the largest military-administrative settlements in the region.
The icons represent one of the most authentic works of Early Christian art discovered on Macedonian territory to date.
They were made of clay (presented in several identical replicas), modeled with the help of molds in which the front of the plaques contained relief depictions with specific iconographic content.
The artistic representations include textual segments in Latin script, referring either to the identification of figures or to the visualization of short religious texts.
The motifs are drawn from the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, featuring striking Old Testament scenes, illustrated psalms, and portraits of Christian saints.
Source: RTRS
