The Glagolitic script is actually our old Slavic alphabet that dates back to the middle of 9th century.
Baška and Jurandvor are well known exactly because of this script and the famous Baška tablet (Bašćanska ploča) which was discovered in the year 1851.
It was originally found in Jurandvor in the church of St. Lucy and was actually a recording of a land donation done by King Zvonimir to this Benedictine abbey. It dates back to the year 1100. It is made of limestone, weighing over 800 kg and its purpose in the church was to divide the altar from the rest of the church. Effectively dividing common folk from the priests. Sometime in the past, it was laid on the floor which explains why some letters and parts of the tablet are worn out.
Glagolitic script is very important to our island and our country because it represents the foundation of our Croatian language. It also represents the literacy of our Slavic folk and the Baška tablet is the first written record of our culture.
With respect to this valuable heritage, Baška and its people have dedicated a wonderful Glagolitic trail to this area known because of the Baška tablet. This is actually a trail that contains many different sculptures of Glagolitic letters that differ in size and shape. This makes an excellent excuse to explore Baška and its surrounding settlements.
Each sculpture is different, representing a different letter or conveying even multiple letters or a sentence. The biggest and largest letter is the letter “A” near Treskavac. This is even the biggest monolith in Croatia overall! The letter is dedicated to the city of Zagreb.
Some letters are accessible by car, some by walking but all of them invite you to a challenge of exploration and discovery!
Near the source of river Žanac you can find two letters of our alphabet “Ž” and “E” which symbolize the words Žanac est meaning “Žanac is (here)”.
Although most of the sculptures are smaller in size there are a number of stone sculptures that differ from this standard. The letter “A” is huge and so is the letter “L” between Draga Bašćanska and Jurandvor. What makes it special is not only its size and weight but the difference in building. It is made out of three separate stones that lay on one another without any connecting material. This symbolizes our stone walls which are also made this way.
The letter “B” can be found, logically, in front of Baška itself. It was made differently by breaching the stone and removing its interior rather than just by chiseling.
An exception in this trail of Glagolitic letters are two stone “benches” which both contain whole sentences in Glagolitic script.
Another different entry to this trail is a work of art on the riviera. It displays all the common winds of Baška in Glagolitic script and in the middle there is the universal letter Omega standing as a symbol of unity and protection of the whole Baška valley. It also represents eternity and infinity.
This Glagolitic trail contains 36 sculptures which are not only beautiful works of art but also monuments of culture and heritage. By searching for all these letters you will not only discover the mystery of our Glagolitic script but you will also have a great time while discovering the valley of Baška with all its settlements. Enjoy and have fun!
