THE EARLY-MODERN ZADAR TRANSCRIPTS OF THE PASSION OF ST. ANASTASIA AND ST-CHRYSOGONUS: ORIGIN AND INTERRELATIONS

The paper presents the results of the research of the Zadar manuscript tradition of the oldest layer of hagiography addressing two patron saints of Zadar - St. Anastasia (Stogija) and St. Chrysogonus (Krsevan). Starting from the assumption that the late-Mediaeval Codex Filippi belongs to the oldest preserved layer of the Zadar hagiography, the author analyses the relation of the parts of the Passio S. Anastasiae preserved in this codex to later Zadar transcripts of the same legend. Discussing the relations among the known early-Modern transcripts of the Passio S. Anastasiae, the author distinguishes between those deriving from the Codex Filippi and those having no direct connection to it. Questioning how well founded the assumption that there are two layers of the Zadar Passio" is, the author notices many oversights in the earlier interpretations, nevertheless not rejecting the possibility of the existence of an older layer of local memory related to St. Anastasia. The central conclusion of the discussion is that the preserved Zadar hagiography has very early been formed in concordance with Roman tradition, so that it fits perfectly into the Latin hagiography of the Sirmian martyr. Though the author warns of the fact that a uniform interpretation of a set of indications related to the admiration of St. Anastasia in Zadar is impossible, he nevertheless indicates to a possible interpretation of the earliest forms thereof in the context of the martyr's Cult in Constantinople".