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The amphitheater in Pula or the Pula Arena (popularly known as
Divić-grad) is the largest and best-preserved monument of ancient
architecture in Croatia. Comparing it with more than 200 Roman
amphitheatres, the mantle of the Pula amphitheater with four stair
towers is the best-preserved and rare example of unique technical
and technological solutions. In terms of size, it ranks 6th among
Roman amphitheatres in the world, and is the only one in the world
whose three Roman architectural orders have been completely
preserved. The Pula amphitheater is placed alongside the Colosseum
in Rome, the Arena in Verona, the amphitheaters in Pompeii, Nimes
and Arles in France and El Djem in Tunisia. It is surprising that
the Arena, as an indisputable cultural treasure of Croatia and the
world, is not yet on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Croatia
nominated Arena twice for Lista, and then withdrew its candidacy.
The Arena adorns (together with the floor plan of Motovun) the
reverse side of the 10 kuna banknote.
The wall mantle with large semicircular openings is built of native
limestone. The internal parts of the foundation, which were not visible,
as well as the walls of the internal technical corridors, passages and
stairs, were built of small stones bound with plaster, with a plastered
surface. The stone for the construction of the amphitheatre was
delivered to the construction site from the quarries around Pula, which
were along the Sea coast, because the large blocks for the construction
of the imposing viewing point and the outer mantle, which has been
preserved until today, were the easiest to transport by sea to the port
of Pula. There are more quarries around Pula, but the most famous is
vinkuranski which is still known today under the name Cave Romane.
Extremely geometrically regular building, it has an elliptical
appearance with a length of 132.45 m (long axis), width of 105.10 m
(short axis) and height on the sea side up to 32 meters. Due to
simplification and stability, the eastern part of the structure with
only two floors was laid on a natural elevation. The western part of the
amphitheatre, facing the sea, was built on three floors. The center of
the amphitheatre is a battlefield or arena measuring 67.90 x 41.60 m,
and from the space for spectators was separated by a 1.16 m wide channel
covered with panels. The arena itself was entered at two main entrances
in the direction of its long axis and at several side entrances. The
name arena comes from lat. harena = sand, because in Roman times it was
sprinkled with sand, which was also sprinkled with traces of blood of
humans and animals after every battle.
The spectator area was
located above the arena itself and expanded like an ellipsoidal funnel
in concentric stepped rows of stone seats. The floors were connected to
each other by stairs. The space for spectators (cavea) was covered with
canvas or velari, and could accommodate about 23,000 spectators, who
from the staircase that surrounded the entire central flat area - the
battlefield, could follow gladiatorial and similar fights and often
bloodthirsty scenes with beasts.
A total of 15 passages led to
the amphitheater. The four towers on the exterior facade contained twin
staircases that entered the upper floors. Each of the four towers had
two water spills and devices for spraying scented water around the
theatre. Below the battlefield in the direction of its long axis was a
room with columns and pilasters carrying the ceiling, and in it were
located the arrangements for the scene. Below the battlefield there was
also a system of channels for collecting water that was drained into the
sea. Also found were the remains of a corridor leading to the Northeast,
which probably connected the amphitheatre with a building for Gladiators
located in its immediate vicinity, the remains of which have not been
found.
The Beast rooms were located at the ends of the
amphitheatre's underground room which extended along the larger axis of
the amphitheatre in a north-south direction. The Beast rooms were
connected by a passage to the central underground room. Adjacent to the
paved atrium on the south side of the amphitheatre were a small Podestà
and a shrine to the Goddess nemesis. The Ceremonial Hall was located at
the western end and was reached from two entrances on the sea side
through a narrow overhanging corridor. On both sides of the ceremonial
hall there were honorary halls, and in front of all of them, right next
to the inner retaining wall of the terrace, there was a small shrine,
probably dedicated to Mithras.
Due to the specificity of the
construction, the pula Amphitheatre can be studied traditional ways and
methods of construction in antiquity, which makes it unique and which
makes it significantly different from others in the world. In
particular, the supports that were used to cover the amphitheater with
velari, which protected the spectators from rain and sun, which is
confirmed by the rarely preserved elements of the construction on the
pula example.
The construction of the arena itself took place in several phases
during the 1st. century. It is believed that already in the time of
Emperor Augustus,a similar, but smaller and mostly made of wood,
building stood on the same site. During the rule of the Flavian dynasty
(Vespasian, Titus, Domitian) in the second half of 1. the arena was
further expanded, and the wooden parts were replaced with stone, and the
Arena takes on its present appearance. No detailed information is known
about the exact time and duration of the construction, nor about the
builders: both historical and archaeological sources about the main
purpose of the amphitheatre are very stingy. Interestingly, at about the
same time the Colosseum was being built in Rome, Italy.
It is not
yet fully known why the Romans built such a monumental structure in
Pula. One legend says that the amphitheatre in Pula was built by Emperor
Vespasian in honor of his lover Antonia Cenida who had possessions in
Pula.
In ancient times Istria was inhabited by fairies. At night they would
dance in meadows and forest glades, sometimes they would appear to
ordinary people, but they never harmed anyone. Fairies from Istrian
Legends can give a man happiness, and they are often builders. It is
said that the villas built the Arena in Pula. They carried the stones
from Učka all night, stacked them in a circle, and so their town,
Divić-grad (The Old Church Slavonic name for the miracle is divić), was
formed in order. But as fairies are creatures of the night, they could
only build until the first rooster was heard. The fairies had to stop
their business and run away so people wouldn't see them. Their
Divić-grad remained unfinished and that is why the Arena is today
without a roof. All over Istria, from Učka to the sea, there were
scattered huge stones that the fairies carried to install it in the
arena, but the Rooster's voice distracted them, and the fairies had to
drop the stones in the place where they found themselves.
This
legend probably arose as a result of the awe that the amphitheatre
caused among all newcomers to Istria, including Croats who, like others,
considered it a miracle. This is how the Arena got its folk name -
Divić-grad - because 'divić' means miracle, and etymologically it has
nothing to do with 'divica' or villas. Interestingly, the Roman builders
did what the fairies of the legend failed to do: on the four towers were
placed devices to tighten the velari, a canvas roof that protected
spectators from the strong sun.
For the Pula Arena, There are no irrefutable historical traces of the
killing of the first Christians, but the later Legend of St. Paul. The
German says he's 284. he was tried in an amphitheatre before being taken
away by soldiers from the city, where he was beheaded. Its original
purpose was the amphitheater until 5. the emperor Honorius forbade
gladiatorial combat. Fighting among convicts, especially those sentenced
to death, and wild animals continued until 681. years when they were
banned.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and during the
Middle Ages, the amphitheatre was mainly used for grazing cattle that
fed the local population, and sometimes fairs and knight tournaments
organized by the Knights of Malta were held. In addition, during the
Venetian rule of Pula, the Arena was occasionally used to hold fairs,
but as the economy of Pula since 14. for centuries it was in decline due
to the decline of the population, so the importance of the amphitheatre
was less and less. However, the fact that Pula was unable to develop as
a city, port and mediating Center due to malaricity led to an almost
complete halt in the construction activity, so perhaps this saved the
outer wall mantle of the arena, which still stands today as a proud
crown of the lace structure of arched and square "windows" which are
silent testimony to the former glory, the splendor and splendor of past
times.
On several occasions throughout history, the amphitheater in Pula was
threatened to completely disappear.
Throughout history, people
have often used stone blocks built into the amphitheater to build and
rebuild their own houses. They even took out iron bars that added
strength to the outer wall. Large blocks of stairs of the auditorium, of
which there must have been several thousand cubic meters, were taken as
building material, so that the Arena actually became a large and easily
accessible warehouse of beautifully processed stone. The patriarch of
Aquileia is C.1260. a fine was imposed for those who used the stone
structure of the amphitheatre.
In 1458. the City Council of Pula
banned the use of materials from the arena and the sale of parts of the
building, after a large part of the arena was literally built into the
palaces and squares of the Venetians.
In 1583. The Venetian
Republic came up with the idea to "dismantle" the amphitheater and
rebuild it, but in Venice. Fortunately, this crazy plan was opposed by
the prominent Venetian senator Gabriele Emo, so the "relocation" of the
arena did not take place. The Grateful Pulans placed a plaque on the
northwest tower of the arena with the family coat of arms and a letter
of thanks in Latin, which reads:
ANTIQVISSIMVM VRBIS AM /
PHITEATRVM GABRIELI EMO PE / TRI FILIO VENETO SENATORI / OPTIMO AC
PRACLARISSOVNI / VERSA POLÆ CIVITAS PERPETVÆ / OBSERVANTIÆ MONVMENTO /
DICAVIT MDLXXXVII
The danger for the integrity of the arena was
repeated in 17. in the century when the Venetians suggested to the
military builder Antoine De Ville, who had just built a fortress on the
very central hill, that, in order to save money from the state treasury,
for the construction of a fortress on the island of Sv. Andrew in the
pula Bay uses a stone from the monument. But from the aforementioned
text of De Ville, "to the overblown ruler of the state of Venice," we
learn that De Ville, with many arguments, opposed such a plan, and
concluded with the words:
"Let him stand (Arena) – to the pride
of the inhabitants, the newcomer to the miracle, the ancient ones to the
memorial, to the glory of the Republic! Let it be preserved steadfastly,
let it be renewed, that it may last forever."
The amphitheatre was
last used as a source of stone in 1709. years for the construction of
the bell tower of Pula Cathedral.
The amphitheatre was also the object of interest of all those who came to Pula in the past, accidentally or intentionally, many and only because the ships in Pula's port had to sometimes wait for a favorable wind to continue their journey. However, such random visitors spread the news about the existence of great ancient monuments of Pula, among which the Arena, due to its size and preservation, certainly had the status of almost a trademark. Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio drew the details of the construction and decoration, what little decoration that makes the branching of light and shadow in play on the surface of the wall mantle. Gianbattista Piranesi was interested in the Arena as a monument, a ruin, a ruin in an equally neglected landscape, Louis-François Cassas rose documentary, Thomas Allason romantic. Each period experienced the Arena in its own way, and so today has its own attitude towards the monument, which is perhaps easiest to describe as a summer flood of visitors who are curious to peek into every corner, climb every ledge, to the northwest tower from where you can see the nearby surroundings of the monument, which is today immersed in the bustle of the city tissue.
General Auguste Marmont, the French administrator of the Illyrian
Provinces began the reconstruction of the arena. In 1816. the
restoration was continued by the Ticino architect Pietro Nobile, who was
entrusted with the task by Emperor Francis I. Austrian.
In 1932.
the auditorium was rebuilt only on one side of the amphitheatre, but
this part was only half of the original auditorium, which was originally
divided into two floors or menianas. The amphitheatre thus became the
site of theatrical performances, military ceremonies, and public
gatherings. In its current state, it can accommodate 5,000 spectators.
The last reconstruction of the Arena took place from 1984. until
1986. during which the ground floor structures were repaired and
consolidated, and parts of the southwest staircase and stairway inside
the arena were rebuilt. The reconstruction was made according to the
rules of the profession: the stone was supplied from the same stone
structure that was used by the first builders of the arena, and the form
of the new elements was made in accordance with the preserved
archaeological remains and the authenticity of the original building was
respected. A new reconstruction is underway (launched in 2008.) which
will take place in several stages, and is assumed to last for 20-odd
years.
Today, the Arena is a first-class tourist attraction of Pula, but
also of the whole of Croatia. However, it is clear that tourism is
underutilized. The arena is visited by about 300,000 visitors a year,
and the annual profit is about 1 million euros. For comparison, the
Roman Colosseum annually visits more than 5 million visitors with
earnings of 32 million euros.
Since 1954.g in the arena is held
every year a feature film Festival in Pula.
Also, the Arena is
today a magnet for popular world musicians: Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea
Bocelli, Jose Carreras, Jamiroquai, Anastacia, Eros Ramazzotti, Norah
Jones, Zucchero, Sinéad O'connor, Elton John, Sting, Michael Bolton, Il
Divo, Manu Chao.
Arena also appears in the film Titus (1999), an
adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy Titus Andronicus.
In the
former Hypogeum (the area under the arena where wild animals and
Gladiators were located), the permanent exhibition ”olive growing and
viticulture of Istria in antiquity” has been set up today, enriched with
reconstructions of oil and wine production machines (Mills, doughnuts,
deposition containers), and amphorae that served as packaging for the
transport of oil and wine.
An art installation of cravats around
the Arena in 2003. a picture of the world's longest tie wrapped around
an arena was taken around the world. Thus, the 808 m long and 800 kg tie
entered the Guinness Book of records.
Although the Arena in Pula is the largest and most preserved Roman
amphitheatre in the area of today's Croatia, it is by no means the only
one. Certainly, an important place is occupied by the amphitheatre in
today's Solin near Split, and in Roman times Saloni, which through the
centuries was the center of the Roman province - First Illyricum, and
then Dalmatia. Given the importance and size of the salon, it is no
wonder that the Romans are in the second half of the 2nd century. for
centuries they built a rather large amphitheatre (126 x 102m, on the
south side it had as many as 3 floors) that could accommodate between
15,000 and 18,000 people. The amphitheatre survived the collapse of
Salona, but was demolished by the Venetians at 17. for centuries so as
not to serve the Turks as cover. Further devastation continued by the
native population who removed the stone for their building needs. Today,
only ruins remain of the amphitheater. It was later covered by Earth,and
the amphitheatre was forgotten. It was only discovered in 1846. year.
The research of the Solin amphitheatre was contributed by famous
archaeologists such as Don Frane Bulić and Danish archaeologist Ejnar
Dyggve.
In addition to the Solin Amphitheatre in older literature
are mentioned amphitheatres in Epidaurum (today Cavtat), Jadera (today
Zadar), aequum (today Čitluk near Sinj) and Burnum (near Knin).