Branko Fucic 1920-1999, representative collection of conference papers published about his life and work
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10137/1/Branko-Fucic-1920-1999-representative-collection-of-conference-papers-published-about-his-life-and-work.html
By Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic
Published on 07/2/2011
 | Sixty three conference papers from the International Scholarly Seminar on the Life and Work of Academician Branko Fučić (1920-1999) have been published in 2011 in voluminous, representative monograph comprising 844 pp. Branko Fučić was distinguished expert in Croatian Glagolitic Script, in the history of Croatian church art, in particular for the area of Istria, dr. honoris causa in theology, and recipient of Herder's prize in Vienna. The monograph has been edited by dr. Tomislav Galović of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Zagreb. |
Croatian Glagolitic Script researcher, church art historian, ethnologist, dr. honoris causa in theology, recipient of Herder's prize in Vienna,...
Branko Fučić as a young researcher in 1950s
Luxorous monograph dedicated to the memory of academician Branko Fučić, published in 2011,
contains 63 conference papers on 844 pp, numerous photos, hardcover.
Luxorous monograph dedicated to the memory of academician Branko Fučić, published in 2011,
contains 63 conference papers on 844 pp, numerous photos, hardcover.
| Sixty three conference papers from the International Scholarly Seminar on the Life and Work of Academician Branko Fučić (1920-1999) have been published in 2011 in voluminous, representative monograph comprising 844 pp. Branko Fučić was distinguished expert in Croatian Glagolitic Script, in the history of Croatian church art, in particular for the area of Istria, dr. honoris causa in theology, and recipient of Herder's prize in Vienna. The monograph has been edited by dr. Tomislav Galović of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Zagreb. Az grišni diak Branko pridivkom Fučić : Radovi međunarodnoga znanstvenog skupa o životu i djelu akademika Branka Fučića (1920.-1999.) : Malinska, Dubašnica, otok Krk, 30. siječnja - 1. veljače 2009. godine = I, the Errant Pupil Branko Surnamed Fučić : Conference Papers from the International Scholarly Seminar on the Life and Work of Academician Branko Fučić (1920-1999) : Malinska, Dubašnica, Island of Krk, 30 January - 1 february 2009 / Priredio Tomislav Galović. ISBN 978-953-6106-90-5 (Institut za povijest umjetnosti), 978-953-6080-08-3 (Staroslavenski institut) „Az grišni diak Branko, pridivkom Fučić” “I, the Errant Pupil Branko, Surnamed Fučić” CONFERENCE PAPERS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARLY SEMINAR ON THE LIFE AND WORK OF ACADEMICIAN BRANKO FUČIĆ (1920–1999) MALINSKA, DUBAŠNICA, ISLAND OF KRK, 30 JANUARY – 1 FEBRUARY 2009 Priredio / Edited by: Tomislav Galović, Malinska – Rijeka – Zagreb, 2011.
Uredništvo / Editorial Board: Anđelko BADURINA, Josip BRATULIĆ, Perica DUJMOVIĆ, Igor FISKOVIĆ, Tomislav GALOVIĆ, Tonko MAROEVIĆ, Milan MIHALJEVIĆ, Anica NAZOR, Milan PELC, Slavko SLIŠKOVIĆ, Franjo ŠANJEK Urednik / Editor-in-Chief: Tomislav GALOVIĆ Those interested in the book can write to dr. Tomislav Galović, e-mail: galovic.tomislav AT gmail.com |
Academician Branko Fučić 1920-1999 by the end of his life.
| Radoslav Katilić Meštru Branku na spomen (umjesto predgovora) Branko Fučić, to je ime koje susrećem još od mladih dana. Nailazio sam na nj najčešće kad sam listao Akademijine Ljetopise. Tamo sam nailazio na izvješća s njegovih terenskih pohoda, uvijek zanimljiva. Nije to bio moj predmet, bila je povijest umjetnosti, a ja sam tada ulazio u filologiju, i to klasičnu, ali je uvijek bilo, izravno ili neizravno, glagoljaštvo, i uvijek je bila Istra ili Kvarner, sve to meni jako privlačivo. Tako sam se, sve ne poznavajući ga osobno, priviknuo na prisutnost Branka Fučića. A iz razgovora starijih ubrzo sam razabrao kako mu je dobar glas i kako je priznat i prihvaćen. Bio je primjer za vrijednost koja se potvrđuje i opstaje sama iz sebe usprkos težnjama i zahtjevima vladajućih. Postao je tako dio mojega svijeta i kako sam, gotovo neopazice, sve dublje zalazio u slavensku filologiju, osjećao sam da me negdje u budućnosti još čeka susret s njim. To više što sam u Akademiji saznao da on sprema potpun korpus glagoljičkih natpisa, koji se očekivao s upornim nestrpljenjem. No njegovi Glagoljski natpisi došli su mi u ruke, jako su me obogatili, i zadivili dakako, s njima pod mišicom obilazio sam na ljetnim izletima terene, a da njega osobno još nisam poznavao. Da ga sretnem, moralo je proći dosta vremena i dogoditi se mnogo toga. Postao sam profesor slavenske filologije u Beču i po želji studenata pošao s njima i starijim kolegom, profesorom Franjom Većeslavom Marešom, kako se rado nazivao kad je govorio hrvatski, a govorio je izvrsno, na glagoljaške terene. Po Marešu je glagoljica uvijek bila živo prisutna na bečkoj slavistici. Obišli smo dosta temeljito otok Krk, Vinodol, Grobnik, Kastav i Istru. Ekskurzija je počela u Zagrebu. Studenti su upoznali glagoljaški Zagreb: Bašćansku ploču u Akademiji, glagoljske rukopise u Akademijinu arhivu i u knjižnici samostana franjevaca trećoredaca na Ksaveru. Zanimljivo je bilo doživjeti kakav je Zagreb znatan glagoljaški centar. A onda se krenulo na Kvarner. Prvo je trebalo poći po Branka Fučića, jer kakva bi bila naša ekskurzija da nam se on nije pridružio. Mareš ga je dobro poznavao već od prije. Na putu sam, dakako, studentima objašnjavao povijesno i kulturno zemljište. Provezli smo se ispod Trsata, prošli tada još kroz Rijeku, i onda, daleko vani prema Voloskom, stigli do Fučićeve kuće. Kako god smo bili dosta brojni, doček je bio upravo nevjerojatno gostoljubiv, a pogled što se s balkona otvarao na Riječki zaljev bio je takav da zastane dah i potpuno obuzme onoga koji gleda. Bilo je nekako znakovito da čovjek kakav je Fučić ima takav stan, on koji sigurno nije pripadao među privilegirane. Nezaboravna je ostala toplina kojom nas je dočekala i pogostila domaćica. Tako sam upoznao Branka Fučića, čovjeka koji mi ni tada nije baš nikako bio nepoznat. A bit će da je i on tada već znao za mene. Kako bilo, odmah smo se, na hip, dobro razumjeli. Od prvih riječi bio mi je jedan od najdražih sugovornika. A onda smo u punom sastavu, s Brankom Fučićem na čelu, već po noći krenuli na Krk. Kako god mi to, znajući s kim sam, nije bilo neočekivano, opet me se snažno doimalo kako je Fučić bio srođen sa zemljištem kojim smo prolazili. Od kad nam se on pridružio, na poseban su način oživjeli predjeli kojima smo se kretali. A i on ih je doživljavao duboko i gotovo uzbuđeno kao da ih prvi put upoznaje. Njegova srođenost sa svojim terenom jako nam je intenzivirala doživljaj toga upoznavanja i širila obzorje daleko preko granica glagoljičke filologije i epigrafike, koje su bile glavno težište našega zanimanja. On nas pak nije vodio samo od lokaliteta do lokaliteta, od poučne zanimljivosti do poučne zanimljivosti, nego i od župnika do župnika, od gvardijana do gvardijana, pa i od biskupa do biskupa. Našim se studentima tako stala ocrtavati slika kakvu nisu zamišljali otiskujući se na put u komunističku Jugoslaviju. No i nama koji smo Hrvatsku i dotad dobro poznavali na svakom su se koraku otvarali novi vidici. Fučić je razgovarao ne samo sa župnicima, nego i s njihovim domaćicama, ne samo s gostioničarima i poslovođama gostionica, nego i s konobarima i pipničarkama, s ljudima u vrtovima kuća kraj kojih smo prolazili. I od toga je oživljavao svijet u koji smo bili došli, oživljavao živošću života koji bi nam bez takva vodiča ostajao skrovit. S Fučićem niti jedan nam korak nije bio nesiguran. On je savršeno poznavao sav taj teren. Samo jednom je zakazao, a to nam je reklo mnogo o njem. Kad smo iz Vinodola stigli u Čavle, zamolili smo ga da nas povede ravno u Kastav kako se ne bismo morali probijati kroz Rijeku i njezinu prometnu gužvu. A on, umjesto da nas uputi da prijeđemo preko mosta na Rječini, pa onda preko Svetoga Mateja – Viškova i preko Ronjga u Kastav, a ja sve to tada još nisam znao, odveo nas je pod Grobnik, pa nam se kombi po grbavoj neasfaltiranoj šumskoj cesti, već po noći, jedva jedvice ispenjao do asfalta i tako smo, mučno, ipak dospjeli do Kastva. U mraku je bio izvanredno dojmljiv. Pokazalo se tako da Branko Fučić, koliko god izvrsno poznaje teren, ne pozna ceste! Taj nenadmašivi terenac nije se kretao automobilom. Sve je obilazio pješice i javnim prometalima. I to je dodalo onomu poštovanju koje smo i bez toga osjećali za njegovu osobu i njegov rad. Obišli smo tada sve što je na Krku, u Vinodolu, u Kastvu i Istri glagoljaški relevantno. I kolega Mareš i ja prinosili smo, svaki sa svojega gledišta, tumačenju sve što smo mogli. No iza Fučića bilo je malo što reći. Studenti su bili jako i sve više zainteresirani. Vratili smo se silno obogaćeni. A Branka Fučića nisam od tada samo još više cijenio kao kolegu, vrhunskoga stručnjaka i poznavatelja, nego je u meni stekao prisnoga i odanog prijatelja. Živo sam želio opet krenuti s njim ťistarskim putimaŤ. I nije trebalo dugo čekati. Baš tada je Staroslavenski institut u Zagrebu pod dinamičnim vodstvom svojega vrijednog suradnika Milana Mihaljevića stao upriličivati niz ekskurzija na glagoljaške terene. Uvijek se dolazilo i do kuće s pogledom na Riječki zaljev da se pridruži i Branko Fučić. Tek s njim je ekskurzija dobivala svoju pravu živost i pun sadržaj. U tim ekskurzijama, koje je organizirao Milan Mihaljević, a stručno i terenski vodio Branko Fučić, sudjelovao sam i ja kad god sam samo ikako mogao. One su mi ostale nezaboravne, osobito ekskurzija u kojoj smo krstarili Istrom slijedeći obilaske opisane u Istarskom razvodu ili ona druga u kojoj smo obišli sve vinodolske gradove, od Ledenica do Grobnika, pošavši od frankopanske palače u Novome, što je zapravo bila temeljita reambulacija Vinodolskoga zakona. Bilo je to tik pred Domovinski rat. Bili smo od toga svi pomalo razdraženi i napeti. Poslije takvih ekskurzija više nije bilo. Ali ja sam i na tima, na kojima sam uzmogao sudjelovati, naučio neizmjerno mnogo o glagoljaškim terenima i prijateljski se zbližio s Brankom Fučićem. Fučić je znao i umio mnogo toga. Ne samo nepogrešivo posezati za glagoljskim vrelima, ne samo čitati glagoljske natpise, reproducirati ih i tumačiti kao vrhunski znalac glagoljičke epigrafike, znao je do u zapanjujuće pojedinosti i kulturni ambijent iz kojega su ti natpisi potekli. Kao povjesničara kulture teško ga je bilo dostići, a kamoli nadmašiti. A bio je vrlo znatan i kao popularizator glagoljaške ulture i vrijednosti njezine baštine. Na putu od Roča do Huma, kraj Aleje glagoljaša, imao je u jednoj kućici i u njezinu ograđenu dvorištu radionicu u kojoj je izrađivao izvanredno uvjerljive kopije kamenih spomenika s glagoljskim natpisima. Postajalo je to tako kulturno dobro koje se bez osobitih mjera zaštite moglo prenositi i postavljati gdje god bi se to učinilo umjesnim. Bila su to učila koja su se ujedno mogla raspoređivati kao izlošci ili izvanredno kvalitetna dekoracija. Za svaku istarsku crkvu znao je kakve su u njoj freske. Znao je govoriti kajkavski baš kako se govori u Zagrebu, čakavski kako se govori na njegovu rodnom Krku, u zavičajnoj Dubašnici, ali i kako se govori u Istri. A izvrsno je, dakako, poznavao crkvenoslavenski jezik hrvatske redakcije, koji je naučio od glagoljaša. Usjeklo mi se u pamet kako je znao prolazeći kraj kuće nepoznatih ljudi nagnuti se preko dvorišne ograde ili kroz otvoren prozor i glasno upitati koga od domaćih: ťČa kuhaš?Ť Odmah je bio uspostavljen prisan i srdačan odnos i bili smo domaći. Zbog svih tih znanja i vještina netko od mlađih sudionika ekskurzije stao ga je nazivati meštar Branko. Svi smo to odmah prihvatili i on je to za nas ostao. Doista, bio je meštar u svem bogatom i slojevitom značenju te riječi. Bio je majstor, ne samo na jednom području. Nedostižan majstor. I bio je svima nama učitelj. Veliki učitelj. Svima nama, a ne samo mladima. Teško mi je naći riječi da valjano izreknem koliko bih neukiji i siromašniji bio da nisam imao Branka Fučića za učitelja. Nad našim posljednjim susretima kao da se nadvila neka sjena. Nije to bio samo osjećaj da sve više dozrijeva prolaznost. Neke stvari kao da su se iščašile i izrodile. U drugoj polovici ratnoga travnja 1993. skupina studenata bečke slavistike organizirala je izlet u Istru. Okupili su se oko lektorice koja im je bila nastavnica. Bili su to ťnapredniŤ studenti, antiautoritarni, koji su otklanjali učiteljstvo, a sebe lako uzimali kao mjeru svih stvari. Njihova lektorica me je kratko prije nego je ekskurzija krenula zamolila da im se pridružim jer će tako više naučiti. Prihvatio sam taj poziv jer sam osjećao da mi je to dužnost, iako sam znao da zapravo ne pripadam tomu krugu i da je odnos većine studenata na toj ekskurziji prema meni u najmanju ruku ambivalentan. Ja sam na južnom kolodvoru u Beču kupio Večernji list i čitajući ga na putu iz njega saznao što se užasnoga dogodilo u Ahmićima. To me je duboko potreslo i zagorčilo radost od toga što sam bio na putu u Istru. Putovali smo preko Ljubljane, u Hrvatsku smo ušli u Šapjanama. S vlaka smo sišli u Matuljima, gdje nas je čekao kombi neke turističke agencije. Dvije žene koje su nam imale biti vodiči odmah su se pred studentima počele ograđivati od ťnacionalističkeŤ hrvatske vlasti i tjerati neko istrijanstvo. To je padalo na plodno tlo. Bili su indoktrinirani duhom koji sam osobito jasno upoznao u emisiji austrijskoga radija koja je odgovor istarskoga seljaka Io sono Istriano, tako na talijanskom jeziku, proglašavala najvišom mudrošću kada se govori o nacionalnim odnosima u Istri. Organizatori su ekskurziji udarili bazu u Opatiji. Stanovali smo u starinskom luksuznom hotelu, kojemu su cijene, tako potpuno izvan sezone, bile pristupačne. Uslijedila je još večernja šetnja po Opatiji. Vrijeme je bilo ružno. Ipak se po programu sutradan otišlo u Pulu. Obišli su se najvažniji spomenici, dakako arena, forum i antički hramovi, ali da se ja nisam umiješao, ne bi se bila pogledala dobro očuvana prekrasna ranobizantska crkva Marija Formoza. U tom obilasku najvažnije, najglavnije od svega, bilo je razgledavanje groblja iz austro-ugarskih vremena. Osjetio sam da je Pula kao mornarička baza Habsburške Monarhije tu bila najzanimljivija. Na povratku prema Lovranu, Opatiji i večernjoj promenadi pogledali smo, i opet samo na moju inicijativu, i Plominski natpis i kasnoantički reljef u koji je uklesan, posjetile su se, i opet samo na moju intervenciju, Mošćenice. Čak u kiši, koja je neumorno kapala, i zavijene u niske oblake bile su čarobne. Mene je duša vukla da pođemo još i do Veprinca, ali osjećao sam da nije umjesno toliko nametati svoje kriterije. Za tu grupu to očito nije bilo primjereno. Sutradan se imalo poći u kopnenu Istru. Smatrao sam da to ne smije biti bez meštra Branka. Stupio sam u dodir s njim i lako ga pridobio da pođe s nama. Pokazivati Istru onima koji ju još nisu vidjeli bilo mu je osobito veselje. Tako sam sve po kiši još jednom posjetio Draguć. Pokazao sam studentima na groblju jedan do drugoga grobove porodica Krivičić i Crivelli. Osjetio sam kako iz grupe prema meni zrači odbojnost. Nije im bilo jasno zašto im o tome govorim. Fučić im je pokazao i objasnio umjetničko blago Draguća. Obilazili smo i druga mjesta, a pogledali smo i mrtvački ples kod Berma. Meštar Branko je sve to protumačio, onako živo i sadržajno kako je samo on to znao. Posljednjega dana pridružio nam se Fučić opet kod svoje kuće kraj koje smo se vozili u Rijeku. U Rijeci nas je odveo na Izložbu glagoljice i svojim nezamjenjivim tumačenjem proveo kroz nju. Ekskurzija je time bila doista okrunjena. Meštar Branko bio je vrlo živahan i sasvim on sam, pravi. Ipak sam osjetio da je zapravo klonuo, zasjenila ga je bila neka jedva primjetljiva, vjerojatno samo meni, tamna sjena. Počela ga je svladavati bolest. Tako je, kad smo se opraštali, i moje raspoloženje bilo zasjenjeno nekom sjetnom zebnjom. Više osjećajem nego zaključkom da se naši susreti bliže kraju. I nebo i more bili su podjednako sivi. Ipak naši susreti nisu završili u tom osvjetljenju. Negdje u kasnim devedesetima prošloga stoljeća sjedio sam za grubo istesanim drvenim stolom u dvorištu pred župnim dvorom u Repišću pod Okićem. Dan je bio zrelo proljetni, sunčan i svijetao. Po plavom nebu razlijevala se boja sunca koje se tek bilo zaputilo prema zalazu. Sjedio sam u dvorištu s Jurom, župnikom, podižući povremeno pogled prema Okić-gradu i pijuckao izvrsno plješivičko vino. A kako bi kod župnika i bilo drukčije nego izvrsno? Odjednom se u velikom luku uvezao u dvorište automobil. Za volanom je sjedio povjesničar umjetnosti Andrej Žmegač, sin mojega dragog i osobito cijenjenog kolege, još sa studija, na stražnjem sjedištu njegova supruga Jasna Čapo, etnološkinja. A kraj vozača, bilo je to kao neko čudo, nitko drugi nego Branko Fučić. Izveli su ga na izlet, upoznavao je krajolik, prirodni i kulturni, toga kuta Hrvatske. S njima je bio i pokojni Josip Pepi Stošić, i on povjesničar umjetnosti. Pridružili su nam se u tom osunčanom poslijepodnevu dok su se boje sve neprimjetno mijenjale u predvečernje. Bio je izvrsno raspoložen, iako vidljivo manje pokretan nego sam ga imao u pamćenju. Uz plemenitu kapljicu živo smo razgovarali. Stošić je pokrenuo raspravu o tome je li u Zagrebačkoj biskupiji bilo benediktinaca. On nas je uvjeravao da nije, a nama je bilo teško to prihvatiti. Fučić je u toj raspravi ostajao vrlo suzdržan. Nije to bio njegov teren. Učio je. Takvo mi je sunčano poslijepodne ostalo nezaboravno. A bio je to moj posljednji susret s meštrom Brankom. U prekrasnom osvjetljenju i raspoloženju, doista dostojno i pravedno. Bilo mi je dano da u zimi 1999. budem na glagoljaškoj misi zadušnici koju je u crkvi svetoga Franje Ksaverskoga služio fra Anđelko Badurina, i on povjesničar umjetnosti, velik i zaslužan istraživač naše srednjovjekovne baštine. I njemu dugujem mnogo. Poslije mise vraćao sam se tramvajem u grad s pravim društvom: Josipom Bratulićem i Stjepanom Damjanovićem. Bio je to ispraćaj u kojem su se prožimale tuga i radost spojene s velikom zahvalnosti. Oni "napredni" studenti s bečke ekskurzije izdavali su svoje glasilo. To im je bilo važnije i zanimljivije od glagoljice. U njem je netko od njih za sve svoje kolege opisao svoje doživljaje u Istri. Tu se pokazalo da je njih više od svega zanimala Abbazia kao ljetovalište bečkoga građanstva, Abbazia i maruni, šetnica uz more. Prezirno se spomenulo razgledavanje Plominske ploče, s primjedbom da "onakvi", o tim stvarima znaju sve i mnogo govore. A studente to, dakako, ne zanima, njima je to dosadno. A Fučiću, Fučiću su se rugali. Opisali su ga kao komičnu figuru, ishlapjela starca koji rado pije rakiju. Zapisujem to da ostane na njihovu trajnu sramotu. Pojma nisu imali koga su sreli. Nisu imali osjetila za to. A zadovoljan sam što moje sudjelovanje na ekskurziji nisu niti spomenuli. Doista mi tamo nije bilo mjesto. A meštru Branku do groba sam zahvalan. To što sam sve od njega naučio i čime me je obogatio nemjerljivo je, kako se danas rado kaže. A ja sam, koliko sam mogao, davao od toga drugima. Silno je bogata baština koju smo od njega primili. Treba joj se pokazati doraslim. U svoje ime i u ime svih prinosnika ovomu zborniku izričem mu: hvala! Neka mu je slava jer je jedan od onih malobrojnih kojima najviše dugujemo. | Radoslav Katičić In Memory of Master Branko (instead of a preface) Branko Fučić, the name I have encountered so many times since my youth, most often as I was leafing through the pages of the Academy’s Annals. There I would come across his ever intriguing field reports. It was not my actual subject, it was art history, but as I was entering the field of classical philology, I found that the ever appealing Glagolitic heritage, together with Istria and Kvarner, would ever be, directly or indirectly, coming my way. Thus I grew accustomed to the presence of Branko Fučić without knowing him personally. Listening to the conversations of my seniors soon made me recognize his considerable reputation, acknowledgement and wide acceptance of his work. He was an outstanding example of self-sustaining and self-confirming value, notwithstanding the ambitions and pretensions of the governing systems. He thus became a part of my world and as I proceeded with my exploration of Slavic philology, I felt that my encounter with him was bound to happen sometime in the future. This anticipation became more intense as I learned that he was collecting an eagerly awaited, complete corpus of Glagolitic inscriptions. As I finally got hold of his Glagoljski natpisi (Glagolitic Inscriptions), I found myself enriched and impressed and ever accompanied by them under my arm as I went on summer field trips, without knowing their collector personally. It still took a lot of time and circumstances for me to finally meet him. After becoming a professor of Slavic philology in Vienna, I accompanied my students and a senior colleague, Professor Franjo Većeslav Mareš (as he would introduce himself in his perfectly fluent Croatian) on their Glagolitic sites tour. According to Mareš, Glagolitic script had ever been vividly present in Slavic culture curriculum at the University of Vienna. We explored the Island of Krk, Vinodol, Grobnik, Kastav and Istria fairly thoroughly. Our excursion started in Zagreb. The students were first introduced to Glagolitic Zagreb: the Baška tablet at the Academy, Glagolitic scripts in the Academy’s Archives and in the library of Tertiary Franciscan Monastery in Ksaver. It was rather impressive to experience Zagreb as a significant center of Glagolitic heritage. And then it was time for us to set off for Kvarner. But prior to that, it was time to invite Branko Fučić to join us, for his absence would have made our excursion rather incomplete. Mareš had already known him fairly well. Along the way, I naturally used the opportunity to introduce the students to important historical and cultural sites. We drove beneath Trsat, through the town of Rijeka and then, further outwards to Volosko, we reached Branko’s house. Despite being so numerous, we were greeted with almost unbelievable hospitality, and the view from the balcony overlooking the bay was breathtaking and mesmerizing. It was somewhat suggestive for a man like Fučić to have a house like that, since he was surely never a part of the privileged kind. The warmth we were welcomed with remained unforgettable. And that is how I met Branko Fučić, the man I had always felt acquainted with. And by then he must have already heard of me. Be it as it was, we could understand each other well from the very first instant. Ever since we exchanged our first words, he became one of my dearest conversation partners. And once our team was finally complete with Branko Fučić as the leader, at night we set off for the Island of Krk. Regardless of my expectations due to his presence, it was still unbelievably impressive to witness how intimate Fučić was with this land that we were passing through. From the moment he joined us, this land somehow became remarkably vivid. And he seemed overwhelmed by it all over again, as if exploring it for the very first time. His kinship to his field elaborated our experience of it and widened our horizons far over the borders of Glagolitic philology and epigraphy, our primary scope of interest. Our tour was not a mere walk from one locality to another, from one illuminating discovery to the next. We walked from parish priest to parish priest, from guardian to guardian, even from bishop to bishop. Our students started creating a very different image from the one they had in mind as they set off on a journey to Communist Yugoslavia. But his accomplishment was even greater as he succeeded in opening up new horizons every step of the way, even for us who had known Croatia well. Fučić spoke not only to parish priests, but to their housekeepers, innkeepers and landlords, waiters and bartenders, people in gardens of the houses we walked by. And he thus invigorated this world we had entered, with such wonderful vividness that would have remained secret to us if it had not been for our exceptional guide. Fučić enabled us to tread this terrain safely. He was familiar with it to the very detail. Only once did he fail, and this incident revealed a whole new story of him. When we arrived to Čavle from Vinodol, we asked him to take us directly to Kastav, so as to avoid dense traffic through Rijeka. Instead of directing us to the bridge over Rječina and further over Sveti Matej – Viškovo and Ronjgi to Kastav, which I did not know at that time, he took us beneath Grobnik, so our van had to struggle through a bumpy, uphill forest road in the night. It finally did make its way to asphalt surface so we, although painfully, reached Kastav, which was extraordinarily impressive in the dark. It turned out that, even though exceptionally well acquainted with the terrain, our guide Branko Fučić did not know anything about the roads! This unmatched field expert never used a car in his quests. He went everywhere either on foot or by means of public transport. And this revelation much contributed to our already existing deep respect for is person and his work. Our excursion encompassed all significant Glagolitic sites on the Island of Krk, in Vinodol, Kastav and Istria. Both my fellow colleague Mareš and I, each from his respective point of view, contributed to the interpretation as much as we could. But there was nothing left to say after Fučić delivered his speech. The interest of our students continued to grow. We returned from our tour truly enriched. This whole experience compelled me to respect him even more as a colleague, an outstanding expert and a connoisseur and become his very close and loyal friend. I was eager to re-embark on another journey through Istria with him. And I did not have to wait long. At that very time, Old Church Slavonic Institute in Zagreb, under dynamic initiative of its valued associate Milan Mihaljević, started arranging a number of excursions to Glagolitic sites. And each journey would first stop by the house with a magnificent view over Rijeka Bay to have Branko Fučić join. It was only with him that each excursion would gain its true spark and a full purport. Every chance I got, I participated in these excursions, organized by Milan Mihaljević and conducted by Branko Fučić. And they remained unforgettable, especially our cruise through Istria, searching for all locations described in Istarski razvod (Istrian Demarcation). Or the excursion in which we toured through all towns in Vinodol, from Ledenice to Grobnik, setting off from the Frankopan Castle in Novi Vinodolski, a tour that was in fact a thorough perambulation of the Vinodol Statute. It was at dawn of the Homeland War, making us all somewhat edgy and tense. It was the last we would have of such excursions. But those journeys I took part in enabled me to gain profound knowledge of Glagolitic sites and become a closer friend with Branko Fučić. Fučić had a lot of knowledge and skills. Not only did he unmistakably grasp for the wells of Glagolitic heritage, not only did he know how to read Glagolitic inscriptions, reproduce them and interpret them as an unequivocal expert of Glagolitic epigraphy, he could also account for every minor detail of the cultural context from which those inscriptions were derived. It was difficult to attain, much less exceed his proficiency in the field of cultural history. His work aimed at popularizing Glagolitic culture and the value of its heritage was also of considerable significance. On the way from Roč to Hum, by the Glagolitic Alley, he had a little cottage with a fenced garden and workshop where he manufactured extraordinarily faithful copies of Glagolitic monuments in stone. He thus created a cultural property that did not require special security measures to be moved and placed wherever appropriate. These also possessed a value of didactic means that could be used either as exhibits or elaborate decorations. He was familiar with each fresco in all Istrian churches. He could speak Kajkavian as it is spoken in Zagreb, Čakavian as spoken on his native Krk and in Dubašnica, but he could speak Istrian dialect as well. And, naturally, his knowledge of Old Church Slavonic was superb, having learnt it from Glagolitic priests. It remained deeply embedded in my mind how he used to, passing by somebody’s house, lean over the fence or the window and ask loudly ťČa kuhaš?Ť. (ťWhat are you cooking?Ť) This would immediately create such friendship and cordiality and we were always welcomed as the locals. Because of all these skills, younger participants of the tour dubbed him master Branko. The rest of us readily embraced that name and he remained master Branko to us all. He was master indeed, in all the possible meanings of that word. A master of many scholarly fields. Unequalled master. And he was a teacher to us all. A great teacher to all of us, not only to the young. It is difficult to find appropriate words which would convey how much more ignorant and poor I would be, had it not been for Branko Fučić. It seemed as if a shadow was hanging over our last encounters. It was something more than a feeling that transience was ripening. Almost as if things were twisting and degenerating. In the second half of April 1993, with war in full swing, a group of students of Slavic studies from Vienna organized a trip to Istria. They were gathered around a lector, who was also their teacher. They were ťadvancedŤ students, defying authority and teaching, who took themselves as measure of all things. Before they set off, their lector asked me to accompany them, because she thought they would learn more. I accepted because I felt it was my duty, although the relationship of most students taking part in that trip towards me was ambivalent, to say the least. On Vienna’s southern station, I bought a copy of Večernji list and, as I was reading, I learned about the horrible event in Ahmići. I was deeply shaken and it clouded my joy about the Istria trip. We were travelling via Ljubljana, and we reached Croatia in Šapjani. We got off the train in Matulji, where a van, sent by a tourist agency, was waiting for us. Two women, designated as our guides, immediately started denouncing the ťnationalisticŤ Croatian government, claiming they were Istrian. Their attitude was warmly welcomed. They were indoctrinated with the same spirit I recognized in a programme on Austrian radio which proclaimed the response of Istrian peasant Io sono Istriano as the sign of ultimate wisdom when it comes to relationship of nationalities in Istria. The organizers settled Opatija as the basis of our trip. We were staying in an antique, luxurious hotel where the prices were affordable, since it was off season. Afterwards, we took an evening stroll along the coast. The weather was bad. However, we set off for Pula the following day, as scheduled. We visited the most important landmarks, arena, forum and classical temples, but, had it not been for my insistence, we wouldn’t have seen the beautiful and well preserved early Byzantine church of Maria Formoza. During our tour, the most important thing was visiting Austro-Hungarian cemeteries. I sensed that Pula was the most interesting, because it was a navy base during the Habsburg monarchy. On our way back to Lovran, Opatija and our evening promenade, I encouraged the group to see Plomin inscription in the late classical relief. We saw Mošćenice too, which again I initiated. Even under the incessant rain and wrapped in low clouds, it was magical. I felt a deep urge to see Veprinac as well, but I felt it wouldn’t be proper to impose my criteria any further. The group was obviously not up to that. The day after, we were scheduled to go to the Istrian hinterland and I thought that it shouldn’t happen without master Branko as our companion. I contacted him and he readily agreed to join us. It gave him great pleasure to show Istria to those who hadn’t been there before. Thus I visited Draguć once more, under the rain. On the cemetery, I showed the tombs of Krivičić and Crivelli families to the students. I felt waves of dislike from the group. They didn’t understand why I was telling them those things. Fučić was talking about the art treasure of Draguć. We visited some other places as well and saw the Dance Macabre near Beram. Master Branko interpreted everything with his characteristic vigour and substance. On the last day, as we were passing by his house on our way back to Rijeka, Fučić joined us. In Rijeka, he took us to see the Glagolitic exhibition and offered his priceless guidance. It truly was the crown of the entire trip. Master Branko was very lively and very much his true self. And yet, I could sense his tiredness, he was wrapped in some barely discernible shadow. Illness was beginning to take its toll. And so, as we were bidding farewells, my mood was also overshadowed by gloomy anxiety. Our feelings, more than our conclusions were telling us that our gatherings were coming to an end. Sea and sky were equally grey. And yet, our meetings did not end in such light. Sometime in the late nineties of the previous century, I was sitting at a coarse wooden table in the yard of the Repišće parish house under Okić. It was a late spring day, sunny and bright. The colour of the setting sun was melting into the blue of the sky. I was sitting in the yard with parish priest Jura, occasionally looking up to Okić town and sipping excellent wine from Plješivica. A pastor could not offer wine which would be less than excellent. All of the sudden, a car arched into the yard. Andrej Žmegač, art historian and a son of my dear and estimated university colleague was driving, and on the back seat was his wife Jasna Čapo, ethnologist. Next to the driver, as if it was a miracle, was Branko Fučić himself. They took him on a trip, to introduce him to the natural and cultural landscape of that part of Croatia. In their company was the late Josip Pepi Stošić, also an art historian. They joined us during that sunny afternoon while the colours were imperceptibly changing into dusk. He was in excellent mood, though obviously less agile than I remembered. We were engaged in a lively conversation, sipping precious liquid. Stošić started a discussion on whether there were Benedictine monks in Zagreb Diocese. He tried to persuade us that there weren’t any, and we found it hard to accept that claim. Fučić was very quiet during in the discussion. That wasn’t his field. He was learning. That sunny afternoon remained very much alive in my memory. And it was also to be my last encounter with master Branko. In beautiful lighting and mood, it was indeed right and salutary. In winter 1999, I was in the church of St Francis on a Glagolitic holy mass, which was officiated by friar Anđelko Badurina, himself also an art historian, a great and respectable researcher of Croatian medieval heritage. I owe so much to him as well. After the mass I was returning to the town in good company: with Josip Bratulić and Stjepan Damjanović. It was a send-off brimming with sadness and joy, mixed with immense gratitude. The "advanced" students from the Vienna trip were publishing their own bulletin, which they found more important and interesting than the Glagolitic script. One of them, in the name of his colleagues, recounted their Istria experience. It was apparent that they were mostly interested in Abbazia, because that was the summer resort of Vienna citizens, Abbazia, chestnuts, promenade by the sea. They contemptuously mentioned visiting the Plomin plate, adding that "those people" knew everything about it and talked a lot. And the students were not, of course, interested in it, they thought it was boring. And Fučić, they mocked him. They described him as a comical figure, a drained and senile old man who likes drinking brandy. They had no idea who they had met. I write it down as a sign of their permanent shame. And I am glad that my part in the trip was not even mentioned. I really did not belong there. And to master Branko I owe eternal gratitude. What I learned from him enriched me beyond measure. And I gave from that source to the others, as much as I could. The heritage he bestowed on us is immensely rich. We must prove ourselves worthy of it. In my name, and in the name of all the contributors to this review, I pronounce: thank you! He deserves praise because he is one of the few who indebted us the most. |
Many thanks to dr. Tomislav Galović for permission to reproduce the opening article
by academician Radoslav Katičić for the readers of the CROWN.
Some of the participants of the 2009 Conference in front of the house in Malinska where Branko Fučić was born in 1920.
Svetlana Olegovna Vyalova, from St. Petersburg, Russia, distinguished specialist for Croatian Glagolitic literature, sitting in the middle.
Memorial plaque on the house where Branko Fučić was born.
His name is written in Latin and Croatian Glagolitic characters.
by academician Radoslav Katičić for the readers of the CROWN.
Some of the participants of the 2009 Conference in front of the house in Malinska where Branko Fučić was born in 1920.
Svetlana Olegovna Vyalova, from St. Petersburg, Russia, distinguished specialist for Croatian Glagolitic literature, sitting in the middle.
Memorial plaque on the house where Branko Fučić was born.
His name is written in Latin and Croatian Glagolitic characters.
| Sadržaj / Contents
VITA OPUSQUE
ARS HISTORIAQUE
SLAVISTICA ET CROATISTICA
EPIGRAPHICA GLAGOLITICA FUČIĆIANA
ETHNOGRAPHICA ET ALIA
SCIENTIAE AUXILIARES HISTORIAE ET ALIA
Summaries of lectures from the Conference: [PDF] |
Formated for CROWN by prof.dr. Darko Žubrinić
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