St. Peter, Morpolača

State

To visit this old church you have to find it first. Leave Benkovac and head for Vukšić. You can go by way of Perušić and Kolarina or take the road Benkovac-Knin. When you arrive in Vukšić take the turn that leads to Šibenik. You'll soon get to a small road that turns left towards the village of Prović. After Prović, and 7-8 kilometers from Vukšić, you'll arrive in Morpolača. St. Peter is not in the village itself, but in the field below the road. You will see it from a distance. There is a dirt road that begins near the electrical power substation in the village and goes all the way to the church. There's a small stream that runs through the field near the church.

Description

According to experts, this church should be dated in the early Romanesque period. Unlike the similar churches of St. John in Banjevci and St. Michael in Miranje, the tower in Morpolača church is narrower than the church itself. This church has a simple rectangular plan with a rather long oval barrel-vaulted apse. The tower has a square plan. One side leans to the church facade, while the remaining three are decorated with arcades. The top level of the tower is a later addition. The tower's ground floor is also vaulted. Restoration work on the church was done in 1988.

Facade

East side

Stone inscription

Opposite the door on the right side in the tower there used to stand a holy water basin, attached to a headstone that served as a base for it. Some old Croatian characters were discernible on it, while the rest was covered with plaster that was used to attach the basin. When the plaster was removed the inscription became visible. The script used on this headstone is the so called Bosančica, one of the medieval scripts that were used in Croatia. The headstone was undoubtedly taken from the graveyard next to the church.