Letter From Croatia IV: Constantine’s Mother

Watercolor of stone relief by Hallie Cohen

It is rumored that Helena, the mother of Constantine, was born in the town of Skript on the Island of Brac. Constantine was, of course, a very influential personage in the history of early Christianity since he was a Roman Emperor under whom Christianity thrived. He was the Earl Warren of the Roman Empire, a liberal put in power by those who sought to perpetuate conservative values. The Edict of Milan was a liberal doctrine. A little chapel, at the end of a vineyard outside of the town of Stari Grad on the island of Hvar, which is a short boat ride from Brac, is constructed out of stone and wood and like many structures along the small roads of the Dalmatian Coast emanates from Roman times. A cross, a Latin inscription, a bas relief of a bear (possibly symbolizing Constantine himself) and then “ Sainta Elena,” a Croatian variation of Helena testify to Constantine’s legacy. This little stone sanctuary could also have been a storehouse for grapes and fruits. It partakes both of the pagan and the religious and its components are a mixture of the eternal and the changing, the material and the spiritual with seemingly fragile wood beams supporting a slate stone roof. Grapes and blackberries glisten in the light and you can stop and pick warm fresh figs off the trees. The water in the harbor area is crystal clear and on a sunny August afternoon you feel the urgency of nature in a direct way that characterized the early Christian’s relationship to God. 

Letter From CroatiaI II: Balkan Ghosts

“Fortress,” watercolor by Hallie Cohen

Croatia is geographically the heart of Europe. Historically, at different periods, it was the buffer between the Habsburgs on the Northwest and the Ottoman empire on the Northeast. Robert D. Kaplan wrote a famous book called Balkan Ghosts which dealt with centuries old conflicts in the region, a festering cancer that metastasized during the wars that erupted in the former Yugoslavia during the l990’s. The Serbian controlled JNA or Yugoslav People’s Army tried to take over Croatia, but Croatia eventually prevailed. However, how do the legacies of the past continue today? Though based on ancient conflicts (like the Battle of Kosovo of 1389 which is still a hallmark for many Serbs) the 90’s wars created a whole new slew of unforgettable atrocities. Still when one is faced with the red roof tiles, white limestone and clear blue azure sea, the prospect of strife dissolves from the pristine world that characterizes the Dalmatian Coast. Enter the harbor of Hvar (whose name comes from the Greek for lighthouse, Pharos) one is confronted by the carnival like atmosphere created by the yachts of the super rich for which this has become a Balkan Juan Les Pins. Yet on a hill overlooking the harbor a brooding ancient fortress shadows the festivity as a reminder that the past is never far away.