Byzantine or Western European inspirations? Monumental architecture on the borderlands: the case study of medieval Chełm (south-east Poland)

Abstract

Abstract Chełm – located today on the Polish-Ukrainian border –for over a century has attracted the attention of numerous scholars. The town had been rebuilt by Daniel Romanovich, the Halych-Volhynian prince who was crowned in 1253 by Pope Innocent IV and recognized as the king of Ruthenia – which was an unusual event in medieval Europe. For here we have a ruler who belonged to the Orthodox Church accepting a papal crown and the Catholic faith. In such circumstances, some time before the middle of the 13th century, Daniel decided move his seat from Halych to Chełm, situated on the western periphery of his domain. The new city became not only a main seat, but also the real capital of the Halych-Volhynian Princedom. Here, on Cathedral Hill, excavations revealed the remains of the medieval basilica and a multi-element residence. At the same time, new discoveries were made in the city outskirts – namely, two masonry towers and an enigmatic column. The interdisciplinary archaeological research carried out by the author show an architectural complex and many archaeological finds unique in this part of Europe, ones inspired by the traditions of ancient Rome, the Byzantine East, and patterns known at that time in the Latin West.