Легенда о Павломиру Белу
The legend of Radoslav/Pavlimir Belo

Summary/Abstract: The oldest anonymous chronicler of Dubrovnik mentioned the legend of the founder of Dubrovnik Radoslav Belo, the grandson of the dethroned Serbian ruler Radoslav, who had returned from Rome to restore his patrimony. The Chronicle of the Dukljanin Priest (13th century) mentions this legend too, expanding the role of Radoslav Belo to the hinterland too, ascribing to him the establishment of the Ras Eparchy and the conquest of the Ras region. Analyzing the Dubrovnik chronicles as well as the Chronicle of the Dukljanin Priest we could conclude that the legend of Radoslav Belo and the transfer of the saint relics from Rome to Dubrovnik is a complex tradition based upon some historical events. It could be concluded that Radoslav Belo is a historical figure and that most probably he had been a descendant of one of the dethroned Serbian ruler, while the myth on the transfer of the saint relics from Rome to Dubrovnik as well as on his political actions concerning the Ras region had been construed later. The most reliable conclusion of that is the fact that already at the beginning of the 9th century, at the latest, a record existed in Dubrovnik concerning the transfer of the saint relics, to which had been later added the Slavic legend of Radoslav Belo. It would seem that the legend of Radoslav Belo had been finally formed in the first half of the 11th century, when the Slavic tribes started to establish closer contacts with the citizens of Dubrovnik and to settle within the city walls.

• Details
• Contents