The
Cathedral of St. Marco is a Gothic-Renaissance building
which was built from the end of the 15th century,
mostly by Korcula masters and from the Korcula stone
of the islands of Vrnik and Kamenjak. Theree apses
witness to the existence of an older church. Its
first builder was the Korculan Hranic Dragosevic,
then follow Ratko Ivancic, Dubrovnik builders, then
Jacopo Correr from Tirani in Apulia, but the cathedral
was finally completed by a genial artist, the best
known of Korculas medieval builders, Marko Andrijic
(died in 1507). The builder Marko Milic Pavlovic
added the chapel of St. Rocco next to the northern
aisle in 1525. The cathedral thus received its present
form. The portal with the figures of lions and of
St. Marco was built by the master Bonino da Milano
in 1412. He was the creator of the door on the south
aisle with the figure of St. Jacob. Marko Andrijic
created the glorious rosette, the wreath and the
top of the bell-tower. An unknown local master built
the door of the chapel of St. Rocco. The main altar
was adorned with the altar painting by the great
Venetian painter Jacopo Tintoretto in 1550 (Jacopo
Robusti Tintoretto, 1518-1594), which depicts the
three patron saints of Korcula and Dalmatia: saint
Marko the Evangelist - the patron saint of Korcula,
and at each side, saint Jerolisimus - the patron
saint of Dalmatia and saint Bartholomew - the patron
saint of ship-builders. Below the altar table, there
is a sarcophagus with the relics of the towns other
patron sain, saint Theodore. The masterpiece of
Marko Andrijic, a fine stone ciborium with the statues
of the Annunciation from 1486, is raised above the
altar. The choir stalls are the work of Vicko Tironi
from 1795. The ceiling of the central aisle (reconstructed
in 1961) reminds us of the interior of a boat, a
link with the traditional Korcula profession - shipbuilding.
Next to the entrance door to the south aisle, there
is a collection of arms commemorating the defence
of the town from attacks by the enemy ships in 1493
and 1571. Beside the arms, there is a contemporary
reliefs Christ Under the Cross created by Lujo Lozica
(born at Lumbarda in 1934). Further to the east
there is the altar of St. Anthony with the coat
of arms of the Spanic family, and a large painting
of the Annunciation by Jacopo Tintoretto (around
1550). Lady from the Island is a Byzantine icon
from the 13th century, and was transferred to Korcula
from the Franciscan monastery on the island of Badija.
It is an object of religious veneration and to its
attributed the miraculous and crucial help needed
in the defence from the Turkish fleet in 1571. The
silver cover of this icon is a local work from the
15th century. Between this icon and the altar of
Holy Trinity, there is the beautiful sarcophagus
of the bishop Malumbra from 1530. The painting on
the altar of Holy Trinitry is the work of Leandro
Bassano (1557-1622), a member of the great Venetian
artist family of Bassano da Ponte. One of the figures
depicted is the Korcula bishop Diedo on his knees.
The bell-tower is in the northern aisle, and the
new baptistry was installed underneath it in 1969.
The sculpture The Risen Christ from 1968, the work
of the great artist Frano krsinic, stands on the
Gothic baptistry fountain. Besides other artistic
works on the walls, there are a Pieta by Ivan Mestrovic
from 1915, and The Mother of God by Ivan Kerdic
from 1926. The altar of St. John with the coat of
arms of the Giunio family from the 15th century
is in the apse of the northern aisle. The entrance
to the sacristy, with the relief of St. Michael,
is the remarkable work of an unknown master (14/15
century). The statue of St.
Blaise (Blasius), the patron saint of Dubrovnik,
is on the neighbouring ceiling. This is the work
of the great Ivan Mestrovic. There are three altars
in the Chapel of St. Rocco. The eastern one, the
altar of St. Rocco, is the biggest in the cathedral.
It was built in 1764, and it depicts the saints
Rocco, Cosmas and Damian, the work of Franjo Cucic,
the self-taught sculptor from Blato from 1576. On
the northern wall of this chapel, there is the altar
of the Lady of Carmel with paintings by the Venetian
painter Carlo Ridolfi from 1642. On the south wall
of the chapel there is the altar of Mala Gospa -
Minor Lady. The cathedral organ is from 1952, and
the six cathedral bells are characterized by their
exceptionally beautiful tones.
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Next
to the Cathedral of St. Marco, there is the former
bishops court where the Abbatial Treasury is held,
put together by the abbot Ivo Matijaca and the Croatian
painter Ljubo Babic in 1954. The earlier bishops
court from the 14th and 15th centuries was feconstructed
between 1860 and 1874. At the staircase entrance
there are severa works of art and precious objects,
and a collection of small icons. The medal of Mother
Theresa (the winner of the Nobel peace prize in
1979), and St. Marco by Radica also decorate this
wall. The first hall houses, in the central glass
cabinet, sketches and drawings from the best known
workshops and ateliers in europe (Raffaello, Leonardo
da Vinci, Tiepolo, Palma, The Florentine school,
Johann Grund etc). The paintings of the Dalmatian
Renaissance artists, such as Ivan Ugrinovic from
Dubrovnik, Pelegrino dal San Danielle from Venice
and others, are on the walls. The most significant
work there is the polyptich Our Lady with Child
and Saints from 1431 by the Dalmatian painter Blaz
Jurjev Trogiranin. Blaz Jurjev Trogiranin (?-1450)
is the most significant name in Dalmatian Gothic
art, and he resided in Korcula from 1431 until 1435
creating pictures for the Korcula churches and teaching
drawing and painting. In the wall cabinets, there
are numerous documents and books which speak about
the distant past of Korcula and Croatia. The Korcula
code from the 12th century is amoung them. The small
chapel in the south wall of this hall was the bishops
private chapel (1770). The fragment of a wooden
sculpture is the work of Franjo Cucic, the local
sculptor from Blato (1576). The second hal of the
Treasury is devoted to the painters of the Italian
Renaissance and their schools: Our Lady with the
Saints by Titian or from his workshop (16th century),
Annunciation by Paolo Veronese or from his workshop
(16th century), Our Lady with the Child by Giovanni
Bellini or from his school (15th century), Young
Man by Carpaccio or from his workshop (15th century),
The portrait of a Knight by Jacopo Bassano da Ponte
(16th century), Christ on the Mount Olive by the
Venetian school around 1600 and others. The fragment
of Madonna by Luca della Robbia or by his pupils
(15th century) is also exhibited. Alabaster reliefs
are the work from the workshop in England (Nottingham)
from the 15th century, from where the small statue
of Mary Stuart arrived. The marvellous Gothic two-part
window "bifora" is turned towards the
interior of this hall in order that the visitor
may enjoy the style and the technique, which pleasure
would be impossible in the steep and narrow streets
of Korcula. Coins minted for Korkyra Melaina from
the 4th century B.C. are in the numismatic collection
cabinet and attact special attention. The third
hall is devoted to the bishop from the 18th century,
coats of arms of bishops and abbots - from the first
bishop Ivan Kruzic to the last abbot Ivo Matijaca
- then the portrait of the bishop Nikola Spanic
by Tripo Kokolja from 1700, as well as the portraits
of other bishops, depict the rich history of the
Korcula Church. Numerous paintings by local and
foreign artists are also exhibited. The cabinet
in the midle of the hall holds the collection of
medals and seals, and a valuable collection of the
small votive plaques. The small room with the paintings
of Croatian artists from the 20th century is at
the same time the passage way into the hall of ceremonial
garments. Many famous Croatian artists gave donation
to this Treasury. Amoung them are Celestin Medovic,
Miroslav Kraljevic, Edo Murtic, Ivo Dulcic, Djuro
Pulitika, Izvor Oreb, Aljosa Minjakov and Ljubo
Babic; himself the author of the arranging of the
Treasury. The painter Bulic made the portrait of
the abbot Ivo Matijaca (1916-1994), the last Korcula
Mitred bishop and one of the meritorious explorers
and keepers of the cultural history of the town
and the island of Korcula. The last hall exhibits
the official church vestments from the 14th until
the 20th century. Especially valuable are the old
Dalmatian and Gothic-Renaissance chasubles from
the 15th century. There is an interesting view through
the window of this room to the apses of the cathedral.
The so-called "kitchen" - the collection
of Hellenic and medieval ceramics from under-water
finds in the sea arround Korcula - can be found
in the closed private premises of the bishops palace.
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The
town Museum in the Gabrielis palace (16th century)
presents to the visitors the life of old Korcula.
The Psephism from Lumbarda - the inscription in
stone, found in nearby Lumbarda describing the foundation
of the Greek town in the 4th century B.C. - is exhibited
on the ground-flor. This fragmented inscription
describes in old Greek the agreement concluded between
the Greek settlers from the island of Issa (Vis)
with the local Illyrian heads. It obliges all the
settlers to absolute loyalty and ends with the list
of 200 immigrant families. There is, next to the
psephism, a rich collection of coats of arms and
inscriptions from the 4th to the 18th centuries.
The south room depicts a reconstructed stone-masons
workshop. From ancient times to the middle of the
20th century, Korculans were skillfully working
and selling their stone all over the Adriatic area.
The high quality limestone from Korcula is incorporated
in some of the best known buildings in the world
such as the Haggia Sophia in Istanbul, the parliament
in Vienna, the Town Hall in Stockholm etc. The most
beautiful of the public and private buildings in
Dalmatian towns such as Dubrovnik, Hvar, Kotor etc.
are also built from it. This millenium-long tradition
has brought to the stage of contemporary Croatian
culture the greatest sculptor Frano Krsinic and
many other Korcula and Lumbarda sculptors: Radica,
Pallavicini, Trpimir Ivancevic, the brothers Ivo
and Lujo Lozica, Stecca, Radovanovic, Jurjrvic-Knez,
Duhovic and so on. Under the staircase are the medieval
kitchen appliances. On the first floor, there are
finds from the archeological investigations on the
island - from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic,
and numerous finds from sea-bed exploration of the
ancient Greek and Roman periods. Another room deals
with the development of shipbuilding, which has
always been, like stone cutting, an economic tradition
since Hellenic times. Photos of old "Skveri"
(shipyards) are on show, and models of some of the
ships built after the Second World War in Korcula.
These photos of old "Skveri" - the model
of the best known family "Skver" is that
of Vicko Sessa (1962) - as well as all tools and
appliances speak clearly of the hard work of carpenters
and shipbuilders. The biggest Korcula sailing ship
"Fratelli Fabris" of around the end of
the 19th century is depicted in one of the photos.
On the second floor, we learn about the political
and cultural life of old Korcula. Documents from
the 19th century are important for Korculas national
history: the period under Austrian rule, the time
of national revival in Dalmatia, and others. Several
portraits of highly respected citizens are the work
of the Korcula painter Josip Zmajic. Numerous other
exhibits witness to the high level of culture and
every day life. A very beautiful Renaissance knocker
from the doors of the Arneri palace, the work of
the Venetian sculptor Tiziano Aspetti (1565-1607)
is exhibited in this room, as well as the facsimile
of one page of the Korcula Statute from 1214. There
is a replica of an old kitchen in the attic. Here,
the visitor can get an impression about the functional
arrangement of medieval dwelling houses; the ground-floor
was reserved for business affairs, the living quarters
were on the first and second floors, and the attic,
as the only airy space, served for the kichen.
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The
Church and Brotherhood of All Saints are among the
oldest town traditions. The Church was built at
the begining of the 15th century in place of an
older church (10th century /13th century), which
was the first cathedral of the bishop (1300); the
oldest Korcula brotherhood - All Saints of the Brotherhood
of Good Death - was founded there in 1301. The bell-tower
on distaff in the form of a stone plaque was later
erected. Above the main altar, there is a stone
ciborium built on the same pattern as the ciborium
in the cathedral. The Pieta from walnut wood is
the work of the Austrian Baroque master George Raphael
Donner (1693-1741). A huge Byzantine crucifix from
the 15th century is situated on the great Gothic
painter Blaz Jurjev Trogiranin with the depiction
of Mourning (1438-1439) is on the right of the altar.
One can see the brothers of All Saints on it, with
their still traditional garments. The ceiling was
painted by Tripo Kokolja (b. Perast 1661 - d. Korcula
1713) who is buried in this church entrance to the
house of the brotherhood of All Saints. The reliefs
above the entrance door depict the brothers of this
brotherhood from 1301. The photos are a reminder
of the annual gatherings and processions of the
brothers. The silver cross, the 15th century, is
the masterpiece and only work extant of the Dubrovnik
goldsmith Ivan Progonovic. It is at the entrance
to the hall on the left. To the right are exhibits
from the rich history of this society: registers
of births, marriages and deaths in this brotherhood,
an appliance for secret voting, song-books, processional
candles "torci", and the garments of the
brothers, "tonige". The collection of
icons from the Greek island of Crete is exhibited
on both walls. The Korcula war gallery took part
in the war between Venice and the Turks for the
island of Crete (Candia wars). The war ended with
the defeat of Venice and general evacuation of the
Venetian garrison, administration and priests from
the island. So, these valuable icons arrived in
Korcula with the Korcula galley on its return. They
were executed partly under the influence of the
Venetian painting schools between the 14th and the
17th centuries. The Last Supper covers the whole
of the eastern wall. This is the work of an unknown
Dalmatian painter from the 17th century.
The
Church of St. Michael (1408/1615), opposite the
Town Hall, is characterised by its pleasant facade
and beautiful bell-tower on distaff. The painting
of Our Lady of Consolation, on the big Baroque altar,
is the work of the Venetian painter Domenico Maggioto
(18th century). The renaissance pulpit is also of
interest. The church is connected with the house
of the brother of St. Michael, which was founded
in 1603. The hall of the brotherhood is full of
exhibits witnessing to a rich history and high aesthetic
criteria of Korculans in the previous centuries.
A special visual bonus are the "torci"
- wax candles which are carried in the processions
around the town, some of them up to 73 kilos of
weight. They are given names like Zero, Primo, etc
depending of the weight.
