Page 116 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

114  CRO A TIA AREA B Y AREA

t Trogir R Cathedral of St Lawrence
Sv. Lovre
Set on a small island just off the mainland, Trogir is one Trg Ivana Pavla II. Tel (091) 531 4754.
of the jewels of the Dalmatian coast, with many splen did Open mid-May–Oct: 9am–8pm; Nov–
mid-May: by appt.
monuments. The Greeks of Issa (now Vis) first settled here
in the 3rd century BC, when they founded the fortified The cathedral stands on the site
of an ancient church destroyed
town of Tragyrion (island of goats) which became Tragurium by the Saracens. Construction
under the Romans in 48 BC. In the Middle Ages Trogir was started in 1193, but was
protected by the Byzantine fleet, but in 1123 it was attacked prolonged for decades and
and destroyed by the Saracens, and abandoned by the few involved dozens of artists. The
surviving inhabitants. It revived again 70 years later and a three-aisle building has three
semicircular apses: the central
period of artistic growth ensued, first under the kings of nave is higher than the side
Hungary and, from 1420, under Venetian rule. In 1997 aisles from which it is divided
Trogir was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. by eight columns.
There are two entrances.
The side door, known as “the
count’s”, is very simple, and
dated 1213. The other entrance
is a magnificent Romanesque
door under an atrium, to the
right of which stands a beautiful
Gothic bell tower, built between
the late 14th century and the
beginning of the 17th century.
This door was carved in around
1240 by the Dalmatian sculptor
Master Radovan (see p24), and
is the finest expression of
Romanesque sculpture to be
found in Dalmatia. Two stone
Seafront of Trogir, with Kamerlengo Castle in the distance lions support statues of Adam
and Eve either side of the door.
Most of the old historic centre E Civic Museum Next to them are pilasters
of the town is on an island Muzej grada Trogira depicting saints in Byzantine
and is encircled by a wall Gradska vrata 4. Tel (021) 881 406. style. Scenes of the different
with two gates. A bridge now Open Jun & Sep: 9am–noon, 5–8pm months of the year are carved
joins the island to the mainland Mon–Sat; Jul & Aug: 9am–noon, on the middle pilasters.
and another links it to the 6–9pm daily; Oct–May: 9am–2pm Above the door, in the large
island of Čiovo. Tourism is Mon–Fri. & 8 ^ lunette, is a relief of the Nativity
important to the town: ice- On the other side of the Land and in the semicircles are
cream parlours, restaurants Gate is the Baroque Garagnin episodes from the life of Jesus. The
and pizzerias line the small Fanfogna Palace, now the door is enclosed under a sloping
squares. The main public and Civic Museum, with 18th- roof with a corbel at the top with
religious monuments, and century furnishings. There a statue of St Lawrence. In the
other important buildings, are archaeological collections, atrium is a baptistry designed by
have been the subject of documents and antique clothes Andrija Aleši in around 1460 with
restoration work. linked to the town’s history. a relief of the Baptism of Christ.
P Land Gate P Stafileo Palace
Sjeverna vrata Palača Stafileo
Rebuilt in the 17th century, Matije Gupca 20. Closed to the public.
this gate was made from a Stafileo Palace was built in the
tall doorway in pale rusticated late 15th century. A series of five
stone, with grooves which windows in Venetian Gothic
once supported a drawbridge. style punctuates each of the
On the cornice above the two floors, the openings framed
arch once stood the lion of by pillars, capitals and carved
St Mark and, above that, on a arches. Around the arches are
pedestal, stands a statue of the reliefs of flowers and leaves.
Blessed John of Trogir (Sv. Ivan The design is attributed to the
Trogirski), one of the town’s school of Juraj Dalmatinac, who The intricate Romanesque door of the
patron saints. worked for many years in Trogir. Cathedral of St Lawrence
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp228–30 and pp240–45

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