IvanV.
245 Walkin'Streets of Dubrovnik_Onofrio's Fountain (1438) located right to Pile gate designed by Onofrio della Cava from Naples & St. Saviour's Church (1520-1528)
- Onofrio's Fountain -
Located at the open space right to Pile gate designed by Onofrio della Cava from Naples.
When you enter through either the Pile Gate or the Ploce Gate at the western and eastern ends of the Stradun respectively, the first thing that you will see is one of two Onofrio fountains in Old Town, which were constructed beginning in 1438 so that visitors could wash away the possibility of carrying plague into the city before they entered. The fountains, designed by Italian hydro-engineer Onofrio della Cava and architect Pietro di Martino, provide clean, cold water via an aqueduct from the Dubrovnik River (Rijeka Dubrovacka), 11km (7 miles) away, but the fountains' efficacy as germ killers is questionable. This larger fountain at the Pile Gate looks like a giant sectioned vat with a dome; it delivers cold water from 16 carved stone heads that ring the structure's lower third. The 16 heads are all that is left of the fountain's stone ornamentation after the 1667 quake and the 1991-92 siege. Water from the Luza Square fountain flows through a more ornate device with detailed sculpture work. Many people fill their water bottles and soak their bandannas in the fountains' cold water, especially in summer when Dubrovnik is steamy.
- St. Saviour Church -
The Renaissance-Gothic facade of St. Saviour Church faces the larger Onofrio fountain between the Pile Gate and the Franciscan Monastery at Stradun.
St. Saviour was built in the early 16th century by Petar Andrijic of Korcula and it is one of the few structures not damaged in the 1667 quake. Some say it was influenced by Sibenik's UNESCO World Heritage cathedral. It is certain, however, that St. Saviour influenced several Dalmatian churches, most notably the cathedral of Hvar. St. Saviour's is no longer used for Mass. The church's interior appears to have been recently restored, as the marble and ceiling paintings are quite bright and clean looking.
The church was built by the order of the local Senate in gratitude that the town had been spared from destruction in the earthquake that hit Dubrovnik in that time. The monumental inscription above the main entrance on the front facade testifies to this. Construction started in 1520 on project by the architect Petar Andrijich of Korchula. The building was completed in 1528.
The church has one nave with a Gothic-cross-ribbed vault. The lateral windows are also Gothic with the typical pointed arches. Nevertheless, the main facade with the Renaissance elements on the portal and the three-leaf semicircular top as well as the semicircular apse reveal a recognizable Renaissance style.
In 1667 Dubrovnik was overtaken again by a strong earthquake. This time there was considerable collapse throughout the town. Happily, the church of the Saviour withstood the disaster so it can be seen today in its original form as a fine example of the town's harmonious Renaissance architecture.
- Franciscan Monastery -
Franciscan Monastery is built in the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style. The construction started in 1337. In 1667 it was completely destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The door with Pieta at Stradun is the only thing left from the original church after it has been rebuilt. The Cluster of the Franciscan Monastery is considered to be a masterpiece of architecture in Dubrovnik. It was built in Romanesque-Gothic style by the famous Mihoje Brajkov from Bara. The capitals are a true example of Romanesque style, with bestiary motives bringing the spirit of Gothic as well.
Pieta at the church of Male braèe - gothic sculpture done by Leonard and Petar Petrovic (1498). The lofty interior of the monastery (reputed once to have had ceiling paintings by Titian) was reconstructed after the Great Earthquake of 1667. The original Gothic-top of the bell tower was also lost and replaced with an octagonal cupola (height 44m).
The Old Pharmacy, located inside the Franciscan monastery, was opened in 1317. It is the third oldest pharmacy in Europe, but the only one still working. The inventories, ceramics, bowls, laboratory equipment and old medical books of the old Pharmacy are kept in the Franciscan Monastery Museum, among other highly valued and priceless objects of Dubrovnik's historic and cultural past.
The Franciscan monastery's library possesses 30,000 volumes, 22 incunabula, 1,500 valuable handwritten documents. The well-labeled exhibits include a 15th century silver-gilt cross and silver thurible, an 18th century crucifix from Jerusalem in mother-of-pearl on olive wood, an martyrology (1541) by Bemardin Gucetic (Gozze) and illuminated Psalters.
Among the pictures is one of Rudjer Boskovic painted in London in 1760, and a painting showing the town before the earthquake. This painting is one of the very few ones that show the Old Town before the earthquake and is used to reconstruct and understand how Dubrovnik was build before the catastrophe in 1667.
245 Walkin'Streets of Dubrovnik_Onofrio's Fountain (1438) located right to Pile gate designed by Onofrio della Cava from Naples & St. Saviour's Church (1520-1528)
- Onofrio's Fountain -
Located at the open space right to Pile gate designed by Onofrio della Cava from Naples.
When you enter through either the Pile Gate or the Ploce Gate at the western and eastern ends of the Stradun respectively, the first thing that you will see is one of two Onofrio fountains in Old Town, which were constructed beginning in 1438 so that visitors could wash away the possibility of carrying plague into the city before they entered. The fountains, designed by Italian hydro-engineer Onofrio della Cava and architect Pietro di Martino, provide clean, cold water via an aqueduct from the Dubrovnik River (Rijeka Dubrovacka), 11km (7 miles) away, but the fountains' efficacy as germ killers is questionable. This larger fountain at the Pile Gate looks like a giant sectioned vat with a dome; it delivers cold water from 16 carved stone heads that ring the structure's lower third. The 16 heads are all that is left of the fountain's stone ornamentation after the 1667 quake and the 1991-92 siege. Water from the Luza Square fountain flows through a more ornate device with detailed sculpture work. Many people fill their water bottles and soak their bandannas in the fountains' cold water, especially in summer when Dubrovnik is steamy.
- St. Saviour Church -
The Renaissance-Gothic facade of St. Saviour Church faces the larger Onofrio fountain between the Pile Gate and the Franciscan Monastery at Stradun.
St. Saviour was built in the early 16th century by Petar Andrijic of Korcula and it is one of the few structures not damaged in the 1667 quake. Some say it was influenced by Sibenik's UNESCO World Heritage cathedral. It is certain, however, that St. Saviour influenced several Dalmatian churches, most notably the cathedral of Hvar. St. Saviour's is no longer used for Mass. The church's interior appears to have been recently restored, as the marble and ceiling paintings are quite bright and clean looking.
The church was built by the order of the local Senate in gratitude that the town had been spared from destruction in the earthquake that hit Dubrovnik in that time. The monumental inscription above the main entrance on the front facade testifies to this. Construction started in 1520 on project by the architect Petar Andrijich of Korchula. The building was completed in 1528.
The church has one nave with a Gothic-cross-ribbed vault. The lateral windows are also Gothic with the typical pointed arches. Nevertheless, the main facade with the Renaissance elements on the portal and the three-leaf semicircular top as well as the semicircular apse reveal a recognizable Renaissance style.
In 1667 Dubrovnik was overtaken again by a strong earthquake. This time there was considerable collapse throughout the town. Happily, the church of the Saviour withstood the disaster so it can be seen today in its original form as a fine example of the town's harmonious Renaissance architecture.
- Franciscan Monastery -
Franciscan Monastery is built in the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style. The construction started in 1337. In 1667 it was completely destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The door with Pieta at Stradun is the only thing left from the original church after it has been rebuilt. The Cluster of the Franciscan Monastery is considered to be a masterpiece of architecture in Dubrovnik. It was built in Romanesque-Gothic style by the famous Mihoje Brajkov from Bara. The capitals are a true example of Romanesque style, with bestiary motives bringing the spirit of Gothic as well.
Pieta at the church of Male braèe - gothic sculpture done by Leonard and Petar Petrovic (1498). The lofty interior of the monastery (reputed once to have had ceiling paintings by Titian) was reconstructed after the Great Earthquake of 1667. The original Gothic-top of the bell tower was also lost and replaced with an octagonal cupola (height 44m).
The Old Pharmacy, located inside the Franciscan monastery, was opened in 1317. It is the third oldest pharmacy in Europe, but the only one still working. The inventories, ceramics, bowls, laboratory equipment and old medical books of the old Pharmacy are kept in the Franciscan Monastery Museum, among other highly valued and priceless objects of Dubrovnik's historic and cultural past.
The Franciscan monastery's library possesses 30,000 volumes, 22 incunabula, 1,500 valuable handwritten documents. The well-labeled exhibits include a 15th century silver-gilt cross and silver thurible, an 18th century crucifix from Jerusalem in mother-of-pearl on olive wood, an martyrology (1541) by Bemardin Gucetic (Gozze) and illuminated Psalters.
Among the pictures is one of Rudjer Boskovic painted in London in 1760, and a painting showing the town before the earthquake. This painting is one of the very few ones that show the Old Town before the earthquake and is used to reconstruct and understand how Dubrovnik was build before the catastrophe in 1667.