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Dominican monastery.
In
the eastern part of the city just along the city walls is placed maybe
the biggest treasury of Dubrovnik cultural heritage. Dominican
monastery, now houses the church, the cloister and the monastery along
with its museum. Dominicans who founded the monastery in 1225 had built
their monastery on strategically fragile spot in the first road of the
defense of the city, so naturally in time the whole complex had been
placed inside of the city walls and assume its final shape in 15th
century. Plain interior of the Gothic church decorated with stone
objects and stone pulpit opens to the sanctuary with two side chapels.
Huge masterpieces collection of paintings is also exhibited within the
church walls: 15th century Crucifixion by Paolo Veneciano, 15th
century Virgin Mary and St John by Lorenzo di Marino Dobričević, two 17th
century altarpieces by Francesco di Maria, 19th century
Miracle of St Dominic by Vlaho Bukovac, one of the famous Croatia
painters ever. Planted with orange trees with well in the middle,
exceptionally beautiful arched porches of the cloister, were built (1483)
in late Gothic style by local masters
according to design of Maso di
Bartolomeo de Florenc, while Sacristy was erected in 1485 by Paskoje
Miličević. Although construction of the Bell Tower started in 1390 by
Checo from Monopoli it wasn’t completed until the 1531, so the later
baroque lantern followed the Romanesque stile. Invaluable collection of
the monastery library, that
used to be one of the biggest European
libraries between 15th and 17th century, expands
over 16 000 volumes, 240 incunabula and other important archives, among
which are the oldest Latin translations of Avicenna’s works and a 14th
century tractate of St. Thomas Aquinas. |
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