Historic Landmarks in Cavtat and Vicinity

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Historic Landmarks in Cavtat

Baltazar Bogišić Collection

Address: Sv. Nikole 1, 20210 Cavtat
Phone: +385.20.478.556

Housed within the 16th-century Renaissance Knežev Dvor (Rector’s Palace), the Collection includes:

permanent display (drawings by Croatian and foreign artists and an impressive canvas, Carnival in Cavtat, by Cavtat's Vlaho Bukovac,
a lapidarium with Roman stone pieces from the first century AD and old coins, some from the Republic of Ragusa),
library (accessible to professionals),
archive (accessible to the public on request).

Baltazar Bogišić

Who was Baltazar Bogišić and why was he important?
Learn here

Račić Mausoleum

Račić Mausoleum in Cavtat

Ivan Meštrović was the sole architect, sculptor and decorator of the impressive Račić mausoleum which sits atop the hill rising above Cavtat. It was built in 1922 in a place of the 15th ct. church after the Bishop of Dubrovnik allowed for it to be demolished and the new mausoleum built.

The edifice is a white marble sepulchre surmounted by a bronze angel on a cupola. The decorations feature sculptures, reliefs, bronze doors, mosaics and depic angels, madonnas, crucifixes, caryatides, in a peculiar, archaic style partaking of Egyptian, Byzantine and Italian primitive influences. The scenes depicting angles and birds symbolize the three stages of life: birth, fate, and death.

The bronze bell hanging from the cupola is inscribed with an interesting epitaph: "Know the mystery of love and thou shalt solve the mystery of death and believe that life is eternal." The sarcophagi contain four of the wealthy ship-owning Račić family.

Below, a brief biography of Ivan Meštrović - the creator of the mausoleum.

Ivan Meštrović (August 15, 1883 – January 16, 1962)

Ivan Meštrović

Croatian sculptor and architect renowned as possibly the greatest sculptor of religious subject matter since the Renaissance, and the first living person to have a one man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. You can learn more about this great artist by visiting Wikipedia.
The gallery of some of Meštrović's work is posted on Flickr.

Bukovac Gallery

Address: Bukovčeva 5, 20210 Cavtat
Phone: +385.20.478.646
Website: kuca-bukovac.hr

Curators
Lucija Vuković (lucija@kuca-bukovac.hr)
Helena Puhara (helena@kuca-bukovac.hr)

Working hours:
From November 1st to April 30th:
Tuesday to Saturday:
9 am to 1 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm
On Sundays: 2 pm to 5 pm
From May 1st to October 31st:
Tusday to Saturday:
9 am to 1 pm, 4 pm to 8 pm
On Sundays: 4 pm to 8 pm

Closed on Mondays.

Vlaho Bukovac

Who was Vlaho Bukovac and why was he important?
Learn here

The permanent collection is made up of Bukovac’s works from all the phases of his oevre. A selection of furniture and personal objects are dispersed throughout the other spaces of the house with an eye toward optimal viewing of the newly-discovered wall paintings.

Baroque Church St. Nicholas

Parish Church st. Nicholas (sv. Nikola) is a 15 century edifice. Its baroque interior offers a site well worth a brief visit. Adjacent to the church is the pinacoteque, a small gallery hosting masterpieces painted from the 15 ct. on.

St. Nicholas Church, interior

St. Nicholas Church, exterior

Our Lady of the Snows - Church and Monastery

The monastery was founded in 1481, while the church, which occupies the eastern wing, was built in 1493. Over the centuries, the church has been demolished and rebuilt several times. Both, the monastery and church are registered as architectural treasure in 1984. They host numerous masterpieces well worth seeing.