Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2018.4
Barone Fortress above Šibenik
Ivo Glavaš
Ana Karađole
Josip Pavić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2549-381X
; Javna ustanova u kulturi „Tvrđava kulture Šibenik“
Abstract
Barone Fortress is located at the strategic position of St. Vitus above the city of Šibenik, almost a hundred metres above sea level. It was built at the beginning of the War of Candia in 1646, immediately after St. John’s Fortress. The Barone Fortress and St. John’s Fortress, along with the Bernardo bastion and St. Catherine’s bastion in the eastern part of the Šibenik city walls, made up the core of the 17th-century fortifications. Baron Christoph Martin von Degenfeld, General of the Republic of Venice, initially built it as a small fort – a ridotto. Ridotto del Baron was only one in a series of smaller forts that were part of Šibenik’s fortifications at the beginning of the War of Candia. However, only the ridotto del Baron was fortified to become a real stronghold – forte del Baron. This was the work of Provveditore Generale (Governor-general) Antonio Bernardo, who built a real fortress in that location in 1659, mentioned in the inscription above the entrance to the fortress. Part of the inscription has been preserved and is kept at the Šibenik City Museum. In the newly discovered atlas of Vincenzo Coronelli from the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (National Library of St Mark’s), there is a drawing and a description of the Barone Fortress where an earlier, smaller phase can clearly be seen. The reason ridotto del Baron became a fortress is certainly its dominant strategic position above Šibenik, a little below St. John’s Fortress. Although archaeological excavations were limited, they confirmed the existence of a previous smaller fort at the location of the present Barone Fortress. Part of the bulwark with a promenade of the old ridotto del Baron was discovered along with the remains of the original entrance to the Barone Fortress from its final phase. The entrance was in the place where it was expected to be found, given historical drawings and remains of the entrance to the external mantle of the bulwark. The entrance cut across the remains of the bulwark of the older fort, which undoubtedly proves that it was part of the first phase when ridotto del Baron was the only fort in that location. Archaeological excavations of the Barone Fortress were limited, so it is not possible to reconstruct the appearance of the previous ridotto del Baron fort. The location, size and characteristics of the military facilities which were part of the Fortress also cannot be confirmed, even though they can be seen on all the drawings of the Fortress. During archaeological excavations, no traces of embrasures were found in the half-bastions or the curtain wall of the Barone Fortress, although they can be seen on some historical depictions of the Fortress.
Keywords
Barone Fortress; Baron Degenfeld; St. Vitus position; ridotto del Baron; War of Candia; Antonio Bernardo
Hrčak ID:
218261
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2018.
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