Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2016.12
Contribution to the Study of the History of the Franciscan Pharmacy in Varaždin
Bernarda Ratančić
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Section for Immovable Heritage Documentation, Zagreb, Croatia
Vladanka Milošević
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Department for Intervention Measures on Architectural Heritage, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Croatian Conservation Institute is currently conducting conservation research at the former building of the Franciscan Monastery in Varaždin. The research was initiated for the purpose of preventing the wall paintings from further degradation, while allowing for the construction history to be determined, and the frescos and the entire building valorized within the context of Baroque art and architecture. Based on the results obtained, a rehabilitation proposal will be drawn up that would include a space in the building for the presentation of the rich Franciscan cultural heritage. The exhibition would feature materials related to the Franciscans’ work, from their arrival in Varaždin during the middle ages until the present day.
The fact that the upper storeys of the building house a Croatian State Archives depot comes as an aggravating circumstance, as these storeys are inaccessible for the time being. Save for the pharmacy, other rooms on the ground floor are in use and contain various pieces of furniture, which further hinders research. For this reason, the research is still incomplete and many open questions are yet to be answered.
Nevertheless, the Franciscan infirmary can at this point be identified as an example of a special purpose Baroque building that probably also served as the model for the Virovitica Residence. Particular value can be assigned to Ranger’s vault fresco with its vivid and complex symbolism. This article was intended to present the results of research so far and point out the need for further research and work on the building’s renovation and on the fresco itself, in order to create conditions for the presentation of the rich cultural legacy of the Varaždin Franciscans.
Keywords
Ivan Krstitelj Ranger; Baroque wall paining; Franciscan Monastery in Varaždin; Franciscan pharmacy
Hrčak ID:
171699
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2016.
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