Review article
Renaissance and Baroque Religious Architecture in Komiža on the Island of Vis
Davor Stipan
Abstract
The paper discusses religious architecture of the town of Komiža on the island of Vis between the 15th and the 18th century, with an overview of historical facts which conditioned the economic and urban development of inhabited areas during the Late Middle Ages. The arrival of Benedictines from the island of Biševo and the foundation of the monastery of St Nicholas marked the beginning of a continuing process of settlement of the Komiža bay. The population arrived from the inland areas of the island and first engaged in agriculture, while the expansion of the city towards the coast incited a turn towards the fishing trade. This crucial moment in the city’s history resulted in an increased economic and demographic prosperity, as well as in important building campaigns conducted in the course of the centuries that followed. As a part of the Hvar commune and under the rule of the Republic of Venice, during the Renaissance and Baroque period a number of significant architectural projects realized in Komiža changed the city’s prospect and became the most important elements of its architectural history. Among them a prominent place is occupied by religious structures, the enlarged church of St Nicholas and the newly constructed churches of St Mary, St Roch and the church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows. Although they cannot be considered typical examples of Renaissance and Baroque architectural vocabulary in terms of style and spatial disposition, the aforementioned monuments mark the “golden age” of architecture in Komiža, characterized by purism and specific local features which ensured it a prominent place in the context of Dalmatian architectural heritage.
Keywords
Komiža; religious architecture, Renaissance; Baroque
Hrčak ID:
157216
URI
Publication date:
1.1.2016.
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