Renaissance in Croatia
Encyclopedia
The Renaissance in Croatia is a period of cultural enrichment in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 that began at the end of the 15th century and lasted until the second quarter of the 16th century.

Introduction

In the 15th century, Croatia was in a personal union with Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, Dalmatian cities where under the rule of the Venetian Republic (with the exception of Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...

), later the Habsburgs gained control over the Croatian crown in the early 16th century and more and more territories came under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 occupation.
Dalmatia was on the periphery of several influences, just as far from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 as from the Ottomans in Bosnia and Austrians in the north, so it benefited from all of these. In such circumstances Dalmatian religious and public architecture flourished, with clear influences from the Italian renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...

. Three works from that period are of European importance, and would contribute to further development of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

: the Cathedral of St James in Šibenik, the Chapel of Blessed John in Trogir, and Sorkočević’s villa in Dubrovnik.

Only in this kind of environment, far from major governing centers, was it possible for the artisan known as Juraj Dalmatinac to build a church entirely to his own design – the Cathedral of St. James
Cathedral of St. James, Šibenik
The Cathedral of St. James inŠibenik, Croatia is a triple-nave basilica with three apses and a dome in the city of Šibenik, Croatia. It is the church of the Catholic Church in Croatia, and the see of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architectural monument of the Renaissance in...

 in Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...

, in 1441. Besides a mixing of Gothic and Renaissance style it was also original in the combination of stone building and montage construction (big stone blocks, pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....

s and ribs were bounded with joints and slots on them - without concrete) in the way that was usual in wooden constructions. This was a unique building with so-called three-leaf frontal and half-barrel vaults, the first in Europe. The cathedral and its original stone dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....

 was finished by Nikola Firentinac
Nikola Firentinac
Niccolò Fiorentino ; , was a Dalmatian Renaissance sculptor and master architect. He was of Tuscan birth, but lived most of his life and conducted much of his work in Venice, Šibenik and other towns of Dalmatia.He is best known by his work on the Cathedral of St.James in Šibenik, in 1455...

 following the original plans of Juraj.
On the cathedral there is a coronal of 72 sculpture portraits on the outside wall of the apses. Juraj himself did 40 of them, and all are unique with original characteristics on their faces.

Work on Šibenik cathedral inspired Nicola in his work on the expansion of the Chapel of Blessed John of Trogir in 1468. Just like Šibenik cathedral, it was composed out of large stone blocks with extreme precision. In cooperation with a disciple of Juraj, Andrija Aleši, Nicola achieved a unique harmony of architecture and sculpture according to antique ideals. From inside, there is no flat wall. In the middle of the chapel, on the altar, lies the sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...

 of blessed John of Trogir. Surrounding this are reliefs of putto
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...

s carrying torches that look like they were peeping out of doors of Underworld. Above them there are niches with sculptures of Christ and the apostles, amongst them are putties, circular windows encircled with fruit garland, and a relief of the Nativity
Nativity of Jesus in art
The Nativity of Jesus has been a major subject of Christian art since the 4th century. The artistic depictions of the Nativity or birth of Jesus, celebrated at Christmas, are based on the narratives in the Bible, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and further elaborated by written, oral and...

. This is all covered with a coffered ceiling with an image of God in the middle and 96 portrait heads of angels. With so many faces of smiling children the chapel looks very cheerful and there isn’t anything similar in European art of that time.

In the entire area of the Republic of Dubrovnik there were numerous villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...

s of nobility, unique by their functionality and space organization - a combination of renaissance villa and government building. Sorkočević’s villa in Lapad near Dubrovnik in 1521 is original in the way its parts were built in asymmetrical, dynamic balance.

Many Croatian renaissance sculptures are linked to its architecture, and the most beautiful one is perhaps the relief Flagellation of Christ by Juraj Dalmatinac on the altar of St Staš in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...

 cathedral. Three almost naked figures are caught in vibrant movement.

The most important Croatian renaissance painters were from Dubrovnik: Lovro Dobričević
Lovro Dobričević
Lovro Dobričević was a Croatian painter active primarily in Dubrovnik. He studied art in Venice before returning to Dubrovnik to work...

, Mihajlo Hamzić and Nikola Božidarević
Nikola Božidarevic
Nikola Božidarević or Nicola Ragusei, was a Croatian painter active in the Republic of Ragusa . He is the most important Croatian artist of the end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century.-Life:...

. They painted the altar screens with the first hints of portraits of characters, linear perspective and even still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...

 motifs
In north-western Croatia, the beginning of the wars with the Ottoman Empire caused many problems but in the long term it both reinforced the northern influence (by having the Austrians
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 as the rulers).
With permanent danger from the Ottomans in the east, the Renaissance had only a modest influence, while fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

s thrived. The plan for the fortified city of Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...

 in 1579 was first entirely new urban city to be built to a Renaissance plans (the so called “ideal city” plan) in Europe. It was built in a radial plan, later common in Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

.
Renaissance fort of Ratkay family in Veliki Tabor from 16th century has mixed features of gothic architecture (high roofs) and renaissance (cluster and round towers) making it an example of mannerism.

Artists of the Croatian Renaissance

  • Jeronim Vidulić
    Jeronim Vidulic
    Jeronim Vidulić was a Croatian Renaissance poet.-Biography:He lived in the 15th century in the city of Zadar. He belonged to civilian family. He was a priest, but has been also mentioned as a notary for the city and the county of Zadar...

     - poet
  • Mikša Pelegrinović
    Mikša Pelegrinovic
    Mikša Pelegrinović was a Croatian poet from Dalmatia.-Biography:Pelegrinović was born around the year 1500 in the town of Hvar on the island of the same name. He came from a noble family originating in the Apulian town of Barletta and was a son of Marijan and Nikolica...

     - poet
  • Juraj Šižgorić
    Juraj Šižgoric
    Juraj Šižgorić was a Croatian latinist poet.He was the first humanist from Šibenik and the central personality of the Šibenik's humanist circle and also one of the most important figures in 15th century cultural life and history of Croatian people.His Elegiarum et carminum libri tres was a first...

     - poet
  • Ivan Česmički
    Janus Pannonius
    Janus Pannonius was a Croatian and Hungarian Latinist, poet, diplomat and Bishop of Pécs.He was the only truly significant poet of the Renaissance in the Kingdom of Hungary and one of the better-known figures of Humanist poetry in Europe. He was born in a small village near the Drava river in a...

     - poet
  • Marko Marulić
    Marko Marulic
    Marko Marulić |Split]], 18 August 1450 – Split, 5 January 1524) was a Croatian national poet and Christian humanist, known as the Crown of the Croatian Medieval Age and the father of the Croatian Renaissance. He signed his works as Marko Marulić Splićanin , Marko Pečenić, Marcus Marulus ...

     - poet
  • Šiško Menčetić
    Šiško Mencetic
    Šišmundo Menčetić Vlahović, , or Sigismondo Menze was a poet from the Republic of Ragusa, chiefly creating his opus in the 15th century.-Biography:...

     - poet
  • Ludovik Crijević Tuberon
    Ludovik Crijevic Tuberon
    Ludovik Crijević Tuberon was a Latinist from the Republic of Ragusa, who especially excelled with his work in historiography....

     - Latinist and historian
  • Džore Držić
    Džore Držic
    Džore Držić was a Croatian poet and playwright, one of the fathers of Croatian literature.This respectable citizen of Dubrovnik, the uncle of the greatest Croatian playwright Marin Držić, the rector of the Church of All Saints, the chancellor of the Dubrovnik chapter, a contemporary of the poet...

     - poet
  • Hanibal Lucić
    Hanibal Lucic
    Hanibal Lucić or Annibale Lucio was a Croatian Renaissance poet and playwright.- Biography :He was born to a Croatian noble family of Antun and Goja in Hvar, where he spent most of his life. Early in his youth, he was a judge and later became a lawyer of the Hvar municipality...

     - poet and playwright
  • Ivan Lukačić
    Ivan Lukacic
    Marko Ivan Lukačić was a Croatian-born musician and composer of the Renaissance and early Baroque.-Biography:...

     - composer and musician
  • Petar Hektorović
    Petar Hektorovic
    Petar Hektorović was a Croatian writer.Hektorović was born and died in Stari Grad, Hvar. He was a poet and collector of Hvar's fishermen songs, and an important figure of the Renaissance period in Croatian literature...

     - poet and writer
  • Marin Držić
    Marin Držic
    Marin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...

     - playwright and prose writer
  • Petar Zoranić
    Petar Zoranic
    Petar Zoranić was a Croatian Renaissance writer from Zadar.He is most important as the author of Planine, the first Croatian novel. Pastoral in nature, the novel shows influence of Virgil, Ovid, Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca and Giovanni Boccaccio. The novel was written in 1538 and published...

     - novelist
  • Brne Karnarutić
    Brne Karnarutic
    Brne Karnarutić was Croatian Renaissance poet and writer.He was born in Zadar probably in 1515 as a descent of old noble family. After schooling in Zadar he studied law, probably in Padua...

     - poet
  • Mavro Vetranović
    Mavro Vetranovic
    Mavro Vetranović was a prolific Croatian writer and Benedictine friar from Dubrovnik.Born in Dubrovnik in 1482, he entered the Benedictine Order in 1507 on the island of Mljet, and after a period of education in Monte Cassino in Italy returned to Mljet as the abbot of the monastery...

     - writer
  • Pavao Skalić
    Pavao Skalić
    Paul Skalich , also known as Stanislav Pavao Skalić or Paulus Scalichius de Lika, was an encyclopedist, Renaissance humanist, and adventurer born in Zagreb, Croatia, and who lived part of his life in Germany...

     - encyclopedist
  • Dinko Zlatarić
    Dinko Zlataric
    Dominko "Dinko" Zlatarić was a poet and translator from Republic of Ragusa, considered the best translator of the Renaissance.-Life:...

     - poet
  • Juraj Baraković
    Juraj Barakovic
    Juraj Baraković is a Croatian Renaissance poet from Zadar.He wrote several distinguished pieces , but one work excels in his literary opus: complicated and the most explicitly manneristic epic in 13 books "Vila slovinka"...

     - poet
  • John of Kastav
    John of Kastav
    John of Kastav was a 15th-century Istrian artist, a native of Kastav .He painted the frescoes in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Hrastovlje, which included a famous Danse Macabre...

    - fresco painter

External links

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