Lastovo (town)

Sights

The Church of St. John the Baptist was built in the 14th century, beside the duke's house. Construction began in 1340 by the priest Andrija Škrinjić, and was completed in 1418. In the lunette above the entrance doors the is an inscription referring to the construction of the church and an emblem of the priest Vlahanović who had completed the construction. It is 15 metres (49 ft) long and 7 metres (23 ft) wide. In the interior section of the church on the altar there is a painting of the saint dating from 1515, while on ceiling there is a Baroque composition containing biblical themes. The church served as a chapel for the Duke of Lastovo and in it Mass was served up until 1864. It was subsequently deconsecrated and transformed into a church warehouse. The church has today been restored and carries characteristics of a Roman-Gothic style in accordance with the period of construction.

The parish Church of St. Cosmas and Damian was constructed on the foundations of an older church. It is first mentioned at the beginning of the 14th century. The triple nave church is the result of construction in two different periods. The central nave is from the second half of the 15th century, while the adjacent nave was added in the 16th and 17th centuries. This expansion feath is evident on the church façade which has three separate roofs and pediment crowned with three bell-towers in the shape of a belfry. They were erected in a Gothic style in the 18th century. The central part of the church was made by Croatian artisans. Amongst them, the most important role had master Radosan who had carved under the church ceiling the 1473 the inscription: RADOSAN FECIT MCCCCLXXIII MADII. Along the church apse a sacristy was added in 1545, white the Neo-Gothic bell tower was completed in 1942. The bell tower was constructed from Lastovo stone. At the base of the bell tower Antun Lastovac's tombstone was incorporated, who happened to be one of the Lastovo chaplains from the 15th century. A statute was signed in the front of the church in 1310. The interior of the church is filied with rich stone furnishings, paintings and artefacts. The church treasury preserves silver and gold-plated Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo chalices, rnonstrances, candle lamps, candle holders and procession crosses as well as unique artworks such a Gothic-Renaissance chalice from the late 15th and early 16th century, the only preserved work by Pavko Antojević in region. Amongst the artworks, special emphasis is given to the Renaissance vessel used for holy water which was ordered by Dobre Dobričević.

The Church of St. Joseph from 1635 (the simple Renaissance quadralungar building) has a nice façade containing two windows, a statue of St. Joseph is found on the volt in the middle of the door pediment, while above it there is a circular rose window and a single belfry for the bell. It was built partly through donations by the fishing fraternity and contributions from the Pavlović and Fulmizi families. The main altar (1773) was constructed by the Korčula stonemason Bernard Buar. On the altar there is an oil painting of the Holy Family which was placed by the beneficiary Fr. Vicko Fulmisi. The small church, during restoration of the Dolac (1930-1933) was authentically reconstructed at its current location.

The Chapel of St. Mary at Grža was built in 1442 through a donation by the priest Marin Vlahanović who had left in his last will funds so that the chapel be built and consecrated to the Mother of God. The chapel has a Gothic style with traces of a reminiscent Romantic style. Vlahanović's emblem (a lily flower between two diagonal belts and two eight-pointed stars) and inscription regarding the construction is embossed in the lunette above the chapel entrance doors of the simple but very beautiful façade, with the façade extended by three Gothic openings in the small (triple) belfry. The church in the Baroque period was called Our Lady of Snow. In the church there is an wooded altar triptych composed by Dubrovnik painters from the 16th century, showing the Mother of God, St. Cosmas and Damian, St. John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene.

The Church of St. Blaise (Vlaho) was built in the later half of the 14th century. The identically named fraternity, during the time of the Republic of Dubrovnik, built it on a clearly visible location (Gornji Pjevor) and was later consecrated to its patron St. Blaise. The façade has a lunette and a rose window (a round window on the shape of a Gothic quatrefoil) which extends as a small belfry. On the sides are Baroque windows and a raised entrance with five steps. The church itself still possesses honorary chairs for the duke, judges and dignitaries. The seats for the people are place in the nave and apse in a traverse manner. Following the Lastovo Rebellion against the Republic (1602-1606), and the return of the island to Dubrovnik jurisdiction, a painting of Antonio Sicuri in 1610 was placed on the main altar showing St. Blaise, St. Cosmas and Damian, St. Catherine and St. Sebastian. In 1676, the main wooden altar completely deteriorated and this painting was placed on the adjacent side altar. The Korčula stonemasons constructed a new altar upon which the painting of St. Blaise with the emblems of the Republic was placed, but that forgotten to add any attributes of the islands, thereby suggesting a its ruling dominance. Duke Martolica Crijević marked the expansion of the church with a Baroque sign which he had given to be inserted into the very church façade.

Fumar is the word for chimney and is a specific characteristics of the Lastovo houses. It is constructed on the houses or above kitchens located on the ground floor. They an unusually high and mainly cylindrical. During the construction phase it was important that they drew air well, i.e. that they removed smoke from the house. Therefore, its construction incorporates all the local knowledge relating to wind direction, since it was especially important to make the chimney ending in such a way that it prevented smoke returning to the fireplace. Consequently, the openings are always located under decorative crowns or wreaths according to which they are recognisable. The Lastovo fumari were status symbols for particular families, while today they are found in the municipal emblem. It is considered that the oldest chimney found in the Renaissance house of the Biz-Antica family. The crown contains a wind vane on the checkerboard. On the island, especially amongst the older houses, rarely can there be seen two similar chimneys since they are all different.