Authors: Damir Demonja
Publisher:
Archaeological Museum of Istria, AMI, Pula
Institute for Development and International Relations, IRMO, Zagreb
Year: 2019
ISBN: 978-953-8082-42-9
“The Architecture of Franciscan Churches in Istria (Pula, Poreč and Pazin) and the Kvarner Bay Islands (Krk, Cres, Rab and Pag) up to the End of the Sixteenth Century”, by Damir Demonja, Ph.D., is a monograph devoted to the architecture of the Franciscan churches erected in Istria and on the Kvarner Bay islands till the end of the sixteenth century. ThisCroatian/English tome showcases the fruits of the author’s many years of work on this remarkable topic. The author offers a systematic treatment of eleven Franciscan churches in Pula, Poreč, Pazin, Krk, Cres, Rab and Pag, describing their historical and spatial points of reference, expounding on the shaping of Franciscan architecture as a reflection of the development of the Franciscan order, and reviewing the existing literature on studies of Franciscan churches in this region. He also provides an architectural and typological interpretation of these Franciscan churches with a detailed study and presentation of the architectural elements, their origins, development and continuity. The book closes with the author’s conclusions, a detailed list of the cited literature and a catalogue of the typologically classified Franciscan churches in the region of interest. The analyses and the discussion of the origins, development and continuity of the Franciscan churches built in Istria and on the Kvarner Bay islands from the mid-thirteenth to the late sixteenth century point to the shared attributes and regional characteristics of these churches, clarifying their role and significance in their spatial setting, and their importance and significance within the sphere of our national sacral architectural heritage.
This book is based on the author’s scientific papers on the topic, here amended and supplemented, previously published in the “Histria Archaeologica” journal. As there has been no previously published integral and systematic Croatian language treatment of these Franciscan churches we deemed it both important and beneficial to bring this comprehensive body of study on Franciscan churches in Istria and on the Kvarner Bay islands together in a monograph.
This book is culturally valuable in many ways and is targeted principally at the academic community, researchers and students, but will certainly also find readership among all those imbued with enthusiasm for our monumental heritage.
Financial support for book publishing
Ministry of Science and Education Republic of Croatia
Ministry of Culture Republic of Croatia
