Rosie is walking down the skinny streets of Old Town Kotor and heading towards Museum Square. On the way there you pass the Karampana which was the only public well in the town of Kotor back in the day. Its present day appearance dates from the end of the 17th century when a skilled craftsman hand forged the iron fence and metal mechanism for pumping. This well, in its cosy surrounds was used up until 1917 as the only source for household water supply in the Old Town…. and for getting all the latest town gossip too no doubt.
The Museum Square is looked over, not only by the majestic mountains, but by the Gregorina Palace which now houses Kotors Maritime Museum. The Palace was built in the 18th Century and sports two lovely balconies while miniature canons and anchors sit by the front door. Outdoor restaurant terraces grace the other side of this small square.
The palaces that dot the main squares of the town used to house the influential and important noble families of the day. The stone used to build this palace was shipped in from Korcula Island and the house was gifted to Kotor by the last remaining member of the Gregorina family in 1813 who was a Bishop of the town……and had no heirs.
Kotor has a very proud maritime history and the harbor was at its busiest during the 14th and 16th century being a major trading port for this part of the world. At its peak there were upwards of 300 sailing ships at a time moored up in the harbor and the Kotor sea captains were rich and notorious. The museum shares the histories and stories of these sea captains of the bay and their fleets, families and battles. It is very impressive and modern and Rosie who was wavering about going….was glad she did.
Rosie wishes she could have taken a better photo of this early photograph of the bay over 150 years ago…it is an amazing picture of the undeveloped harbor.
Below are the Keys of Kotor…two gigantic heavy looking keys encased in glass housed in the museum. Rosie is not sure if they are symbolic keys….judging by their age me thinks everything made in the 1100s would have had a purpose and were not just decorative but Rosie cannot find an explanation anywhere as to what these keys actually locked. You wouldn’t loose these in a hurry, they are big, the size of Rosies wrist to elbow…they certainly wouldn’t fit in your pocket either without your pants falling down.
The interior of the Gregorina Palace is still the original Palace and it is beautiful. The checkerboard floors are original as is everything else. Some of the side rooms have been furnished with the sea captains beautiful antique furniture and made to look like the rooms of their homes in the 16th century.
The museum is also full of model boats through the ages, decorative weapons that were confiscated during sea battles and also costumes of the day.
Rosie loves Museum Square with all of its restaurant umbrellas and cats sunning themselves. In front of of the Maritime Museum just off the square to the right is the beautiful courtyard of the upscale hotel and restaurant Luna Rossa and across from that is the terrace of the Evergreen Jazz Club.
Wandering through one day Rosie heard a good soundtrack playing and noticed for the first time the rows of tables in the sunshine down the alley.
It was about that time of the day for an afternoonsie…..so Rosie thought why not. So, consequently when the sun shines the Evergreen has become one of Rosies favorite afternoon Happy Hour haunts for a wee bottle of Prossecco….or two. Its so lovely sitting in the warm sun watching the tour groups come through and take pics of the front of the Museum, chase the stray cats for photos and some have also been known to take photos of glamorous Rosie herself having a tipple.
There is one table far removed from the Evergreen….right across the square on the corner of the alley way on the other side of the Museum….this is a local table. The ladies from the souvenir shops have a coffee sitting here and gossip while watching their front doors for customers. Older locals sit and enjoy a brew here too talking to people they know as they pass by. The waiter keeps an eye out and scuttles across the square when some new sits there and hails them over sometimes with a whistle. A foreigner would never get served at this table….it is very much a local one.
Duck down another short alleyway and you enter St Tryphons Square, where St Tryphons Cathedral imposingly stands with its background of giant mountains. This is officially the main square in Kotor and has a bit of breathing space to it, being ever so slightly bigger than the other squares in town.
The Cathedral was built in 1164, as per the original consecration documents which are housed in the Kotor Archives. The church was built especially for the Holy Relic of St Tryphon who’s entire body was bought back to Kotor, from Turkey by a local resident in 809AD. Rosie thinks there is so much missing from this story….main question…How does one come to procure the body of a saint? Rosie has pictures in her mind of a tavern, wine and dice.
The story of St Tryphon is as short and as sweet as the blessed saints life. Born in 232ad Tryphon professed to being a Christian at a time when they were all being purged and killed by the Romans. Tryphon was rounded up and asked to renounce his god. He would not. He was tortured for three days by the Romans and then asked again to renounce his god and he could go on his way. He would not. So he was then beheaded. Tryphon was 18 years old. End of story.
Well, the people of Kotor loved and embraced Tryphons story so much, they built a new church for the body to be held in and he then became the Patron Saint of Kotor…they also dumped the poor prior Patron St George like a hot potato as his story was not as good.
Rosie loved the outside of the church, primarily for the arched portico in the front which always has rosary and icon sellers in it selling religious souvenirs.
This building you see is not the original build from 1164. Kotor is built on a tectonic fault line, hence the huge mountains that surround the chasm of the bay. The historic time periods of this town are broken down and normally recounted to correspond with the timeline of major earthquakes that have struck Kotor. The first recorded earthquake was in 361ad but the better known ones were from 1537, 1563, 1667 and 1979.
The earthquake which struck Kotor on the 6th April 1667 was the biggest and destroyed two thirds of the city. It was noted during this quake that the city officials were confounded as the bells of St Tryphons normally sounded in times of disaster…but the bell towers had collapsed so no alert was sounded.
The 1979 quake was very destructive too and the town and surrounds were heavily damaged. Aid came flooding in from all around the world and the damage was rebuilt and renovated and the town officially reopened for business in 1987 as a newly formed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you look at the bell towers of the church…you can see that one tower is different at the top. After being rebuilt in 1667, the town ran out of money and the exterior decorative stone were never added. Rosie loves how they have just left it and not tried to fix it over time.
Rosie wasn’t planning on going in for a look around, you know she is all kind of churched out after visiting so many on the rounds of Croatia….but she was at a bit of a loose end as it was a bit too early to go to Evergreen for an afternoon Prossecco. Only by Rosie time and certainly not by European standards.
Wowza, Rosie is so glad she did go inside. It was the best two euros she has spent in town! The inside is simple, made out of the beautiful colourful stone that the city streets are paved in. But check out the treasures of the Church!
The beautiful stone pagoda sitting on four pillars above the alter was crafted in 1362 and has carvings showing the life of St Tryphon.
The amazing golden altarpiece itself is made out of gilded silver by a local 15th century Kotor master craftsmen.
Even the dude who bought the body of the saint back to Kotor has had a resting place here for nigh on 1900 years in a plain stone sarcophagus at the back of the church for all eternity. Below is not a photo of his tomb…Rosie must of forgotton to take a pic as it was the plainest thing in all the church, lol.
The art, the silver work, carvings, the statues, they were all amazing and there were examples and small groupings of it everywhere.
There were so many beautiful things in this church to see….and Rosie was all alone. No one else was here, you could have heard a pin drop…..hold on, she spoke to soon, here comes a tour group thundering into the silent church.
Rosie is off, there is a reliquary upstairs where all the holy relics are housed and Rosie wants to see it before the hordes ascend the holy stairs.
Wowza, what a treasury it is! Back in the day churches tried to gather as many holy relics as they could ie. body parts of the saints, from toenails clippings up to actual limbs. The more you claimed to have, the more prestigious your town and church became to Pilgrims…who then gave the church money. Does Rosie’s two euro contribution make her a Pilgrim….coooooollllll.
This wooden crucifix is from the 13th Century. Thank god they don’t have borer here! Rosie loves to be so close to something so old. It was so time worn yet still so detailed. Amazing. Behind the iron screen is where the most holy of relics are….Rosie is heading on up for a nosey.
It was hard to photograph through the screen but the solid silver chest in the middle contains the remains of St Tryphon. And…his head…is in the golden case next to the chest. These precious metal cases were made in the 14th century.
Rosie has no idea who the creepy skull belongs to under the casket of St Tryphon. The ‘bookcases’ to the right and left house 58 reliquaries in the form of silver arms, legs and busts…of course they have bits of corresponding body parts of saints in them.
The reliquary of St Tryphons is world class and is one of the best displayed treasure museums Rosie has been too. Plus you are allowed to take photos! You are normally never allowed to take photos of these holy wonders….well, Rosie never saw any signs saying not too.
The reliquary of St Tryphons is world class and is one of the best displayed treasure museums Rosie has been too. Plus you are allowed to take photos! You are normally never allowed to take photos of these holy wonders….well, Rosie never saw any signs to the contrary.
The delicate degree of craftsmanship is amazing in this 15th century cross.
The hanwritten books and illuminations always blow Rosie’s mind as well…this would have been my choice of medieval job…if I was a boy….and a monk.
The reliquary ended and you stepped out on the balcony on top of the portico overlooking the square. The tall building on the left is the Town Hall with the flag flying above the door.
On the other side of the square, to the left is the Kotor City Archives and the house on the right with the flag flying is the Drago Family Palace.
The Drago Palace was built in 1166 for the noble family Drago, it toppled in the 1979 earthquake and has since been rebuilt in the same style.
The Dragon motif which is in the family coat of arms features heavily in embellishment around the Palace. They are particularly well preserved in the 11th century tunnel that leads out of the square. For being so old, they are in lovely condition.
This is the picturesque restaurant area that frames the periphery of Tryphon Square and this is how the glamorous local ladies lunch…with an ever present town cat watching every move.
Tomorrow Rosie will introduce you to The Square of Arms which is the main square in town that most visitors first enter from the cruise ships and tour buses, we will also have a walk around the ramparts and visit the Square of Flour.
