Benedictine monastery of St. Andreas (Rab)
The Benedictine monastery of St. Andreas (Croat. Samostan benediktinski sv. Andrije ) is a medieval monastery complex in the Croatian town of Rab on the island of Rab in the Kvarner Bay. It is one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Dalmatia . It continued to exist under severe restrictions during the communist era. In 2017 the convent consisted of twelve sisters.
history
The establishment of the complex, which is located 50 m west of the bell tower of the Rab Cathedral, is said to have been made around 1018 as a monastery for noble women. An inscription from 1181 on the outside of the south wall of the five-storey bell tower at the height of the first floor names an archdeacon Kuzma and an abbess Ivana. However, the first direct mention of the monastery is only passed down for 1208. In a secondary inscription on the building, a priest named Mladi is handed down as the builder.
The self-contained, four-wing courtyard complex is located on the upper main street of the old town ( Gornja ulica ), right on the edge of the edge of the Rab Bay. In the monastery church is in essence an early Romanesque three-apse - Basilica of the 11th century. A Gothic bell on the top floor of the bell tower was made by the Venetian foundry Vendramine in 1396. After major renovations in the 15th century, the baroque redesign in particular left its mark on today's appearance. The richly decorated main altar by Antonio Grapinelli , a later member of the well-known Venetian family of artists from the Baroque era, from 1765 is of particular value. Originally there was also a polyptych from 1485 in the St. Andrew's monastery - one of Bartolomeo's main works Vivarini . It was sold in the late 19th century and is now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston .
The monastery is still inhabited and used by a Benedictine convent . It is not open to the public. The monastery church is currently only open for services, but the interior can be viewed through a grille.
Remarks
- ↑ ilgazzettino.it , November 22, 2017 (Italian)
- ↑ Information board of the Rab Island Tourist Board (August 2019).
- ↑ Information on the history of the Benedictine convent of St. Andrew in Rab. Accessed on October 23, 2019 (Croatian).
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 45 ′ 17.6 " N , 14 ° 45 ′ 38.9" E