Sibenik is a labyrint of narrow streets, stairs and arches
Sibenik, too, was long a Venetian town, but unlike the others we have seen so far, it was only established in the 11th C, by Slavs. Yet, the main characteristics of the town are, again, its narrow streets and alleys, many in the form of stairs. Walking through the old town is entertaining, finding various sculptures innocuously positioned on walls of past palaces, or just some inscriptions.
mostly grey, some colour is added by refurbished houses serving as hotels
and one of the main streets – no mechanised traffic, obviously
another narrow alley
discovering quaint decorations is a sport
that yields the occasional, for me unintelligeble, treasure
and what about this one, dimensions all wrong
and a not too happy head on top
The Cathedral
Like Trogir, the cathedral, this one of Saint James, and dating from the 15th C, is the masterpiece, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once again the portal, or rather, both of them, on the north and on the west side, are intricately carved, whilst inside the cathedral there are several seemingly unrelated side-altar pieces. Interestingly, on the side is a small, once again beautifully decorated, baptistry. But the unique feature of this church are the 71 heads on the outside, apparently individual donors at the time of construction. Their faces range from serious to caricatural, and the story goes that the stingier the donor, the sillier his face. They make for an entertaining walk around the church.
Sibenik has a lot of fortresses around, but having seen too many of those already, we call it a day, and head for our next destination.
next: Plitvice National Park
the Saint James cathedral, with an unusual roof and lacking a bell tower
some of the 71 heads of donors at the time of construction, 15th C
some more serious
others more of a caricature
but each of them very expressive, indeed
and Eve, flanking one of the entrances
like in Trogdir, we have Adam
and this is the other entrance, delicately decorated again
impressive inside of the cathedral
and the baptistery in the rear of the cathedral
with the baptismal font
and elaborately carved and stuccoed roof
