Franciscan Monastery on the Islet of Košljun

In the heart of Puntarska Draga Bay lies a true spiritual oasis – the islet of Košljun. Surrounded by dense forests of holm oak and black ash, the islet hosts a Franciscan monastery with a Renaissance church, a large cloister, a medieval fortification, the Chapel of St Bernardino of Siena, and scattered chapels, a monastery cemetery, gardens, and a boat dock.

The islet was inhabited in antiquity, serving as a fortified villa referred to as castellum, castellione, or castrum, from which the islet derives its name. Various religious communities have occupied Košljun over the centuries. The first were the Basilian monks, followed likely by hermits. From the 9th century, a Glagolitic Benedictine Abbey of St Mary was active on the islet. The foundations of a three-aisled Romanesque Benedictine church were discovered beneath the present monastery church. With the arrival of the Franciscans and the endowment of Ivan VII Frankopan and his daughter Katarina, the original Benedictine church was expanded and ultimately consecrated as the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

The construction of the richly decorated church began in 1486 with a donation of 1,000 ducats from Ivan VII Frankopan and was completed in 1523. Another 1,000 ducats were donated by Katarina to furnish the church interior. Although she requested to be buried on Košljun in her father’s homeland, her burial was delayed by Venice until 1529, nine years after her death. Next to Katarina’s grave lies an unmarked tombstone featuring St John the Baptist, her father’s patron saint, raising the possibility that Ivan VII, the last ruling Frankopan on Krk, was secretly buried alongside his daughter on Košljun.

The church interior draws special attention to the monumental painting Last Judgment by the Italian painter Francesco Ughetto, created in 1653. This is the largest movable oil painting in Croatia (420 x 790 cm), depicting heaven, purgatory, and hell. Equally remarkable is the polyptych of the main altar by Venetian master Girolamo da Santacroce, dating back to 1535. The polyptych consists of six large oil-on-canvas works and six miniatures rendered in tempera on wood. At the centre of the polyptych is an image embodying the Franciscan disputation on Mary’s Assumption. To the left of this central painting are Saint Catherine, Saint Quirinus – the patron saint of the city of Krk – and Saint John the Baptist, while on the right are Saint Joseph, Saint Jerome, and Saint Elizabeth (or Saint Clare of Assisi). Above these figures is a depiction of the Annunciation, while below them are miniature scenes illustrating episodes from Mary’s life.

The monastery complex also includes archaeological, sacred, ethnographic, and natural history collections, as well as a library with over 30,000 titles, including a hundred incunabula. The archaeological collection, alongside other valuable artefacts, includes numerous stone monuments, most notably the Liburnian (pre-Romanesque) funerary monuments – cippi – discovered on Košljun and in Krk. It also features a collection of items from a Hellenistic-Early Roman necropolis found on the Šinigoj estate in Krk, as well as gathered fragments of ancient bricks, ceramics, and a collection of amphorae originating from Košljun and the surrounding coastline. The sacral collection, housed in the Chapel of Saint Bernardino of Siena, showcases liturgical objects from the Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque periods, including a valuable triptych believed to have originated from the workshop of the renowned painter Bartolomeo Vivarini, who worked at the transition between Gothic and Renaissance styles. The ethnographic collection, in addition to popular numismatic artefacts, reveals the richness of the island’s traditional folk costumes. The natural history collection presents a diverse array of minerals, corals, sponges, and fossils while introducing the work of Fra Berard Barčić, who meticulously studied the flora of Košljun Island using modern floristic and phytosociological methods. Additionally, the collection highlights unique natural phenomena, birds, fish, and plants native to the islet.

Parish Church of St James the Apostle in Kornić

The current Parish Church of St James the Apostle is the second church of the same name in the village. Construction began in 1864 after the older church became too small due to the rapid expansion of Kornić and its neighbouring settlements. Completed in 1865, the church is situated in the village centre along the road from Lakmartin to Dunat. It was consecrated in 1866 by Bishop Ivan Vitezić on the feast of St James. The church is a single-nave structure with a facade belfry and two bells. Inside, a harmonious triumphal arch frames the sanctuary, which is raised two steps above the nave. The church features a main altar and two side altars. The main altar, at least partially, was transferred from the older church. The altarpiece, by an unknown artist, depicts the Virgin Mary with the Child, St James the Apostle, Pope St Sylvester, and St Anthony of Padua. Recently, the church was designated as the endpoint of the Krk Camino route, which begins at the Krk Cathedral and traverses the island in seven pilgrimage chapters, offering a spiritual journey through the island’s historical, cultural, and sacred heritage.

Church of St Chrysogonus

The stone Church of St Chrysogonus, located above Čavlena Bay near the village of Milohnići, was built in the second half of the 12th century. It features an irregular trefoil layout with a square entrance, a dome-vaulted centre, and cross-shaped windows. Despite its modest size, the interior exudes monumentality, as noted by academician Branko Fučić: “…small as a toy, yet monumental as a cathedral…”

The church was built on the remains of an ancient rustic villa, and, much like the case of St Dunat’s Church, its Zadar influence is evidenced by its titular dedication and the presence of a Zadar workshop that introduced Romanesque solutions throughout the island.

In 1488, the small church belonged to the Benedictine monastery of St Michael in Krk, to which the present-day Church of Our Lady of Health also belonged. It later came under the care of the noble Krk family Adrario and subsequently the Conventual Franciscans, followed by their successors, the Third Order Franciscans.

Castle Salatići below the Salatići Village

In the hinterland of the city of Krk, beneath the village of Salatići, lies an impressive ivy-clad stone structure that dominates the natural surroundings – Castle Salatići.
 
Believed to have been a countryside estate of a Krk noble family, the castle served as a retreat. It is thought to date to the 15th century, although it was first documented only in the 19th century. The estate contains ruins of two structures. The larger likely belonged to the villa, while the smaller was used for agricultural purposes. A nearby well, still filled with water, remains functional.

Poljički Bell Tower

The bell tower of the Parish Church of St Cosmas and St Damian in Poljica has become a distinctive architectural landmark of the village. Located opposite the church’s main entrance, the tower is constructed from finely carved stone. The square-based structure is divided into four unequal stories by prominent cornices, with its facade culminating in an octagonal pyramid. The topmost story features biforas – two-part openings – on all sides.

According to a Latin inscription above its entrance, the bell tower was constructed in 1768 during the tenure of Venetian Provveditore Aloisio Mocenigo. Its builder was Dominik Regini.