Design and Construction of the Access Staircase at the Parish Church in Prčanj

Abstract

The access staircase at the parish church in Prčanj is a striking example of Dalmatian coastal architecture and an inspiring element of the view over the Bay of Kotor. It is the largest and most impressive staircase in the Eastern Adriatic used to access a sacral building from the sea. This paper focuses on the design, models, and construction phases of the staircase used to access the church designed by the Venetian architect Bernardino Maccaruzzi. In scholarly literature, information about the staircase is scarce, yet speculations are many. Maccaruzzi’s original drawing was lost at some point and the staircase with the balustrade was built later, according to a design by architect Milan Karlovac. It was carved in the workshop of Ivan Fabris on the island of Vrnik near Korčula and constructed in 1912-1913 by the Czech mason Josef Večernik. This is the first time that its conceptual design, sketches done by the stonemasons and builders, and the quotes, cost estimates, and construction contracts have been published. The discovery of these documents has allowed us to reconstruct the building process, and we have also been able to reassess some of the previous assumptions, doubts, and opinions, thus shedding light on yet another valuable monument of Prčanj’s and Bay of Kotor’s architectural past.