Location: Saint Mark's Square
Open: 9am- 9pm Jul- Aug
Treasury
Tel. 020 711 049
Open: 9am- 8pm Mon- Sat, May- Nov
Saint Mark's Cathedral (Katedrala svetog Marka in Croatian), perched dramatically on a compact square at the heart of Korčula's UNESCO-listed Old Town, is the island's crowning religious monument and a pinnacle of Dalmatian Gothic-Renaissance architecture. Dedicated to St. Mark the Evangelist—the patron of Venice, whose influence looms large over Korčula's history—this 15th–16th-century edifice dominates the medieval town's skyline with its soaring bell tower and ornate limestone facade. Constructed from local Korčula stone quarried on nearby islets like Vrnik and Planjak, the cathedral symbolizes the island's resilient spirit, blending Venetian opulence with Croatian craftsmanship amid the Adriatic's turquoise embrace. Once the seat of the Diocese of Korčula (established in 1300), it lost its episcopal status in 1828 but endures as a vibrant parish church, housing treasures from antiquity to the Baroque era. Adjacent to it lies the Episcopal Treasury, a repository of sacred art spanning millennia, making the complex a must-visit for those exploring Korčula's layered heritage—from Illyrian roots to Marco Polo legends. In a town of 5,000 where yacht harbors meet cypress-shaded alleys, Saint Mark's invites pilgrims and wanderers alike to trace the footsteps of sailors, sculptors, and saints.
The Cathedral of St. Mark's origins intertwine with Korčula's
tumultuous past, an island crossroads colonized by Illyrians in the 2nd
millennium BCE, Greeks in the 6th century BCE (evidenced by the
4th-century BCE Lumbarda Psephos tablet), and Romans from 229 BCE
onward. After the Western Roman Empire's fall in 476 CE, Byzantine rule
prevailed until Slavic Croats settled in the 7th century, establishing
Croatian dominion by the 9th. Evidence suggests an early church on the
site from the 9th or 10th century, but the diocese's formal creation in
1300 under Venetian suzerainty (1420–1797) spurred the current
structure's erection.
Construction began in earnest in the early 15th
century, a period when Korčula, as a Venetian outpost, balanced autonomy
with imperial tribute. Local master builders like Hranić Dragoševic laid
the foundations, incorporating three Romanesque apses and the bell
tower's base from pre-existing structures. The flamboyant Gothic portal
arrived in 1440, crafted by Lombard sculptor Bonino da Milano, while
Marko Andrijić of Korčula infused Renaissance elegance in the late 15th
century with his ciborium. The nave and transepts were completed by the
mid-16th century, amid additions like the Chapel of St. Rocco (post-1570
plague) and a fourth apse. Venetian rule brought artistic patronage,
including Tintoretto's altarpiece around 1550, but the 1667
earthquake—devastating nearby Dubrovnik—spared Korčula minor damage,
allowing Baroque flourishes like Jeronime Picco's altar.
Post-Venetian eras saw Austrian Habsburg control (1815–1918), Yugoslav
incorporation (1918–1991), and Croatia's independence amid the 1990s
wars, during which the cathedral served as a refuge. The diocese's
suppression in 1828 merged it into Dubrovnik's, demoting its status, yet
it remains a parish hub. The Episcopal Treasury, formalized in 1954
within the adjacent 14th-century bishop's palace (17th-century facade),
safeguards diocesan relics, evolving from medieval strongroom to modern
museum. Through sieges, plagues, and partitions, Saint Mark's has
mirrored Korčula's defiance, its stones etched with the island's saga of
trade, faith, and cultural fusion.
Saint Mark's Cathedral exemplifies the seamless evolution from
Romanesque solidity to Gothic filigree and Renaissance poise, its
compact basilica plan (roughly 30 meters long, 15 meters wide)
elevated on a podium overlooking Trg Sv. Marka square. Hewn from
Korčula's signature white limestone—a fine, weather-resistant stone
that gleams like marble under Adriatic sun—the facade rises in
harmonious asymmetry, blending defensive robustness with decorative
exuberance.
The exterior centers on the west portal, a 1440
Gothic triumph by Bonino da Milano: a pointed arch framed by
flamboyant columns entwined with vines, surmounted by a tympanum
relief of St. Mark flanked by suggestively posed Adam and Eve,
guardian lions, and apostles. Above, a wheel-shaped rosette window
pierces the gable, adorned with scallop shells and lion heads
symbolizing Venetian might. The south facade, facing the square,
features a Renaissance loggia with Ionic columns, added in the 16th
century for processions. Dominating all is the 40-meter bell tower
(campanile), begun in the 14th century with a Romanesque base of
blind arcades, evolving to Gothic tiers with floral cornices, a
clock dial, and a moon-phase indicator. Its Gothic-Renaissance
lantern, completed by 1483, culminates in a stone pinnacle, housing
five bells: two 16th-century hourly chimes and larger 1923 casts
that peal across the bay.
Inside, the interior unfolds as a
three-aisled hall church with a wooden truss roof, its Romanesque
apses (three original, one later) semi-circular and rib-vaulted for
acoustic resonance. The nave, divided by slender columns, leads to
the presbytery's monumental ciborium (1486) by Marko Andrijić—a
Renaissance baldachin of black Korčula marble veined in white,
sheltering the main altar and relics of St. Theodore the Eastern. A
14th-century holy-water font graces the entrance, beside a 1604
baptismal font with Frano Kršinić's modern bronze Christ statue.
Side chapels gleam: St. Jacob's aisle holds a Renaissance-Baroque
altar with Leonardo Bassano's 1622 Annunciation; St. Rocco's
features Carlo Ridolfi's 1642 triptych of the plague saint; and a
13th-century icon of the Virgin and Child adorns a lateral wall.
Organs from 1557 (rebuilt 1787 by Vinko Klisevic) perch in the loft,
their pipes enabling polyphonic masses. The Episcopal Treasury, in
the neighboring palace, spans vaulted halls: a Baroque room with
bishop portraits and Brustoloni chandeliers; vestment galleries of
Gothic silks; and modern spaces showcasing Meštrović sculptures amid
ancient fragments like a 3rd-century BCE Greek inscription.
Subtle war-era patina—faint 1990s shell marks—and 21st-century
restorations (e.g., 2010s ciborium cleaning) preserve its patina,
distinguishing it from Dubrovnik's flashier Baroque while echoing
Split's Diocletian's influences in refined restraint.
Saint Mark's Cathedral anchors Korčula's identity as a
Venetian-Dalmatian hybrid, its styles chronicling the island's shift
from Illyrian outpost to Renaissance haven. As former diocesan seat, it
oversaw spiritual life for 5,000 souls, fostering brotherhoods like the
15th-century Confraternity of the Holy Sacrament, whose rituals persist
in sword dances like the Moreška. The Tintoretto altarpiece and Bonino
portal underscore artistic patronage, linking Korčula to Venice's scuole
grande, while the treasury's 300+ items—from 12th-century manuscripts to
19th-century Meštrović works—illuminate Adriatic trade routes, with
obsidian tools nodding to prehistoric exchanges.
Culturally, it
pulses with life: acoustics host summer choral concerts during the
Korčula Cultural Summer (July–August), drawing 10,000 for Renaissance
masses. The Feast of St. Mark (April 25) features processions blending
Catholic liturgy with Slavic folklore, a UNESCO-recognized intangible
heritage. For scholars, it yields insights into seismic resilience
(post-1667 reinforcements) and genetic continuity via relic studies; for
locals, it's a communal hearth, site of baptisms and Moreška backdrops.
Amid overtourism, it promotes sustainable reflection, countering yacht
glamour with introspective heritage, and inspires eco-art like 2020s
pollen analyses revealing ancient vineyards.
As of September 17, 2025, Saint Mark's Cathedral remains impeccably
maintained under the Archdiocese of Dubrovnik, with no disruptions from
recent Adriatic weather events; a minor treasury exhibit refresh
occurred in early 2025, adding digital interactives on Venetian ties.
Free entry to the cathedral draws 100,000 visitors yearly, open daily 8
AM–8 PM (summer; 9 AM–5 PM winter, verify for masses via +385 20 711
049). The bell tower climb (€3, 90 steps) operates 9 AM–7 PM; the
Episcopal Treasury requires €5 (includes audio guide, multilingual),
open 10 AM–6 PM (closed Sundays off-season). A combined Old Town ticket
(€15) bundles it with the Town Museum.
Nestled at Trg Sv. Marka, it's
a 5-minute stroll from the ferry port (Jadrolinija from Split, €20, 2.5
hours) or airport shuttle to Korčula Town. Parking at Luka Korčulanska
(€2/hour) is a 10-minute walk; e-bikes (€10/day) ease hills. Allow 45–90
minutes: trace the portal's carvings, climb for bay vistas (weather
permitting), then treasury-hop to Ridolfi triptychs. Spring (April–June)
or autumn blooms sidestep July–August heat (30°C+); dawn visits catch
golden light on apses. Wheelchair-accessible nave (ramp), but tower and
treasury stairs challenge—staff assist. TripAdvisor (4.7/5) raves about
"Tintoretto's glow" and "tower panoramas," noting modest crowds. Pair
with Moreška performances (€25, Thursdays) or Vrnik stone-carving
workshops.