:: Croatia Blog ::

The old town of Osor on the Island of Cres, known among classical music lovers also for the Osor musical evenings, which have been taking place in the cathedral and on the central square of the old town for more than 30 years, is also unique for the number of cultural monuments. The town is lies on the south-western side of the Island of Cres on a narrow strip which connects the Island of Cres and Lošinj in the Primorje-Goranska County. A long time ago these islands were joined, however because of the needs of trade and the Amber path they were separated by an artificially dug out canal at Osor, which today does not serve any function. The town is surrounded by old walls from which the history of Osor can be read which reaches back to ancient times. The centre of the town is dominated by the Parish Church of St. Mary (cathedral) from 1498 and is ranked among the most beautiful Renaissance monuments in Croatia. It is a three-naved structure with a three-leafed façade and Early Renaissance portal with the statue of the Mother of God in a niche, which is the work of the great Croatian sculptor and builder Juraj Dalmatinac. The bell tower of the cathedral is the work of a Krk master Jakov Galeta from 1575, but it was later reconstructed and in 1901 raised to today’s height. In the cathedral there are three altars and pictures from the time period from the XVI to the XVIII centuries, while the treasury guards a wooden gothic sculpture from the XV century, golden and silver liturgical items and dress from the XIV to the XVIII century and in the capitular archives illuminated codices from the XV century. Aside from the beautiful cathedral in Osor there are also a series of structures which were built in the surrounding area in the gothic era and a few Romanesque churches – St. Mark and St. Catherine, Churchof St. Lawerence on a hill to the southwest of the town, the small church of St. Petar at the foot of the Osoršcice and on the peninsula Supaton the pre-Romanesque church of St. Plato with a richly decorated weave, while in the Bijar cove are the remains of a Franciscan monastery and church from the XV century.

Source: ?Croatia Tourist Board?