460 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–505 and pp506–507

Elaphite Isles 2

3 km (2 miles) N of Dubrovnik.

* 2,000. @ g from Dubrovnik

n (020) 324 222.

The beautiful Elaphite

Isles (Elafitski Otoci) were

named after the fallow deer

said to roam here by the

natural historian Pliny the

Elder (AD 23–79). The

islands became a part of

the Dubrovnik Republic

in the 14th century. Only

three of them are inhabited –

Šipan, Lopud and Koločep –

while Jakljan is devoted to

farming. The islands are

characterized by woods

of maritime pines and

cypresses, beautiful beaches

and bays frequented by

pleasure boats. They have

long been popular with the

aristocracy of Dubrovnik,

who built villas here. Many

of the churches date from

the pre-Romanesque per-

iod, although few remain

intact. Some islands had

monas teries, which were

suppressed with the arrival

of French troops in 1808.

The island nearest to

Dubrovnik, Koločep, has

been a popular summer

retreat since the 16th

century. A large part of

R Dominican Monastery
sv Dominika 4. Tel (020) 321 423.

May–Oct: 9am–6pm daily;

Nov–Apr: 9am–5pm daily. &
Located in the eastern part
of Dubrovnik, near the
Ploče Gate, the Dominican
Monastery (Dominikanski
Samostan) was first built in
1315, but it soon became
clear that because of the
size of the complex, the
city walls would have to
be enlarged. The monastery
was later rebuilt after the
earthquake of 1667.
A long flight of steps
with a stone balustrade
leads up to the church. The
elaborate door, by Bonino
of Milan, is decorated with
a Romanesque statue of
St Dominic. The interior has
a wide single nave; hanging
from the central arch is a
splendid gilded panel –
Crucifix and Symbols of the
Evangelists – by 14th-century
painter Paolo Veneziano.
The various rooms of
the monastery, arranged
around a superb 15th-
century Gothic Renaissance
cloister by sculp tor Maso di
Bartolomeo, house the
Dominican Museum (muzej
Dominikanskog Samostana).
It contains an extraordinary
collection of works of art
from the Dubrovnik school,
including a beautiful triptych
and an Annunciation by
Niccolò Ragusino, from
the 16th century. There

are also works of art from

the Venetian school, including

St Blaise, St Mary Magdalene,

and the Angel Tobias and

the Purchaser by Titian, as

well as precious reliquaries

and objects in gold and silver.

Environs

The serene island of

Lokrum, 700 m (2,296 ft)

across the water from

Dubrovnik, is a nature reserve

set up to protect the exotic

plants found there. Its scenic

beauty makes it a popular

tourist destination.

The first inhabitants of the

island were the Benedictines,

who founded an abbey here

in 1023. This was rebuilt in

the 14th century but

destroyed by the 1667

Church of St Dominic, in the Dominican Monastery

Statue of Neptune overlooking the

pond in Trsteno’s arboretum

earth quake. In 1859, the

Habsburg Archduke

Maximilian (1832–67) built

a palace here and renovated

the cloister, which later

became the Natural History

Museum. The fort, built by

the French in 1808, provides

sweep-ing views of the island.

In Trsteno, 20 km (12 miles)

northwest of Dubrovnik, is

an arboretum. Begun in

1502, it is in a park sur round-

ing a villa built by a noble,

Ivan Gučetić (1451–1502),

and has the typi cal layout

of a Renaissance garden,

with grottoes and ruins.

In the middle of the park

is an attractive lily pond,

filled with fish and over-

looked by an impressive

statue of the god Neptune.

Above the park beside the

main road are two huge

plane trees, thought to be

over 400 years old.