Badja: The Church of Our Lady of Mercy

The Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Crkva Gospe od Milosti) on Badija is a part of Franciscan Monastery complex (see the plan of the complex). The church was built in 16th century as a typical Franciscan church consisting of one rectangular nave and an apsis.

Built in the Gothic-Renaissance style the Church features lovely portal decorated with nice rosette, high relief attica and tympanum (see below photos) .

It is believed the portal and rosette were stone carved by local craftsmen from Marko Andrijic workshop who built St Mark’s cathedral in Korcula.

The most attractive part inside the Church is the main altar, created in 1722 by Vilime Montina from Bassan, the master craftsman of the times.

The altar was modelled after Tirali’s main altar of the Venetian church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Among the artistic and religious valuables are 16th century painting of the ‘Our Lady of Ascension’ in the Venetian manner and an English Gothic alabaster bas-relief originated from Nottingham.

Its front of the Church there is a small cemetery consisting of about twenty gravestones with inscriptions dating from the beginning of the 15th century. As the church was completed in 1533, we believe there was probably some kind of religious building here before.

Some Photos of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy:

• see photos of the views over the Monastery from the top of Badija