Description of the attraction
Not far from the waterfront of the city of Dobrota, you can see one of the main local churches, consecrated in honor of St. Eustathius. This church was built on the site of an older sacral building dating from the 14th century. The original temple was small, therefore, over time, local residents began to make claims about its size, which is why the Gothic church had to be demolished in 1753, and a new temple was built on the vacant place. Construction began only 9 years later - in 1762. As an architect, the city authorities invited the Italian master Bartolo Riviera, who decided to create his own architectural masterpiece in the Baroque style. A staircase decorated with a balustrade was added to the main portal of the temple.
Funds for the construction of the temple were donated by the most famous families of the city: Radimir, Dabinovichi, Tripkovichi and others. They wanted a representative, splendid church that would be a testament to the prosperity of the city of Dobrota. The bell tower, which rises to 37.5 meters, was built later than the main building of the temple - in 1795. The slender tower is continued by a huge sculpture of the Archangel Michael. You can climb to the very top by overcoming 97 steps. In 1979, the tower was damaged by an earthquake. It was rebuilt already in the new millennium - in 2007.
The Church of Saint Eustachius is famous for its seven marble altars. They were presented to the temple by the same wealthy residents of the city. Statues for altars were made by many famous sculptors of their time: Carl Dolci, Giuseppe Bernadia, Emanuel Zane and others. Joseph Klyakovich worked on the painting of the vaults. The image of Saint Eustachius on the main altar was painted by Peter Kosovich.
