HVAR - Croatia and Slovenia - page 375

Inside, buy your ticket, pick up a free English information sheet, and work your way
counterclockwise around the church interior. At the right-front chapel, the tabernacle em-
bedded in the yellow marble “cloth” (under the big crucifix) holds an important piece of
Hvar history: a crucifix that supposedly shed tears of blood on the eve of a major 1510 up-
rising of the plebeians against the patricians. (This spooked the rebels enough to postpone
the uprising a few months.) Behind the main altar are wooden choir stalls rescued from an
earlier Gothic church that was destroyed during an Ottoman attack in 1571. Notice the two
pulpits: The right one, with St. Paul and his sword, is for reading or singing the Epistles;
the left one, with the eagle (representing St. John), is used for reading the Gospels. The left-
front chapel features the tomb of St. Prosperus, Hvar's “co-patron saint,” who shares the
credit with the more famous St. Stephen. People pray to Prosperus for good health. On his
feastday,May10,thelidisopenedandyoucanactuallyseehispreservedbody.Thefigures
flanking the tomb represent Faith and Strength.
▲ Benedictine Convent (Benediktinski Samostan) and Lace Museum
Hvar's most appealing sight is this nun-run attraction, inside a convent where 13 Benedict-
ine sisters spend their lives (they never go outside). When they're not praying, the sisters
make lace using fibers from the agava (a cactus-like plant with broad, flat, tapered, spiny
leaves—seethesamplejustoutsidethedoor).First,theyteasethedelicatethreadsoutofthe
plant, then wash, bleach, and dry them. Finally, they weave the threads into intricate lace
designs. The painstaking procedure ismade even more challenging byHvar'sunpredictable
weather: The humid southerly Jugo wind causes tangles, while the dry northern Bora wind
makes the fibers stiff and difficult to work with.
Cost and Hours: 10 kn, skimpy 15-kn multilingual booklet, extremely expensive
samples for sale; June-Sept Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 & 17:00-19:00, closed Sun; generally
closed Oct-May, but try ringing the bell to the right of the main door to get in during these
same hours—use the door in the yellow building; tel. [phone].
Visiting the Convent: You'll see astonishingly delicate samples of the nuns' work, both
newandold—someyellowedspecimensdatefromthelate19thcentury(theoldestonesare
in the back room). The sisters are particularly happy to make lace for bishops and cardinals.
And when the other Benedict—the XVI—became pope in 2005, they created a lace papal
emblem for him as a gift.
Rounding out the museum are ecclesiastical gear, some bishops' vestments (with the
Baby Jesus below them wearing an agava -lace shirt), ancient kitchenware discovered in
this house, a stone sink and baptismal font, an actual well, and some amphora jugs. Out
in front of the building is a statue of St. Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, reading his
daily routine in a book: ora et labora (“pray and work”). You'll notice the museum is also
calledtheHanibalLuci ć Museum,foraprominentRenaissancepoetwhosedaughter-in-law
donated this property to the church.