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St. Anna Valley - P rcanj, Montenegro St. Anna Valley represents the last portion of the cultural landscape of the inner Kotor bay in Montenegro, which preserved its original horizontal and vertical structure, sprawling in full area from the sea to the hill. The Church of St. Anna dates back to the 14th century and the ruins of an old parish house,bare the oldest remains of any residences in Prcanj. The sloped terraces of agricultural estates, made of dry-stone walls and planted with olive trees, and the oak forests sprinkled over a channelled stream of enclosed dry-stone walls, are features of the cultural landscape of this region. The techniques of channelling the stream flows and the way of maintaining the land by the traditional character testify the past eras and give evidence of the native landscape management. The UNESCO commission has stated that this area should be placed under careful spatial management, after undergoing a study of the impact towards cultural heritage in each intervention, in order to preserve its outstanding universal value (OUV). St. Anna Valley in Prcanj, with its agricultural terraces, and St. Anna church and the ruins of Sbutega palace, should be placed at top level of protection as cultural landscape of great value for the municipality of Kotor. Unfortunately, due to the compromised urban planning and the lacking of regulation for preserving the cultural landscape in Montenegro and because of the pressure of foreign investments, it is likely that this authentic area in Prcanj might be soon devastated by building there a real estate settlement . At this occasion, as architect and resident of Prcanj, I appeal to the State bodies in charge that this particular portion of the cultural landscape should be maintained and better understood, in order to preserve its inherited and unique features. ​ HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017). Valley of St. Anna - Prcanj . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”. [date]. ​ BIBLIOGRAPHY . ​ BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718). ​

2007-2017 Prcanj (ita. Perzagno) cover photo: view towards Street of Lukovic Family in Prcanj Waves hitting on the stone piers- Prcanj, Montenegro - recorded by Bogdan Kusevic. april 2013 00:00 / 00:00 The town of Prcanj in Kotor municipality in Montenegro is a coastal town which traditionally relied on the maritime trade and such tradition has remained to the present day. Historically, the first mentions of it were in 1222 in the correspondence regarding the construction of St Johan Church. During the medieval age, the town was being developed in the upper level in the hill and it relied primarily on the local agriculture. Later, at the beginning of the 15th century, the town rapidly started to develop in the coastal region. Today Prcanj is well-known as a health resort, which was recognized at the congress of Yugoslavian pulmonologists in 1920s., and it attracts many visitors seeking for health improvement, sports training and family holiday in the peaceful scenery along the coast. It has a population of around 1,100. ​ READ MORE on heritage article ''Prcanj, Montenegro" Next

2007-2017 Perast (ita. Perasto) cover photo: Perast, the town of sea captains Perast was at its peak in the 18th century under the Venetian Republic, when it had as many as four active shipyards, a fleet of around one hundred ships, and 1,643 residents. The 1,500 citizens of Perast were allowed to trade with large ships and to sell goods without tax on the Venetian market, which made them wealthy. The example of the wealth of people from Perast at the end of the 18th century is the fact that they managed to collect 50,000 Venetian gold coins (about 200 kg of gold) to pay the famous Venetian constructor Giuseppe Beati to build for them the highest campanile (55 m) on the East-Adriatic coast. There are two small islands near Perast: St George Island with the small church from the 12th century and the artificial island called Gospa od Skrpjela (in Venetian: Madonna dello Scarpello) which has a very interesting story. Namely, the locals had been throwing rocks and sinking old shipwrecks for 200 years from the reef whose top was 1 meter above the water's surface, thus creating a plateau of 3,030 square meters, on which they then built a church. Next

Church of St. Anna - Prcanj, Montenegro Medieval churches like that of St. Anna in Prcanj, dating back to the 14th century, feature small-sized, not sophisticated, elegant proportions, as well as picturesque forms with a very interesting way of integrating into the landscape. In the Middle Ages, the Gothic style was not developed enough here, even though it was too much postponed compared to other urban centres on the Adriatic. However, the local sacral architecture, based upon centuries of development, has incorporated something of the medieval styles expressed mostly into the design of windows and doors. The techniques used at that time of building were very much defined, considering that they were developed by local craftsman rather than by professional architects or builders. ​ The catholic private family chapels like this one were numerous in the town of Prcanj. In ancient times the town recorded eighteen churches and family chapels, of which today just eight are still standing. The church of St. Anna is believed to be existing here since the 14th century, and the ruins of the parish house in the immediate vicinity are the most ancient remains of residential buildings in the town of Prcanj. The church of St. Anna is situated 100 m from the sea on the hill of Vrmac. It is single span with gable roof; it has a semicircular apse and a fragmented vault in the middle, as well as a bell tower. The church belonged to the Sbutega family and stands in the area that was called, in ancient times, Calme that means “calm, quiet”. In front of the church an ancient graveyard used to lay, whose remains are not evident any longer. Today, the interior of the church has not any frescos or painting and is plastered with blue colour which is much eroded by the passing time. The traditional techniques of Romanesque altar vault, domed with a monolith of perfectly carved white rock, and the stone-paved floor characterized the architecture of the interior of the church. There are also two small niches in the wall at both ends of the altar, and a holy water pot, integrated into the entrance wall, which is a very interesting shape. There is no evidence of when the church was built, but the style of the building techniques, the apse stone roof and the unique disposition suggest that it has been there since the 14th century. ​ The area where the Sbutega palace and the church of St. Anna are built is of immense importance for the entire region, because it still resembles the traditional way of cultivating the territory, and gives evidence of the features and style of the local 14th-century architecture. Sloped terraces of stone walls with olive groves and forests of oaks are typical of the cultural landscape of this area, which is closely related to this church and which is called, in the local language, Draga Sv. Ane, the Valley of St. Anna. ​ Today, it would be necessary to identify this sacred building as a target of careful restoration, since it could become a significant and lovely spot along the medieval path of Prcanj, an area of special landscape value among ancient olive groves and oak forests. The tiny church would possibly be used for cultural events, camera concerts, exhibitions, public talks and meeting about the preservation of cultural landscapes, as well as a tourist attraction. Moreover, it is located near the ancient Sbutega palace, dating to the same historic period; the palace itself might be the suitable venue of an Architecture summer school camp, for a restoration of the cultural landscape and rustic architecture of Prcanj; this also would be a perfect location for a conscious and interested public to meet and exchange ideas. ​ ​​​​ HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017). Church of St. Anna - Prcanj . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”.[date]. ​ BIBLIOGRAPHY . ​ BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718).

The historical area of Prcanj The historical centre of settlement of Prcanj which includes Our Lady’s Temple, the Franciscan Monastery and the Church of St. Nicholas, is the historical core of the settlement and the place where all important historical events occurred starting from 1730s when the monastery was built. The historical core of Prcanj settlement is characterized by a large concentration of houses and palaces in a small area lined up in the first row along the coastline. In some areas, the houses and palaces are placed on both sides of the street, which gives an impression of a very dense and very rich urban centre. The Church of St. Nicholas (1728-1735), situated in front of a pedestrian promenade by the sea, was the historical core of the settlement’s culture during the 18th and 19th century. The monastery of St. Nicholas was at first a home to a primary school, and after that it housed a very famous nautical school, the first pharmacy in Prcanj and a public library founded in 1861. Our Lady’s Temple, also known as the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the most beautiful and one of the largest churches in the coastal area of the southern Adriatic. Bernardino Maccaruzzi, a Venetian architect, designed the church in the late Venetian Baroque style in 1789. The construction of the church began in 1789, but it was completed after 120 years, namely in 1909. The construction of the Roman Catholic Church was funded by numerous donations of the wealthy captain families from Prcanj and finally it was completed with the aid of significant donations provided by the Austro-Hungarian government. Today, this is the most important area of the settlement of Prcanj and one of the most important areas of the whole UNESCO’s Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. The landscape which surrounds this historical centre of Prcanj from the house Odmoriste towards the Verona Palace has been degraded in many cases due to the poorly planned commercial construction, which significantly jeopardized the outstanding universal value of the historical core of the settlement and degraded the integrity of the authentic cultural landscape. The proposal for its protection should contain an integral plan for the maintenance of the entire landscape surrounding the historical core of the settlement, from the sea to the hill that forms an integral system which includes art gardens, arable land on terraced estates, orchards, olive groves and planted forests between them. Taking into account all the areas that make up the visual background for the monumental Our Lady’s Temple and the Church of St. Nicholas, and defining the landscape of the invaluable importance, one can determine the area that would be proposed for the protection and management plan as a cultural landscape of exceptional importance. ​ HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kusevic, B. (2017). The historical urban area of the settlement Prcanj . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes”. [date]. ​ BIBLIOGRAPHY . ​ BACKGROUND PHOTO. David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718). ​

MSc thesis "THE FORGOTTEN CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF BAY OF KOTOR. VALORISATION OF MEDIEVAL PATH AND RUINS IN PRCANJ." Author: Kusevic, Bogdan Supervisor: Redaelli, Gaia Co-Supervisor: Cabras, Nicola School/Department: ARC I - Scuola di Architettura Urbanistica Ingegneria delle Costruzioni, Politecnico di Milano Course: SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN - ARCHITETTURA SOSTENIBILE E PROGETTO DEL PAESAGGIO Disciplinary Sector: ICAR/15 ARCHITETTURA DEL PAESAGGIO Type of degree: Laurea magistrale Date: 27 July 2018. Academic year: 2017/2018 Thesis title: The forgotten cultural landscape of Bay of Kotor. Valorisation of medieval path and ruins in Prcanj Content language: ENG Publishing country: Italy Publisher: Politecnico di Milano BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW YOU AGREE TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED LAW ON INTELLECTUAL WORK AND AGREE TO THE GENERAL TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY OF THE WEBSITE: ,, THE ARCHIVE OF LANDSCAPES'' Master thesis on POLItesi by Kusevic, B. click above to open the booklet

2007-2017 Bay of Kotor panorama project ​cover photo: Bay of Kotor in winter Bay of Kotor is nowadays a very attractive tourist and ship cruise destination. Over 500,000 visitors from cruise ships visit the town of Kotor every year, which negatively affects the life of domicile population in many ways, and cause the high pollution of air and turbulence in marine ecosystem.

2007-2017 Our Lady's Temple cover photo: The dome of Our Lady's Temple in Prcanj Concert dedicated to Darinka Matić Marović in Our Lady's Temple in Prcanj . Academic Choir Collegium Musicum from Belgrade. August 16, 2022. - recorded by Bogdan Kusevic 00:00 / 00:00 Most notable peace of sacral architecture in Prcanj is Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built in the Venetian late baroque style. The church is situated the the area of UNESCO Natural and culturo-historical region of Kotor. Our Lady Church in Prcanj was projected by the famous Venetian architect Bernardino Maccaruzzi in 1789. The construction of the church started the same year but finished in 1913. The construction of the church was founded by the donation of twelve influential families from Prcanj, as well as donations of Austro-Hungarian government. The church at the time of construction was the biggest one in the South Adriatic region.Thes dome of the church is slightly lower that the dome of Dubrovnik Cathedral. The monumental staircase rising 25m above the sea is the highest artistic staircase of the East Adriatic. The church hosts numerous peace of art: icons, painting, reliefs of Venetian and EX Yugoslavian articts such as Milunovic, Rosandic, Lubarda, Mestrovic etc. Next

2007-2017 Lukovic Street - Prcanj,Montenegro cover photo: Lukovic Street, Prcanj Lukovic Street was the core of the public life of the 16th and 17th century. It is named after the Lukovic family houses, which have exceptionally elegantly decorated stone balustrades; the palaces follows the sea line, merging into the street front, and making a unique and indivisible ambient unit in a functional and aesthetic domain. Opposed to the houses towards the sea, so-called ‘ponta’ were made over the time, for accessing sailboats with a plateau on which cargoes from ships were landed, as well as small ports for binding family boats. The coastal belt was an indivisible private space and made up a whole with the palaces. In the later period, around 1805, when this region was already under the Austro-Hungarian empire, the emperor had the first coastal road built along the sea for military needs, thus completely interrupting the continuity of family gardens from the sea to the houses. This act changed forever the character of space, dividing it into two parts, one made up of family ports for boats with berths along the sea, and another made up of a paved street of the Lukovic family. The seafront, including ponta and boat bindings, were private properties in the 19th century, characterized by traditional stone bindings, stone paving and stone sea-shores, with small gardens rich in Mediterranean vegetation. ​ READ MORE on heritage article ''Street of Lukovic family" Next

Rusevine palate Sbutega - Glavati. Prcanj istorijska i arhitektonska analiza Na stotinjak metara od mora i na pedesetak metara nadmorske visine, u uvali poznatoj kao Pecarevo ili Glavati, u naselju Prčanj u Crnoj Gori, nalazi se građevina danas u ruševinama, koja je po svemu sudeći bila rezidencija neke plemićke porodice. Zbog nedostatka arhivske građe i neposjedovanja ikakvog uklesanog simbola, grba ili natpisa na fasadi, o ovoj palati se malo zna. Međutim, po tehnikama gradnje, dispoziciji i arhitektonskoj koncepciji kao i materijalima i tehnikama obrade, može se zaključiti da potiče iz XIV vijeka. Rezidencija se nalazi nedaleko od Crkve Sv. Ane u području Glavati – Prčanj, za koju se smatra da datira iz istog perioda. U XIV vijeku je ovim područjem vladala dinastija Nemanjića, potom Ugarska kraljevina a kasnije i bosanski kralj Tvrtko I. U tom se periodu naselja uz more, sem utvrđenih gradova poput Kotora, još nijesu bila razvila i egzistirala su na višim kotama u brdu kao seoske naseobine koje su se oslanjale na lokalnu poljoprivredu. Veoma česti upadi pirata, a potom i napadi Turaka ali i plemena iz unutrašnjosti, bila su dovoljno učestala da se karakter rezidencijalne arhitekture u zaleđu morao podrediti odbrani od upada pljackaša. ​ Palata tj. današnje ruševine snimljene na terenu februara 2018. godine, sastoje se od 4 zida glavnog korpusa palate i jednog aneksa sa gornje zapadne strade, po svemu sudeći bivše štale. Prednje pročelje zida ka Kotoru na sredini je provaljeno do tla, a zadržalo je samo nišu sa donje desne strane, do nekadašnjih vrata. Sa suprotne strane, uočava se romano-gotski jednostavan luk bez profilacije od nejednako postavljenih kamenih pragova, te niša neposredno do vrata i dva prozorska okna od kojih je veće veoma oštećeno. Romano-gotski portal nad ulaznim vratima, iako oštećen pruža najvjerodostojniju potvrdu o karakteru palate i njenoj dataciji. Vrata su bila izrađena od punog drveta a zaklavana sa po 4 klina u kamenom parapetu, čija su udubljenja u kamenu i danas vidljiva. Povrh toga, postojala je i velika greda koja je služila za barakidiranje i koja se umetala po sredini vrata, naliježući tako u udubljenje u zidu kako bi dodatno osigurala portal od upada pljackaša. Male niše pored vrata bile su korišćenekako bi se na što jednostavniji način, a bez otvaranja glavnog ulaza, primile namirnice od prodavaca, kao sto je suvo meso i riba, a da se pritom domaćini ne izlažu riziku da budu opljačkani ili napadnuti. Druga mala niša spolja je najvjerovatnije u kasnijem periodu zazidana. Krov je bio jednovodni i nagnut prema moru, što je danas velika rijetkost na ovom području gdje su svi krovovi dvovodni. Sudeći po krovnom pokrivaču obližnje Crkve Sv. Ane, koji je bio od kamena, kao i na osnovu i drugih veoma starih rezidencijalnih objekata, može se zaključiti da je i krov palate u prvobitnoj fazi bio od kamenih ploča i to autohtonog kamena. ​ Na osnovu analize sa lokacije od februara 2018, zapažene su dvije etape gradnje objekta palate Sbutega. Prva bi uključivala veliko i visoko prizemlje te nisko potkrovlje koje je sa donje morske strane imalo tri prozorska okna, po svoj prilici za osmatranje i odbranu od potencijalnih pljačkaša. U prizemlju, ka moru, 2 prozorska okna od kojih je jedno bilo veće, približnih dimenzija 100/80 cm, i drugo, dimenzijaod oko 40/40 cm. Na pročelju ka Kotoru, bila su prema dispoziciji ulazna vrata sa portalom, poput onih na suprotnoj strani palate. Oboje vrata bila su simetrično postavljena, moguće poštujući vjerovanje da, đavo ukoliko bi ušao u kuću, na istom pravolinijskom potezu bi i izašao te ukućani ne bi bili ugroženi, dok se mala odstupanja od pravog ugla prilikom zidanja zidova, mogu tumačiti predanjem - uvijek se izbjegavalo zidati u ‘skveru’ jer u ‘skveru’ čuči đavo. Tavanice tog perioda bile su drvene, oslonjene na kamene konzole zaobljene sa donje strane u obliku akantusovog cvijeta. Na potkrovlju je bilo po 2 prozora ka strani od Kotora i 2 ka Prčanju, od kojih je jedan većih dimenzija. Izlaz u dvorište je riješen ostavljanjem uskih vrata ka brdu koja su danas zazidana, služila su kao izlaz u pomoćni objekat, najvjerovatnije štalu. ​ Druga faza gradnje, donijela je radikalne promjene u enterijeru. Naime, visoko prizemlje se podijelilo na dvije etaže kako bi se dobilo na proširenju smještajnog kapaciteta zbog uvećanja porodice a na uštrb zaziđivanja tri prozora i gornjih vrata ka brdu na kojima su postavljene kamene konzole za pridržavanje greda. Promjene su vidljive i na romano-gotskom portalu, jer je i on sve do luka morao biti zazidan kako bi se tavanice spuštile niže, što je i danas vidljivo. U drugoj fazi razvoja palate, tavanice su postale veoma niske, ostavljajući oko 200 cm slobodnog prostora do greda. Obrada kamenih prozora bez posebnih parapetnih otvora na svim oknima, te vrlo oskudnim i nadomještenim na otvorima većih dimenzija, sugeriše o etapnom, sukcesivnom razvoju palate i čestim prepravkama. Palata u svojoj bazi posjeduje dimenzije 9.5 sa 6 m, što je veoma veliko za prosječnu veličinu kuće ovog podneblja, te upućuje na veoma dobro imovno stanje vlasnika-graditelja. Na području se nalazi Crkva Sv. Ane, koja sudeći po analogijama, potiče iz istog perioda i stoga se može ustvrditi da je bila porodična kapela. ​ Lokacija Glavati je od velike važnosti za ukupno područje Prčanja, kako zbog svoje istorijske tako i prirodne i ambijentalne vrijednosti. Dolina Svete Ane je predio sa svim odlikama kulturnog pejzaža. Suvomeđe koje se stepenasto pružaju pored imanja Sbutega, a na čijim se terasama i danas nalaze maslinjaci, zatim stara srednjevjekovna staza preko Prčanja koja je nekada povezivala Prčanj sa Kotorom, Stolivom i Lepetanima, pravi je izvor za proučavanje načina života u prošlosti. Prisustvo nekoliko slojeva arhitekture - romano-gotičke u brdu a renesansno-barokne pri obali, te austrougarskog putnog graditeljstva u priobalju, kao i autohtonog načina obrade pejzaža sa kanalisanim potocima i terasastim vrtovima, predstavlja izvanredan argument za valorizaciju ove uvale kao kulturnog pejzaža od velike važnosti za Uneskovo Prirodno i kulturno-istorijsko područje Kotora. Aktiviranje ove palate za kulturne potrebe, i po mišljenu stanovnika valorizovanje u svrhu ljetnjeg kampa studenata arhitekture koji će raditi na regeneraciji pejzaža i održavanju srednjevjekovnih staza i monumenata, a uz to dobiti sertifikat o autentičnoj gradnji Boke Kotorske pod mentorstvom restauratora, bilo bi od velikog značaja za čitavo područje Kotora. Najzad, pružilo bi i uvid u velike potencijale održivog razvoja, a sve na uzajamnu korist kako učesnika radionice tako i vlasnika imanja, kojima bi se, pored usluge besplatnog održavanja imanja isplaćivala i naknada za korisćenje od strane studenata – polaznika arhitektonske radionice. Tako bi čitavo ovo područje dobilo veću prepoznatljivost i važnost i postalo uzorni model za pristup regeneraciji kulturnog pejzaža ukupnog područja Kotora. ​ Nažalost, gradnja na ovom području, koja je počela infrastrukturnim radovima, uništila je do sada već čitav dio vrtova sa terasama i ozidanim potokom, i prijeti da devalvira ukupno područje koje je jedna zatvorena i unikatna enklava kulturnog pejzaža koji se prostire u punoj širini od mora pa sve do brda. Dolina Svete Ane – Glavati je neizmjerno vrijedno područje koje svjedoči o istorijskom razvoju seoskih aglomeracija uz more Boke Kotorske. Zbog vrijednog autentičnog pejzaža, kao i istorijske, pejzažne i prirodne vrijednosti, neodložno se mora pristupiti uticaju na kulturnu Baštinu pri aktuelnim prostornim intervencijama, izradom HIA studije, kako bi joj se sačuvala izuzetna univerzalna vrijednost, koju kao cjelina posjeduje u sklopu Područja Kotora koje je pod Uneskovom zaštitom. ​ ​ ​ ​ KAKO DA CITIRATE OVAJ CLANAK Kusevic, B. (2018). Rusevine palate Sbutega - Glavati-Prcanj. istorijska i arhitektonska analiza . ‘‘The Archive of Landscapes” [datum]. ​ POZADINSKA KARTA David Rumsey Historical Map Collection | The Collection; (1693) Disegno Topografico del Canale di Cattaro, Montenegro; Coronelli, Vincenzo (1650-1718).