6 about historical development of Perast city

2. Historical development of Perast city

The area of Perast city in Montengro is located in the natural and cultural environment of the Boka Bay, which consist of four interconnected bays framed by high mountains and concentrated around a central visual axis that integrates these elements into an exceptional landscape ensemble. According to the general principles of the World Heritage Convention, it is of exceptional universal value cultural and historical area of Perast is contained in the quality of its architecture, successfully achieved unity of cities and settlements with the natural environment of the bay and in a unique testimony to the role the area played in spreading Mediterranean culture on area of the Balkans. The quality of the arts and crafts of the entire geo-cultural zone is also significant, which testify to a unique expression, created by the unification of Eastern and Western culture.

Although it was an ancient settlement on Montenegrin coast, Perast enjoyed greater economic, political and cultural development only from the middle of the 15th century. At that time, the Boka became part of the Venetian Republic (1482). About sixty years later, Ottoman forces advanced on the Gulf of Kotor, determining its fate for the next two centuries. Before these events, Perast was just a small village possessing a shipyard and a number of modest fishing and trading ships, unlike Kotor, the far larger and fortified city within Boka bay.

Despite the dramatic circumstances of constant conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Venice, which were particularly fierce in this area, the town continued to develop culturally and architecturally. The construction of luxurious palaces, chapels and churches, the importation of works of art and the ongoing literary activity give evidence of an intense industry out of proportion to the size of the town and the number of its inhabitants.

Under Venice (1482-1684), no continuous defensive barrier was erected around this exposed and fragile settlement on the border of the Ottoman Empire. In 1570, only the fortress, St. Cross, rose above the town. In that context it is interesting to notice that it is the name of PERAST which in its anagram stands for the word APERTO, giving the city’s physical position special connotation. However, within the town a chain of ten watchtowers, called “čardaci”, presented a well-devised system.

The main link of Venice with the southern part of the eastern Adriatic coast is aristocratic cities of captains, sailors and merchants. Perast, the towns and villages around it have been around for centuries represented the center of significant creative processes in the region. Their art, jewelry and construction schools left a deep mark and permanently influenced the art of the Adriatic coast. Of the more than three hundred (300) houses and palaces crowding the coast and slopes of the hill, two hundred and seven (207) buildings were classified in the 18th-century as being of architectural significance, one hundred and seventeen (117) as ordinary structures and fourteen (14) churches were noted as associated with the patronage of noble families.

Of the churches, the unfinished parish church of St. Nicholas deserves special mention. Its architecture, though incomplete, reveals the monumental design of Giuseppe Beati, who created a Venetian-Romanesque variant of baroque in the 17th century. In 1691, Ivan Scarpe began the construction of an impressive, 55m (179 feet) tall belfry with five stories and a divided series of loges at a cost of 55,000 ducats. An inscription on the belfry proudly reads that the Turkish threat ended after the Venetians conquered Herceg Novi and Risan. Although left open to the sky, the great apse of the main altar with its two sacristies makes a significant contribution to the coastline of Perast. In addition, its appearance seems to create a strong reference to the city of Venice with St. Marco tower as a historical artefact defining urban fabric.

2.1.The following timeline (centuries) depicts some of the most notable events from the city’s history:

3500. BC – Remnaints of Neolithic period above Perast - Illyrian, Roman and Christian periods X – Byzantine Empire XIV – The name of Perast firstly officially inserted within judiciary notes in the city of Kotor (1326) XIV – Perast given to the Venetian Republic (1365) XV – Perast and whole Boka Bay becomes protected by the Venetian Republic (1482) XV – Perast has 155 houses (1439) XVI – Perast has 60 sailing ships (1512) XVI – St. Cross fortress built (1570) XVI – Battle of Lepetani, Turks dismissed and people of Perast earned St. Marco flag – gonfalone XVII – The church of St. Nicolas built (1616) XVII – Church Gospa od Skrpjela (1628) XVII – Decision to build 3 towers within S. Croce complex, which were designed by Don Camilo Gonzaga not realized XVIII – The fall of the Venetian Republic (1797) XIX – Perast under the control of Russian Empire (1800) XIX – Perast under the control of French (1807) XIX – Perast under the British Empire (1813) XIX – Austrian Empire (1814) XX - Austrain soldiers leave Perast (1918) XX – Perast under the control of the Republic of Montenegro (1945 – )

It is also important, from here, to point out the general conception of the city that is formed by the stone body within the mainland and spiritual moving element coming from the sea itself. And this certainly represents a common metaphysical distinction which rendered both physical and spiritual dimension of the city to be so unique.

Although not encircled by the fortresses the city characterizes the inward urban tissue, very closed within itself, built through the matrix of defense towers and wisely structured streets that are completely covered by the protective windows from the houses in case of the attack.

As it can see from the historical maps, the stairs that are leading to the upper parts of the city are subjected to the inclinations making thus many hidden visual sequences which characterize the private parts of the city. Consequently, there exist two completely different surroundings within urban fabric - one that is completely private in the upper parts and the other one near the sea with little squares which are the places of meeting and are full of bustling activities.

Although the city is predominantly built within the period of Baroque, today we can say that the constructors kept the serenity which made it possible for the city not to plunge in the flamboyant character that baroque usually carries with itself.

Due to its exceptional tangible and non-tangible heritage, large portion of Boka bay including cities of Kotor, Perast and Risan, was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1979, after a strong earthquake that hit the Montenegrin coastline.

Taking into consideration strong socio-political changes that happened in the region, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, these cities suffered through the process of private capital investments which usually didn’t follow main guidelines set for this sensitive surroudning. This process didn’t avoid the city of Perast either. In fact, two major infrastructural interventions in the XIX and XX