Vicko Andric
Encyclopedia
Vicko Andrić was a Croatian architect
.
on March 23, 1793. His family, father Josip and mother Antica were inhabitants of Split temporarily residing in Trogir. 10 years after his birth the family returned to Split. From 1803 to 1807 Andrić attended the Archdiocesan Seminary gymnasium in Split.
From Fall 1807 to 1810 Vicko Andrić attended the Zadar
lyceum
. His professor of architecture and technical drawing was the famous Italian architect Basilio Mazzoni. In 1811 Andrić enrolled the Illyrium high school. At the same time he attended a law school and a technical drawing class. However, he soon gave up the law school, for, according to his words, "love toward beautiful art."
, Italy
. He enrolled the Faculty of Mathematics at the Sapienza University and the Accademia San Luca. By studying mathematics he attained the diploma of an expert surveryor. On Accademia San Luca he continued his education and practice again under the supervision of Mazzoni, who came to Rome the same year as Andrić due to the closing of Zadar lyceum. At the time, the honorary president of the academy was the sculptor Antonio Canova
. Under Mazzoni's surveillance Andrić attained the status of an architect in 1816.
On the basis of diplomas received, Vicko Andrić was licensed for architectural works and measurement. During his stay in Rome, he was also involved in the research and preservation of buildings dating back to Ancient Rome
. Carlo Fea
, an expert on the Ancient Rome and the "president of Roman antiquities," helped Andrić at the start of Andrić's career. Andrić was deeply influenced by Fea's book Sacral and profane buildings.
Andrić's four years long stay in Rome was crucial not only for his education, but also for his commitment to classicism
and fascination by the antique period, which he later used in studying and preserving the Diocletian's Palace
in Split.
In Rome, Andrić projected several important concept designs: an inn (1814), a triumphal arc for the Austrian emperor Francis II
(1815), a circular temple and a cathedral in the form of a Greek cross for a large city with a capitol and a seminary
(both projects also in 1815) and a concept design of a casino and theater in Split (1816).
adaption, designing the whole Split harbor from the lazaretto up to the church of St. Francis, estimating the costs of renovating the coast and piers and building new bollard
s. A selection of Andrić's work in Split contains the technical snapshots of the construction complex of the former Communal and Principal Palace, of the Splitian main square and of the Gripe fortress and projects of a suburban cemetery on Sustipan and a new building of the marine Health Office.
(built in 1821, later demolished), cemetery and a circular pavilion on Sustipan (1823–26) and the tower of the Church of the Lady of Health (built in 1846).
work. After being appointed an engineer in the Directorate of Public Construction in Dalmatia, from 1824 to 1828 he mainly worked reclaming wetlands in the Dalmatian hinterland, renovating and constructing roads, bridges, wells and fountains. During 1828 and 1829 he led the work on the river Krka
and the Botišnici creek in Knin
. According to architectural records while there he also worked on a project restoring a church and parish hall in Vrpolje. Around the year 1830 he worked on a project for the Orthodox in the episcopate
of Šibenik
, and also led work on the court building in Skradin
and the parish office in Ervenik
.
Due to continuously living on site and the difficult working conditions, Vicko Andrić become ill. In 1833 he was appointed a regular pension by decision of the Royal Commission.
and Diocletian's Palace
.
After the emperor Francis I
's visit to Split and Salona in the spring of 1818, the emperor came to a decision about the conservation of Diocletian's Palace and the excavations in Salona. By 1820 the government had already issued a decree ordering that Vicko Andrić supervised the excavation of antiquities. Andrić became one the first to make a topographic
and archeological map of Salona.
After his retirement in 1833 he devoted himself entirely to the preservation and restoration of Diocletian's Palace.
In 1853, he was named „Conservator for counties of Zadar and Split“. Together with the artist Dujam Marcocchio he made plans for the restoration of the cathedral and recorded the remains of the palace, including the parts of ground halls in the southern part of the complex. He was carried away with the thought of completely stripping the palace of later buildings and reconstructing it according to the original plans. By this, he works on three projects from 1845. that were never brought to life:
The most interesting and ambitious project of all was the ordination
from 1857 that would've been applied to the southern part of the palace, which envisions cleaning and the restoration of the original late antique
facade but also an upgrade with a three-storey object that would stretch along the facade serving as a hotel
.
As the main conservator, Vicko Andrić monitored the undergoing restoration works on the Šibenik Cathedral in 1854. On the same year, he was awarded the highest decoration of Emperor's Franz Joseph knight cross. He eventually withdrew from the consevation duty in 1864 when he was 70 years old.
Vicko Andrić died in Split on January 15, 1866 and was buried in the group tomb of st. Anthony.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
.
Education
The architect and renovator Vicko Andrić was born in TrogirTrogir
Trogir is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 12,995 and a total municipality population of 13,322 . The historic city of Trogir is situated on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the island of Čiovo...
on March 23, 1793. His family, father Josip and mother Antica were inhabitants of Split temporarily residing in Trogir. 10 years after his birth the family returned to Split. From 1803 to 1807 Andrić attended the Archdiocesan Seminary gymnasium in Split.
From Fall 1807 to 1810 Vicko Andrić attended the Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
. His professor of architecture and technical drawing was the famous Italian architect Basilio Mazzoni. In 1811 Andrić enrolled the Illyrium high school. At the same time he attended a law school and a technical drawing class. However, he soon gave up the law school, for, according to his words, "love toward beautiful art."
Studying in Rome
In 1812, Vicko Andrić went to study in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He enrolled the Faculty of Mathematics at the Sapienza University and the Accademia San Luca. By studying mathematics he attained the diploma of an expert surveryor. On Accademia San Luca he continued his education and practice again under the supervision of Mazzoni, who came to Rome the same year as Andrić due to the closing of Zadar lyceum. At the time, the honorary president of the academy was the sculptor Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova was an Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice who became famous for his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh...
. Under Mazzoni's surveillance Andrić attained the status of an architect in 1816.
On the basis of diplomas received, Vicko Andrić was licensed for architectural works and measurement. During his stay in Rome, he was also involved in the research and preservation of buildings dating back to Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. Carlo Fea
Carlo Fea
Carlo Fea was an Italian archaeologist.Born at Pigna, in what is now Liguria, Fea studied law in Rome, receiving the degree of doctor of laws from the university of La Sapienza, but archaeology gradually attracted his attention, and with the view of obtaining better opportunities for his research...
, an expert on the Ancient Rome and the "president of Roman antiquities," helped Andrić at the start of Andrić's career. Andrić was deeply influenced by Fea's book Sacral and profane buildings.
Andrić's four years long stay in Rome was crucial not only for his education, but also for his commitment to classicism
Classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for classical antiquity, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. The art of classicism typically seeks to be formal and restrained: of the Discobolus Sir Kenneth Clark observed, "if we object to his restraint...
and fascination by the antique period, which he later used in studying and preserving the Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace is a building in Split, Croatia, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from...
in Split.
In Rome, Andrić projected several important concept designs: an inn (1814), a triumphal arc for the Austrian emperor Francis II
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
(1815), a circular temple and a cathedral in the form of a Greek cross for a large city with a capitol and a seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
(both projects also in 1815) and a concept design of a casino and theater in Split (1816).
Return to Split
After finishing his education in Rome, Vicko Andrić returned to Split in 1817. At the end of that year he was chosen to be a "temporary imperial royal district engineer." Soon after taking over this duty, he oversaw the Splitian completion of the lazarettoLazaretto
A lazaretto or lazaret is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. Until 1908, lazarets were also used for disinfecting postal items, usually by fumigation...
adaption, designing the whole Split harbor from the lazaretto up to the church of St. Francis, estimating the costs of renovating the coast and piers and building new bollard
Bollard
A bollard is a short vertical post. Originally it meant a post used on a ship or a quay, principally for mooring. The word now also describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles...
s. A selection of Andrić's work in Split contains the technical snapshots of the construction complex of the former Communal and Principal Palace, of the Splitian main square and of the Gripe fortress and projects of a suburban cemetery on Sustipan and a new building of the marine Health Office.
Completed projects
The only notable finished projects of Andrić in Split are the building of the Museum of Archeology next to the eastern wall of Diocletian's PalaceDiocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace is a building in Split, Croatia, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from...
(built in 1821, later demolished), cemetery and a circular pavilion on Sustipan (1823–26) and the tower of the Church of the Lady of Health (built in 1846).
Work in the Dalmatian Directorate of Public Construction
Although he had an architect's and suveryor's diploma, he was generally given geodeticGeodesy
Geodesy , also named geodetics, a branch of earth sciences, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth, including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal...
work. After being appointed an engineer in the Directorate of Public Construction in Dalmatia, from 1824 to 1828 he mainly worked reclaming wetlands in the Dalmatian hinterland, renovating and constructing roads, bridges, wells and fountains. During 1828 and 1829 he led the work on the river Krka
Krka
Krka is the name for several rivers :* Krka , tributary of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia* Krka , tributary of the Sava in Slovenia* Gurk River , tributary of the Drava in AustriaOther meanings:...
and the Botišnici creek in Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
. According to architectural records while there he also worked on a project restoring a church and parish hall in Vrpolje. Around the year 1830 he worked on a project for the Orthodox in the episcopate
Historical episcopate
The episcopate is the collective body of all bishops of a church. In the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Old-Catholic, Moravian Church, and Independent Catholic churches as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East, it is held that only a...
of Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
, and also led work on the court building in Skradin
Skradin
Skradin is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia it has a population about 3,986 . It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and from Split...
and the parish office in Ervenik
Ervenik
Ervenik is a village and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. There are 998 inhabitants, the majority of the population which are Serbs....
.
Due to continuously living on site and the difficult working conditions, Vicko Andrić become ill. In 1833 he was appointed a regular pension by decision of the Royal Commission.
Conservation Work
Vicko Andrić was the first Croatian conservator. He was already showing a great interest in antiquities while studying in Rome. On his return to Split he became actively involved in researching and protecting SalonaSalona
Salona was an ancient Illyrian Delmati city in the first millennium BC. The Greeks had set up an emporion there. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia...
and Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace
Diocletian's Palace is a building in Split, Croatia, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from...
.
After the emperor Francis I
Francis II
Francis II may refer to:* Francis II, Duke of Brittany * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua * Francis II of France * Francis II, Duke of Lorraine * Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena...
's visit to Split and Salona in the spring of 1818, the emperor came to a decision about the conservation of Diocletian's Palace and the excavations in Salona. By 1820 the government had already issued a decree ordering that Vicko Andrić supervised the excavation of antiquities. Andrić became one the first to make a topographic
Topographic map
A topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. Traditional definitions require a topographic map to show both natural and man-made features...
and archeological map of Salona.
After his retirement in 1833 he devoted himself entirely to the preservation and restoration of Diocletian's Palace.
In 1853, he was named „Conservator for counties of Zadar and Split“. Together with the artist Dujam Marcocchio he made plans for the restoration of the cathedral and recorded the remains of the palace, including the parts of ground halls in the southern part of the complex. He was carried away with the thought of completely stripping the palace of later buildings and reconstructing it according to the original plans. By this, he works on three projects from 1845. that were never brought to life:
- Reparation of the Diocletian's water system
- Cleansing of the southern facade and the basement
- Isolating it from the recent construction activity, restoring the Diocletian's mausoleum and erecting a new cathedral
The most interesting and ambitious project of all was the ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
from 1857 that would've been applied to the southern part of the palace, which envisions cleaning and the restoration of the original late antique
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
facade but also an upgrade with a three-storey object that would stretch along the facade serving as a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
.
As the main conservator, Vicko Andrić monitored the undergoing restoration works on the Šibenik Cathedral in 1854. On the same year, he was awarded the highest decoration of Emperor's Franz Joseph knight cross. He eventually withdrew from the consevation duty in 1864 when he was 70 years old.
Vicko Andrić died in Split on January 15, 1866 and was buried in the group tomb of st. Anthony.
See also
- Architecture of CroatiaArchitecture of CroatiaThe architecture of Croatia has roots in a long history: the Croats have inhabited the area for thirteen centuries, but there are important remnants of the earlier periods still preserved in the country.- Ancient heritage :...
- List of Croatian architects