Mausoleum of Don Šime Ljubić, Stari Grad

The mausoleum of Don Šime Ljubić in Stari Grad stands beside the old town harbour, on the southwestern part of the Stari Grad bay. It is dedicated to the well-known archaeologist and historian, one of the founders of the Yugoslav Academy (JAZU) and the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. Ljubić lived from 1822 to 1896.

The mausoleum was built at the end of the 19th century according to the idea of Nikola Račić, a friend of the academician. It is an octagonal building on raised ground, enclosed by a wall and greenery, and stone steps lead to it from the northwest. The entrance is classicist, with a tympanum, and the dome is painted like the vault of the heavens. Inside is a stone grave in the form of an altar, and the walls are decorated with marbling. The stone has badly deteriorated, so conservation works have been carried out since 2007. Built into the enclosure wall in 1996 is a bronze bust made by Ivan Rendić. It is a rare centrally planned funerary building in the neoclassical style in Dalmatia.

The mausoleum is a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-6280.

Photo: Chippewa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: Wikidata (CC0).