Supetar - Tourist guide

Supetar is a town and harbour on the northern coast of the island of Brac, one of the most attractive Middle Dalmatian islands. With its 3500 inhabitants it represents the biggest place on the island. Supetar was built in the cove of St Peter by which it obtained its name. Very frequent ferry lines connect it with the town of Split. Chief occupations include farming, wine production, olive growing, synthetic material processing, fishing and tourism.

Supetar was inhabited already in the Neolithic (Kopacina Cave near the town) and the ancient periods (early Christian sarcophagi by the church on the graveyard). The Mausoleum of the Petrinovic family, with portraits and statues, is a work by Tomo Rosandic. There are several tombstones, made by Ivan Rendic from Supetar, on the graveyard. This famous croatian sculptor had passed all his youth and his last 11 years of life in Supetar. He studied in Triest, Venice and Florence and many people consider him the biggest croatian sculptor of the XIX century. His 208 art works are placed in 51 world cities, but some of them we can see in the art gallery “Ivan Rendic”, situated in the library building on the first floor. In front of the gallery, which is placed behind the big supermarket in the bottom of Riva, you'll see his sculpture “Allegory of an intellect” On the same square is situated the church of St. Marthin from the XVIII century which serves as an exibit space.

The parish church of the St. Peter, with the monumental stairway, was built in 1733 on the ruins of the original basilica from the 5th century. It keeps paintings of the local Baroque painter Feliks Tironi, like the one Madonna with the saints and the organs from the master Petar Nakic. In front of the church there is the mosaic from the pre cristian period from the VI century. We reccomens visiting the surrounding buildings such as Leroj, the tower bell and the Church museum. The sculptor of St. Victor at the entrance of the museum and the sculpture of the Mother Theresa at the entrance of the church yard are works of the sculptor Petar Jaksic.

The pre-Romanesque small church of St. Luke from the 11th and the 12th centuries is located on the road to Donji Humac. It represents one of the 19 churches conserved on the island from that period. In the surroundings of Supetar, mostly in the vineyards and olive yards, we can see numerous bunje, small stone houses of the circular construction with the cupola. They serve today for the disposal of the agricoltural tools but it is supposed that it was the aspect of the primary habitats of the preistoric man. The similar constructions we can find all along the Mediterranean, in Istria (kazuni), on Sardegna and Kreta, in Catalonia, Liguria, Puglia, in Provansi...

From the 1827 Supetar is the administative centre of the island, accordingly the city architecture follows styles of the XIX secolo visible in the stone costructions which surround Riva. It is considered today as one of the main tourist centres. You can enjoy its cultural monuments, various sports and recreation programmes. There are so many attractive rocky and pebble beaches here enclosed by forests of pine, and some have sandy areas in the water. Supetar has long been a popular summer resort. Many will find the coast around Supetar, between Mirca in the west and Splitska in the east, an ideal place for swimming. With its variety of accommodation capacities, restaurants, entertainment as well as sports and recreation opportunities Supetar meets the highest standards of tourism.