MARBLE OF HVAR ON THE ALTARS IN THE CHURCH OF ST. PHILIP NERI IN MAKARSKA

Biskup Stjepan Blašković 1758. godine gradi na obali u Makarskoj crkvu sv. Filipa Nerija po uzoru na katedralu sv. Marka s jednostavno artikuliranim pročeljem. Četiri bočna oltara arhitektonskog tipa izvedena su od raznobojnog mramora koji je, po tradiciji, ubran u Jelsi na Hvaru. Degradacija kamena uzrokovana je velikom količinom soli i lošim odabirom površinskog sloja kamena za oltar.After the liberation of Makarska from the Turkish occupation, Bishop Nikola Bijanković almost reached the end of the second final phase of reconstruction, in which he and his successor, Bishop Stjepan Blašković, succeeded in their aim of restoring the parishes in the part of dioceses that had been under the Venetian rule. It was precisely bishop Stjepan Blašković who built a new church of St. Philip Neri on the coast in 1758 with an oratory building and a special building for the accommodation of poor travellers and Glagolitic clerics. The new church was modelled on the cathedral with a facade ending in a tympanum and one round and two longitudinal openings. The bell tower, separate from the church, is of simple design with semi-circular openings and the pyramidal spire in stone. The one-nave interior treasures the main and four identical side altars in marble, two on each side, placed in semi-circular shallow niches. The altars are of architectural shape with an aedicula-type reredos in which an altarpiece has been inserted, the most prominent of which is the depiction of the Descent from the cross. The others are dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Philip Neri, St. Lawrence and St. Stephen Protmartyr. All the altars are made in multicoloured marble and are in very poor condition; the pillars are torn, some parts are separated, and the marble is flaking. The reason for this lies in the fact that the church of St. Philip is situated at the very coast, which is why the impact of sea salt on the marble is significant, but it also has to do with the quality of the marble itself. According to Fortis’ statement, the stonemasons had selected an outer layer of stone for the altars of St. Philip Neri’s church probably due to lower prices. Given that Jelsa is situated on the northern coast of the island of Hvar, it is unquestionable that the marble from this quarry had been affected by salt and weather disasters, which resulted in a bad state in which it is today