The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

anxious to preserve the absolute purity of a style, but leaving room for his own personal inspiration, he produced works such as the Rector’s palace, which by their harmony of ensemble and the exquisiteness of original detail may rank among the best achievements of the European building art, and of which Professor Freeman has said—

““To our mind this palace really deserves no small place in the history of the Romanesque art. One or two capitals show that the Ragusan architect knew of the actual Renaissance. But it was only in that one detail that he went astray. In everything else he started from sound principles, and from them vigorously developed for himself. And the fruit of his work was a building which thoroughly satisfies every requirement of criticism, and on which the eye gazes with ever-increased delight, as one of the fairest triumphs of human skill within the range of the builder’s art.

** But the palace must not be spoken of as if it stood altogether alone among the buildings. ...” +

And the reader must bear in mind that many of the finest works of Serbian architecture have been ruined by the Turks, and many of the most famous Ragusan churches and _ palaces were destroyed by the great earthquake in 1667; but the remains still testify to the high standard

1 Edward A. Freeman, Sketches from the Subject and Neighbour Lands of Venice. Macmillan & Co., 1881.

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