Karin Monastery [2006]

The monastery is located in the village of Karin, at the mouth of the Karišnica River into the Karin Sea. Enclosed by high, almost defensive walls, it forms a tranquil sacred space within the natural landscape. The late Baroque monastery was built between the 15th and 18th centuries.

It originally consisted of a single-nave church with a rectangular sanctuary covered by a late Gothic vault, a bell tower, a cloister, a cemetery, living quarters for the monks, as well as auxiliary and main living spaces including the kitchen, dining room, library, service areas, and courtyards. By 1995, it had been almost completely destroyed up to a height of 2 meters.

The restoration project was developed based on archival measurements and surveys of the existing state. Through sorting, grouping, and cataloging building elements, a reconstruction was achieved. Preserved elements were reinstalled in almost their original locations, making the monastery more a recomposition – or anastylosis – than a facsimile. Original materials were used in the reconstruction of necessary new elements.