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Why was St Nicholas' Fortress built?

St Nicholas' Fortress was built in the mid-16th century to protect the city of Šibenik and its port, including the Krka delta and the city of Skradin against sea-based attacks.

The fortress is part of a line comprising six Venetian defence fortifications, which extends as far as 1000 kilometres, from the Italian region of Lombardy, along the Adriatic coast of Croatia, all the way to Montenegro. The fortifications throughout the Stato da Terra protected the Venetian Republic and its landlocked hinterland, while those of the Stato da Mar protected the sea routes and ports in the Adriatic Sea to the Levant.

After the fall of Skradin under the Ottoman rule in 1521, the Venetians were forced to strengthen the defence of Šibenik port, which was the most important port on the east coast of the Adriatic, according to their analyses. The construction of a new fortress, based on Gian Girolamo San Micheli's design (Verona, 1513 - Famagusta, 1558), commenced in 1540, and in 1544 it was sent the first crew members, which emphasizes enough its importance for the Venetian Republic.

 

The architecture of the fortress

The introduction of gunpowder led to some significant advancements in military technology and architecture, which affected the construction of fortifications alla moderna as well. It was designed as a solid and secure structure that followed all the trends in the construction of military facilities. If compared to the contemporary fortifications in the Mediterranean, St Nicholas' Fortress boasts all the achievements of the cinquecento in designing and constructing fortifications. Indeed, some solutions implemented there appeared in Europe for the first time. Among them there is the construction of pliers, which are located between the demibastions towards the south of the fortress.

The fortress has a triangular layout, which is rarely found in fortification architecture. In the north part of the triangle there is a mushroom-like extended area called torrione. At sea level and on the superstructure the torrione has a series of cannon openings. On the curtain walls stretching towards the demibastions there are some cannon openings as well, especially on the west side. Towards the northern passage, a two-storey semicircular battery intended for aiming at the hull and rigging of a vessel stretches eastwards in order to enable as many cannon ports facing the open sea as possible along the channel, thus providing protection in case of naval attacks.

The fortress used to be accessed by sea. Due to the entrance being elevated, an access construction was built with a bridge leading to the fortress through an impressive Renaissance portal. The entrance to the fortress is its most valuable architectural and sculptural detail. The construction of the gate was entrusted to the Croatian masters, Dujam Rudičić from Split and Frano Dismanić from Šibenik. A sculpture of the Venetian lion, symbol of Venice, was placed in the entablature, but was later removed.

The exterior surfaces were constructed in an outstanding manner: on the foundations made out of rustically shaped large stone pieces in the tradition of old stone huts (bunja), in which the cannon ports are vaulted with uneven arches of brick, the edging of horizontally laid yellow brick is rhythmicized every twelve to fourteen rows by a strip of bricks laid sideways, which creates an exceptional visual effect.

The space comprises three levels that are connected to the central gate by a transfer ramp: the lower level, a 12-metre-high barrel vaulted underground space that is perfectly ventilated and illuminated thanks to a double row of openings; the middle level is an entrance vestibule enabling insight into the arrangement of the structure; finally, there is a terrace with large openings facing in different directions, with its central part where a chapel and then barracks were built. A watchtower was located on the eastern battlement, while some walled storage tanks were situated in the southern sector.

The fortress was governed by the castellan, who was elected among the members of the Venetian nobility for a sixteen-month term. The castellan had a political role. The fortress was governed by a military commander - the Captain as well. While in office, the castellan was not allowed to leave the fortress or else he would be executed. The crew consisted of twenty-five to forty soldiers and gunners, but in times of war there used to be more than seventy crew members. All the activities of the crew were performed on the terrace of the fortress, where there were their dormitories and barracks.

In the 19th century the Austro-Hungarian army re-actualized the terrace only, the semicircular rails were constructed, the battlements were coated with cement, and a metal structure with signalling equipment was erected there. The interventions in the cannon openings on the curtain wall, when a large coastal artillery gun was introduced at the end of the 19th century, did not ruin the original openings for cannons: the then-existing Venetian openings were effectively upgraded to the new ones by the Austrians.

St Nicholas' Fortress, impressive and intimidating at the same time, has defended Šibenik throughout the centuries; the city has never witnessed a sea-based attack and no significant naval battles have been recorded in this area. The fortress was abandoned when the Austro-Hungarian army left at the beginning of the 20th century. Only the crew manning the signal station remained there in order to control the passage of the ships through the narrow St Anthony's Channel.

Thanks to the preserved original form of a naval fort, its triangular shape with vaulted interior levels, appearance of certain new elements of fortification architecture (pliers) and thanks to a specific form of construction on a low island, St Nicholas' Fortress occupies a special place in the Venetian fortification architecture and it's Mediterranean most impressive sea fort.