A tale of stubbornness, a playful prank, and a masterpiece
If you’ve ever passed through Ložišća, you know that the bell tower of the Church of St. John and Paul simply stops you in your tracks. There’s no overthinking it — it’s one of the most beautiful bell towers in all of Dalmatia.
But what makes it truly special is the story of how this tiny village ended up with such an extravagant tower in the first place.
It all begins with the famous sculptor and architect Ivan Rendić. When the locals asked him to design their bell tower, Rendić sent them not one, but three proposals. Two were quite ordinary — modest, just like most small village towers in Dalmatia. But the third? That one looked fit for some grand, wealthy city — dare we say, even Venice.
Because Rendić loved a good joke more than anything. He knew full well that the people of Ložišća didn’t have nearly enough money for such a project, so he threw in that lavish design just to tease them a little.
But life has a funny way of twisting plots. The village priest hung all three plans on the church door and told the people to choose. Naturally, they all voted for the most beautiful, the most expensive, the most ambitious of the bunch.
They say Rendić just laughed and told them they were crazy — that there was neither the money nor the craftsmen on Brač to build such a tower.
And that’s exactly when the people of Ložišća showed just how stubborn they could be. When told they couldn’t, they decided they absolutely would — even if it meant risking everything.
Of course, there was no money. But then stepped in a wealthy villager, Dr. Mihovil Nazor, who had retired back to Ložišća. He offered to lend the entire sum, only asking that they repay him over time from their wine earnings, though truthfully, he never really expected to see that money again.
Construction started in 1884 and stretched on until 1889. And, like any good story, it didn’t all go smoothly. The first builder soon gave up, saying the project was too demanding. For a long while, they couldn’t find anyone else willing to take it on.
In the end, a young stonemason from a nearby quarry stepped forward — he’d fallen in love and married a girl from Ložišća. The villagers were doubtful. How could this young fellow, with so little experience, create something that even Venice might envy?
But youth has a way of being relentless. Day and night, he studied every stone, meticulously following Rendić’s plans down to the last detail. In the end, he did it. The bell tower rose up proudly, and the debt was repaid over the years with barrels of wine and cellars full of olive oil.
Today, when you stand before that tower, you might not know this whole story. But understand this — that tower is not just stone and mortar. It’s proof that dreams can come true, even when everyone says they’re impossible.
And perhaps that’s why the people of Ložišća can be so proud that their tiny village boasts a bell tower that even Venice wouldn’t turn its nose up at. A true little Dalmatian masterpiece, born out of stubbornness, unity, and — just a bit — to spite anyone who ever said, “It can’t be done.”
