Vinicije Lupis, PhD, on the Historic Church of St. Peter (and St. Paul) Destroyed in a Fire on Pelješac; 14-15/08/2026

18/09/2026

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The historic church of St. Peter (and St. Paul) at the cemetery in Potomje was completely destroyed in a massive fire that swept across the Pelješac Peninsula on August 14, 2026. A church dedicated to St. Peter (and St. Paul) at this location has been documented since 1395

Vinicije Lupis, PhD, publicly highlighted the immense cultural loss resulting from the event, which saw the destruction of an exceptionally valuable 18-century Baroque altarpiece. Vinicije Lupis, PhD, emphasized the artwork’s art-historical significance and pointed to the need for a strategy to better protect artworks in religious buildings in the future, particularly given the prevalence of wildfires in Dalmatia. He also discussed this matter during a broadcast on the Split station of Croatian Radio on August 15, 2026.

“Thirty years ago, I created a guide to the sacred art of the Pelješac Parish; I took photographs with my wartime friend, Mr. Božidar Gjukić, and published the material first in a collection of papers and later in the journal Naše more. I also used the image of Saint Blaise from the altarpiece as the cover for the book Enamel Reliefs on the Reliquaries of Saint Blaise, co-authored with photographer Božidar Gjukić. I wrote about the official painter of the Republic of Dubrovnik, who created paintings and banners of Saint Blaise and produced altarpieces throughout the Dubrovnik region… This particular altarpiece is interesting because it was remarkably well-preserved, and the depiction of Saint Blaise featured on it was one rarely seen in the iconography of the saint… Usually, only a few standard models from Dubrovnik are used, but here was a very beautiful, previously unused model. It is the work of the 18th-century official painter of the Republic of Dubrovnik, Andrea Pignatelli. The figure of Saint Blaise on it resembles the figures found on the state flag…”