Grubonja Palace

Grubonja Palace is situated near the north town gate, behind St. Mary-on-the-River church. According to tradition, the palace belonged to the noble family Grubonja, which is mentioned in the Notary Books of Kotor from the 15th century. It is possible that the family settled in Kotor from Zadar, where it had been mentioned in the 12-13th centuries. The palace acquired its present-day appearance at the end of the 16th century and it has preserved its Renaissance characteristics visible in the rendering of window frames and sills on the second floor resting on brackets in the shape of finely carved lions’ heads. The palace had been extensively reconstructed around 1955 so it did not suffer any damage in the earthquake of 1979.

On the front, between the windows of the first floor, there is a stone tablet with Christ’s monogram, HIS, and below it a relief with a skull and crossbones, snakes passing through the eyes of the skull, and a mouse, a rat and a turtle crawling around. It is believed to be the emblem of the old town pharmacy which was first mentioned in the Notary Books from 1326. It was one of the oldest town pharmacies in Europe, preceded only by those in Italy.

On the north side of Grubonja Palace is the entrance to the upper part of the fortress. The entrance is marked by a Baroque voluted arch made of bricks, spanning the palace and the adjoining building. The arch carries a medallion with the winged lion of Saint Mark, the inscribed year 1760, marking the year of its construction and the Latin inscription: “Regia munitae rupis via” (The main road to the fortress on the hill).

Source: Martinović Jovan, Sto kotorskih dragulja, Rijeka Crnojevića, 1995.