Smekja Palace

Smekja Palace is situated on the waterfront, in the central part of Perast, next to the church of St. Mark. Members of the family Smekja, from the “casada” Čizmaj, were mentioned as seamen as early as the second half of the 16th century. Petar Smekja brought about the economic prosperity of the family, following his famous merchant undertakings, when he established a trading route between Venice and the Baltic countries in his ship “Leon Coronato” in 1746. In 1748, he became a “konte” (count), while in 1779 the family acquired the status of Kotor nobility.

The palace consists of two separate structures – the older one, situated between the coastal and the old road, built in 1764, and the new one, the construction of which started in 1764 but was actually finished in the 1930s. These two parts are connected by a vaulted passage above the old road. The year of construction of the palace is evidenced by an inscription above the entrance to the upper part of the palace:

D. O. M.
PETRUS COMES SMECCHIA
DOMUM DE SUO AERE
ERREXIT PRIDE NONAS
AVGUSTI MDCCLXIV

The Smekja palace is the largest palace in Perast. This three-storey construction with belvedere was entirely built of stone brought from the island of Korčula. A terraced porch stretches along the whole length of the first floor, while the second and third floors are decorated with balustraded balconies. Above the entrance, there is the coat-of-arms of the “casada” Čizmaj – a hand holding a stalk (“čičimak”) and stars, a symbol of the Smekja family. The new part of the palace was finished in 1936, modelled on the existing ground and first floors in the same style and of the same stone. Since 1936 both parts of the palace have been used by the clothing factory “Jadran Perast”.