Bujović Palace

Bujović Palace faces onto the waterfront in the western part of Perast. The palace is one of the most beautiful buildings on the Adriatic coast, designed by the Venetian architect Giovanni Battista Fontana. The palace was built by brothers Vicko and Ivan Bujović, from the “casada” Stojišić. Vicko Bujović (1660-1709) gained his wealth from privileges acquired in battles against piracy, from his high position as commander of the fleet in the Morean War and his great trading activities. He never set foot in the finished palace because he was killed in 1709. According to local folklore, when the palace was finished, Vicko asked the architect if he could build a more beautiful palace. When the architect answered he could, Vicko grabbed him and thrust him over the balcony!
According to tradition, the palace was built of hewn stone taken from the destroyed walls of Herceg Novi following its liberation from Turkish rule in 1687. Three stone tablets on the façade bear the date 1694 which indicate the beginning of its construction.

The palace is a three-storey building of simple form, with a hipped roof. The palace was conceived in the Renaissance style with pillars of the monumental arcaded porch designed in the ”bugnato” fashion. There is serene harmony in the five balconies on three façades, and a clear transition to the Baroque shown by the rich ornamentation of the arcades, balustrades and decorative details. A vast porch stretches along the length of the ground floor topped with a balustraded terrace. The richness of the façade is fully expressed by double stone portals on all balconies. In the central part of the terrace’s balustrade stands a coat-of-arms of the “casada” Stojišić (two crowned lions holding a chair). Behind the palace, an annex has been added for the use of the Museum of Perast which is nowadays housed in the palace.