Fragments of two hypothetic gothic archivolts pertaining to side portals of the Koper cathedral

Abstract

The article focuses on the almost completely overlooked elements of Gothic archivolts (with a dentelle bordure and tendrils with vine leaves and tiny clusters), built above the Baroque windows in the northern and southern façades of the Koper cathedral, which have until now not been subject to an appropriate expert-based analysis. By relying on archival sources documenting the renovation of the Koper cathedral in the mid-eighteenth century, the article sheds more light on the reconstruction of the side portals of the medieval cathedral, assuming that the preserved fragments were once their integral parts. By careful observation of the treatment and typology of the stone of the two alleged Gothic portals on the northern wall of the cathedral, we have established that only one is original, namely, that made of white Istrian stone in proximity of the town Lodge.