Architecture & Memorial
Račić Family Mausoleum and St Rocco Cemetery
Cavtat · Southern Dalmatia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Architecture & Memorial
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Cavtat · Southern Dalmatia
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The Račić Family Mausoleum is the work of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, created between 1920 and 1922 and completed in 1922 as the memorial chapel of the Račić family. It stands in St Rocco Cemetery, on the highest point of the Rat Peninsula above Cavtat, and it is at once a sculptural monument, a family memorial and a place of worship — also known as the chapel of Our Lady of Angels. Built in white Brač stone, the mausoleum carries a sculptural programme of figures and reliefs by Meštrović that makes it one of the most distinctive works of early 20th-century Croatian sculpture set into a working burial ground. The cemetery itself is an active burial place, and the approach to it is part of the experience: an uphill walk and steps through the pine-shaded slopes of the Rat, with uneven surfaces and strong summer heat to be reckoned with. For a visitor it is the most artistically significant single site in Cavtat, and the viewpoint from the cemetery over the harbour and the coast is among the finest in the town.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The Račić Family Mausoleum was commissioned as the memorial chapel of the Račić family and entrusted to Ivan Meštrović, the Croatian sculptor whose work stands as a defining voice of modern Croatian sculpture. Created between 1920 and 1922, the chapel was completed in 1922 and dedicated as Our Lady of Angels, serving both as the family’s mausoleum and as a place of worship within St Rocco Cemetery. Meštrović worked the white Brač stone into a sculptural programme of figures and reliefs that draws on religious and memorial themes, and the result is a building that is as much sculpture as architecture. St Rocco Cemetery itself, on the high ground of the Rat Peninsula, has long been the principal burial ground of Cavtat, and it remains an active place of burial today. The mausoleum is not a UNESCO-listed site; its significance lies in Meštrović’s work and in its place within the living cemetery above the town.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The mausoleum exterior — Meštrović’s white Brač stone chapel, its forms and sculptural detail read against the open sky at the highest point of the cemetery.
The sculptural programme — the figures and reliefs by Ivan Meštrović that carry the memorial and religious meaning of the chapel, the artistic heart of the site.
St Rocco Cemetery — an active burial place laid out on the slopes of the Rat, to be walked respectfully, with older tombs, pine shade and views over the harbour.
The viewpoint from the Rat — the panorama over Cavtat harbour, the Sustjepan peninsula and the coast that opens from the high ground of the cemetery.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The Račić Family Mausoleum is the most artistically significant single site in Cavtat — a chapel by Ivan Meštrović, completed in 1922, that brings modern Croatian sculpture into the heart of the town’s burial ground. For a visitor it is the place where Cavtat’s cultural ambition is read most clearly, set within an active cemetery that deserves to be treated with respect.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Račić Family Mausoleum and St Rocco Cemetery
Račić Family Mausoleum and St Rocco Cemetery, Cavtat, Southern Dalmatia, Croatia
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Cavtat
THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
Cavtat Waterfront and Historic Core Walk
02Bukovac and Bogišić Art Heritage Visit
03Račić Mausoleum and Rat Peninsula Walk
04Sustjepan Peninsula and Cavtat Coves Swim
05Cavtat to Dubrovnik Coastal Boat Excursion
06Sea Kayaking in Tiha Bay and the Sustjepan Coves
07Cycling the Konavle Valley from Cavtat
08Motorcycle Ride: The Konavle Loop and Adriatic Highway
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Waterfront konobas and seafood restaurants along the harbour, serving the daily catch grilled or in brodetto.
Cafés and lighter meals around the harbour and the historic lanes, for coffee, pastries and a slow morning.
Konavle and Southern Dalmatian dishes — slow-cooked meat under a peka, local olive oil, Konavle wine and seasonal greens — at family-run tables in and around the old core.
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Harbour and historic-core accommodation, for atmosphere and walking access to the waterfront, museums and restaurants.
The Rat or Sustjepan peninsulas, for coastal paths, sea views and quieter settings a short walk from the centre.
The Tiha, Žal and Obod side of the bay, for easier beach-oriented stays close to swimming entries.
Camping is not available in Cavtat itself — the nearest auto camps are in Molunat, a small coastal village about 20 km south at the far end of the Konavle region, with basic pitches close to the sea.
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