The Ilić Mansion

The Ilić house complex was the residence of a wealthy noble family Ilić who established themselves fighting against the Turks on the Venetian side. In the center of the Sutivan waterfront, a part of the complex with nowadays adapted defense tower featuring gothic windows on the western side is the oldest in the Sutivan harbor and has piled foundations found in Venetian houses. When it was built, the Sutivan harbor was a large and shallow bay. There is a damaged coat of arms of the Republic of Venice, the lion of St Mark with the inscription of the family’s merits which has been removed from the facade. The complex contains a big park on the south side which is nowadays arranged in a modern style but as cultural heritage the object has been consistently reconstructed and now has a tourist function. The doorframe in the western part of the building has a high water mark from the floods that struck Sutivan in October of 1874 after which the new wide entrance into the town was made. This urban planning move unique for an island settlement today is known as “the Avenue of Palms” or the Blato promenade.