Rector's Court by Rusket
Right across the street from the statue of Bogi?ic is the renaissance Rector's Palace. Since 1958 it has been under the administration of HAZU ( The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts). Bogi?ices library of between 15000 and 20000 books, his collection of letters, numismatics and graphics are stored there. So is the collection of the Society of Embroiders. One of two Mithras found in the Konavlje region is here; relief monuments of pre-christian beliefs representing the struggle between good and evil in form of a fight between a god and a bull, together with other stone fragments from the roman period.Rector's Palace is currently (april 2006) closed for maintenance / reconstruction, but I managed to sneak photograph two pieces of archaelogical findings through the gate. I fear some of the items in the collections could be damaged or missing: During the war in the nineties the building was closed. Some items from the collections were stored in private homes, others stored in crates in the building itself. Insufficient airing resulted in moisture damages to floors and walls, and what then about paper and leatherwork?
Rector's Court is sometimes referred to as the Duke's Palace, and sometimes as Bogi?ices House. This adds to the confusion about Bogi?ic; I have seen him mentioned as Duke Bogi?ic ;-) But the Ragusa Republic was very roman in it's structure, thus Rektor in that time was an elected administrator, and not a duke. Also, I believe Bogi?ic never lived in the house: In a report to the Croatian Parliament about it's work, HAZU writes that the reconstruction work will take years, and will be extended to including Bogi?ices family home (http://www.sabor.hr/Download/2006/05/17/sazetak_izvjesca_o_radu_HAZU_Saboru_RH_za_2005._8.5.06.1.pdf)