The Franciscan Monastery of the Third Order
Porat was home to the Chapel of St Mary Magdalene. Until repair works on the Church of St Apollinaris were completed, Ivan Frankopan granted the settlers permission to use the Chapel. In 1480 the duke was taken to Venice under a pretext, and the Venetain government awarded the church to the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order. In 1557, with help of locals, the church was repaired and the monastery expanded. The monastery housed Glagolitic Franciscans who divided their time between praying, working the land and transcribing religious books written in Glagolitic script. The current appearance of the monastery, containing a cloister and a well in the centre, dates back to the 17th century. It remains a popular spiritual haven in the Dubašnica area.
The main marble altar was shipped from Venice in 1730. Above it is the polyptych of Saint Mary Magdalene painted by Girolamo and Francesco da Santa Croce prior to 1557. The central images are of Mary Magdalene with Saint John the Baptist and Pope Saint Gregory. The Madonna, Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Quirinus, patron saint of the Diocese of Krk, are depicted above them. The marble altars on either side are dedicated to Saint Nicholas (marble statutes of Saint Nicholas and Saints Peter and Paul), and to Saint Rocco and Sebastian. An ancient Gothic crucifix is the centre piece.
Valuable manuscripts written in the Glagolitic script, such as the Žgombić Miscellany from the 16th century, the Sabljić Miscellany from the 17th /18th century and Hržić Miscellany from the 18th century, are kept in the archives of the monastery.
A Lapidarium was set up in the monastery courtyard by Branko Fučić, the region’s native academician, Glagolitic researcher, art historian and scientist. It contains the most prestigious Croatian Glagolitic stone monuments, such as the Baška Tablet, Senj Tablet, Grdoselo Fragment, Krk Inscription and Valun Tablet, to name a few.