Mirabella Fortress (Peovica): the tower above Omiš
Mirabella Fortress, also called Peovica, is a Romanesque fortress above the town of Omiš in Split-Dalmatia County, Dalmatia. Its high tower on the cliffs is the crown of Omiš's town fortress and a landmark you can pick out from below. It was built in the 13th century by the Kačić family and once sheltered the Omiš pirates, who retreated from here into the Cetina gorge.
Legend says that in 1537 the defenders of Omiš shouted and fired so noisily that the attacking Turks overestimated their number and fled. The tower from which that story is told still rises on the cliffs above the town.
The history of Mirabella Fortress
The position above Omiš has been important for centuries. A coin of the Byzantine emperor Basil I found at the site points to the strategic value of the cliff over the mouth of the river, which in the 9th century marked the frontier between the Frankish and Byzantine empires. Whatever stood here then, the fortress seen today belongs to a later period.
Mirabella, also known as Peovica, is a Romanesque fortress built in the 13th century above Omiš by the Kačić family. It stands on crags, apart from the town, and its isolated position and massive masonry gave it an almost impregnable character. For the Omiš pirates it was a reliable refuge: when danger came, they could withdraw into the safety of the Cetina gorge, with the tower watching over the river mouth.
The fortress is the crowning part of a larger town fortress, the kaštel of Omiš. Over time its towers and curtain walls were lowered to the height of a parapet, and the kaštel kept only its original perimeter. Only the highest tower of the 13th century has survived complete. It is rarely given a special name in archive sources; its modern names, Mirabela and Peovica, come from Peovo, the part of Omiš below it.
The tower has an outer shell with a trapezoid plan, remodelled inside as a polygonal core that ends in a segmental dome. Surviving corbels and projections on the wall show that it once had two floors joined by wooden stairs, with a terrace on top. After a lightning strike in the late 1980s, repair work rebuilt the floors and the dome with its terrace.
A later episode is told only as a legend. In 1537, during a Turkish attack, the defenders of Omiš are said to have confused the attackers with their shouting and shots so completely that the Turks overestimated the number of men inside and fled. Today the fortress is a protected cultural monument, classified as a military and defensive building.
Curiosities about Mirabella Fortress
- The fortress has two names, Mirabella and Peovica, and the second comes from Peovo, the part of Omiš on the slope below the tower.
- A coin of the Byzantine emperor Basil I, found at the site, shows that the position mattered long before the 13th-century tower was built.
- In the 9th century the river mouth below was the frontier between the Frankish and Byzantine empires.
- Of the whole kaštel, only the highest tower from the 13th century has survived complete; the other towers and the walls were lowered to parapet height.
- A lightning strike in the late 1980s led to a restoration in which the floors, the dome and the terrace of the tower were rebuilt.
- Legend holds that in 1537 the Turks fled from Omiš because they believed the town had far more defenders than it really did.
Tours near Mirabella Fortress (Peovica)
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Mirabella Fortress
- The main thing to see is the tall tower on the cliff, with its polygonal inner core and dome. Check the current opening hours before you go, and ask locally about access.
- From the heights you look down on Omiš and the mouth of the Cetina, the setting that made the place so useful to the pirates.
- The sources do not describe the climb, so expect an ascent and ask locally about the route and conditions.
- Another fortress near Omiš, Starigrad, is worth a look as well.
- The area is a handy base for Klis Fortress, Tilurium, Čačvina Castle and Nutjak, which are all within about 20 km.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Mirabella Fortress (Peovica) is
Photos of Mirabella Fortress (Peovica)
Questions
Where is Mirabella Fortress?
It stands on a cliff above the town of Omiš in Split-Dalmatia County, Dalmatia, close to the mouth of the Cetina river.
Why is Mirabella Fortress also called Peovica?
The name Peovica comes from Peovo, the part of Omiš below the tower. Both names, Mirabela and Peovica, are used for the same fortress.
Who built Mirabella Fortress?
It is a Romanesque fortress built in the 13th century by the Kačić family.
What is the pirate connection of Mirabella Fortress?
The fortress was a reliable hideout for the Omiš pirates, who could retreat from here into the Cetina gorge.
What is the legend of 1537 at Omiš?
According to legend, the defenders of Omiš shouted and fired so loudly during a Turkish attack in 1537 that the attackers thought there were many more of them and fled.
What other places can you visit near Mirabella Fortress?
Starigrad Fortress is another fortress near Omiš, and Klis Fortress is about 19 km away.
Also nearby
Nutjak Fort
Trilj · ruined round-tower fortress above the Cetina canyon
17 km away
Tilurium
Gardun, Trilj · Roman legionary fortress above the Cetina
19 km away
Klis Fortress
Klis · royal seat and frontier fortress above Split
19 km away
Hollow Church
Solin · ruined 11th-century coronation church beside Salona
20 km away