Hvar agave lace was conceived in the imagination of the particular nun and is the result of the individual idea and artistic talent of each lacemaker. As such, it is a unique and one-of-a-kind handicraft.
The motifs are mostly sunny, floral, cheerful and luxurious.
The purpose of lace was exclusively decorative. Lace was once used to decorate bed linen, shirts, handkerchiefs and scarves to cover the head and shoulders, and it was also used as a decoration on altar covers and mass shirts
Hvar Benedictine convent dares from 1664. That year two nuns of the order came to Hvar from the island of Pag with a task to begin the convent practice in that area. Since 1534 the Commune of Hvar, encouraged by some of its residents donators has pleaded for the establishment of a convent in the region. The most meritable person who finally ended a long lasting delay to start a convent activity, was bishop Milani. Owing to his personal efforts the nuns came to town of Hvar. The convent was located on the property inherited from the well known local renaissance poet Hanibal Lucić. In 1826 Benedictine sisters were officially requested by the Commune of Hvar to set up elementary female school which functioned until 1886, when the first public school was opened.
Although their school was closed down, the Benedictine sisters continued giving private lessons reaching girls and women necessary skills required for lace making.
Along with spiritual character being its major task carried out for many centuries of its existence in the area, the convent has become world known due to agave lace. As tradition has it the skill of lace making has been passing on from generation to generation within the convent for almost 130 years. It is a rather hard work required to get the agave threads ready for sewing.
From fresh agave leaves, the thorns are removed, the skin is peeled off and the fibers/threads are extracted, thin and firm (from the middle) from which the fleshy tissue needs to be scraped off. The fiber is then washed in water and soap, dried and when dry, the rest of the fleshy tissue is scraped off with the nails to obtain a completely clean thread. After processing, the threads are white, quite thin, of a certain strength and about one meter long. It is interesting that the nuns do not make lace during the bora (cold north wind) because the fibers are then fragile and breakable; they prefer the jugo (warm south wind) because of the higher humidity.
The lace is not to be washed or ironed, and is kept under glass to ensure complete protection. It can also be framed.
Agave lace is not made according to already settled designs. Benedictine sisters imagine pattern themselves, thus every one of them creates a unique piece of art.
The art of making this lace is so special that in 2009, lacemaking in Croatia was included on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Along with the Hvar agave lace, lacemaking from Pag and Lepoglava were also included on the UNESCO's list
The Benedictine Convent Museum in Hvar, Croatia
numerous exhibitions and diplomatic-cultural ceremonies in the European Union and the world
