Sphinx of Zadar, Zadar

Sphinx of Zadar is the largest in this part of Europe. It was commissioned by Zadar conservator and painter Giovanni Smirich (Ivan Smirić). The creation coincided with the construction of the first villa (villa Atilla) in Zadar's Maestral bay, with an English garden, in which he erected an exedra and a statue of the Sphinx. The buildings were built in a historicist style, that is, the appearance is a consequence of the romantic and classicist thinking of the 19th century, when the love for the exotic was particularly cherished.

Smirich had the Sphinx statue made in memory of his beloved wife Attilia, who died too soon. According to romantic legend, it fulfills love wishes.

The sphinx was made in 1918. Oriented towards the east, and the usual pattern of placement of sphinxes. The base is made of stone. The rest was cast in concrete, which leads to the conclusion that Smirić used some kind of mold. In front of the sphinx was a shell-shaped pool in which goldfish were swimming. Like other sphinxes, it has a human head and a lion's body. It differs from the others in that instead of the lion's front paws, there are human hands (like the model in Diocletian's palace) that firmly hold the sword. The sword was broken after the Second World War. The tail is attached to the right part of the body. The hair is gathered in a braid. On the head of the sphinx is a nemes, a typical Egyptian headdress, with hieroglyphs on the sides.

An unusual feature is the hieroglyphic detail in the form of a dedicatory inscription that is usually on the chest, but here it is on the nemesa. Their role is decorative. On the chest was a relief of an eagle, destroyed after the Second World War. The face has a dignified and stern expression. Some believed that the face of the sphinx was a portrait of Smirić's wife, Countess Atillia Spineda de Cataneis, which was rejected. Today, due to systematic neglect of the site, the small pool and the sphinx's arms are partially underground. Urban legends and human greed damaged the monument. Unfounded urban legends about buried treasure under the sphinx attracted treasure hunters who, because of the hollow story, badly damaged the monument with excavations. Legends circulated that this was a tomb. There were also malicious legends, where they claimed that Smirić's wife was so ugly that he built a sphinx for her in revenge.

The Sphinx and its history were researched in particular by Želimir Maštrović.

Today, the city of Zadar has recognized its tourist potential and is revitalizing it with the Sphinx and the surrounding park where it is located on Brodarica.