The medieval Old Town of Bar , like the other ancient coastal towns of Duklja, had a very rich artistic and stone-dressing tradition. in this way, and rather early on, a solid foundation was created for starting a respectable stone-masonry school in the 13th and 14.th centuries. Apart from the ones in Dubrovnik and Kotor, this school left significant marks on some of the most beautiful architectural monuments and sculptures both in the coastal and continental areas.
A very strong stone-carving guild founded by Brajkovic family started to develop in Bar in the 14th century. The most important member of this family was Miha - Michoje petrarius filius Brachi de Antibaro. Mihoje lived between 1327 and 1347 and apart of the from him as the most important representative of the stone-masonry school of Bar, many other stone-masons were famous for construction and decoration of many buildings.
Very few pieces of the stone sculptures of Bar are preserved in the town itself.
The other oldest family was Boroevic or Berovic family. Members of this family were always connected to Bar, and Radoje considered himself a citizen of Bar exclusively - Radoje petrarius da Antibaro. One of his descendants, Rade, either his son or his grandson, signed his name as the architect of the doorstep of Ljubostinja monastery, on the Church of Holy Assumption of the Mother of God (near Trstenik, Serbia), which was built by princess Milica, Prince Lazar's wife, towards the end of the 14th century.
in the middle of the third decade of the 14th century, between 1325 and 1327, the already famous stone-carver Bonifacius, took Barnabas, the son of Michaelis Balle de Antibaro to teach him the trade. Then he did the same thing with Petrus de Antibaro and Dragas, Jovan Dordevic's son Dragosius, filius Johanis Georgii de Antibaro.
The two most beautiful sculptured portals in the town were certainly the ones which belonged to St George's and St Nicholas's Churches.
According to archeological and written data, they were the biggest sacral buildings with big and beutifully decorated main entrances.
The descriptions of St Georg's Church portal was written immediately after the liberation in 1878. The church portal was decorated with a big sculpted representation of the saint killing a dragon. Of the rest of the portal very little remains. The most significant piece was a part of the decorative surface of the arcfh on the facade with flowers stems and petals intertwined which demonstrates the skill of the masters of Bar. A part of the door-post with the representation of an angel with a book, the symbol of St Matthew was also found.
The other portal belonging to St. Nicholas's Church is much easier to reconstruct because archeological research showed that it was similar to the one on the church in Decani (Kosovo - Serbia).
What was found were rhe remains of the carved representation of "The Apocalypse" and "Judgment Day", a lion-like head - a manticore, a representation of a naked male figure personifying hell, and a man-like head with the eyes wide open symbolizing fear. The entrance was watched by two gryphon figures, and a fragment of one of them was found. The other elements: capitals, corner capitals and the decorative surfacxe of the arch on the facade were constructed in the spirit of time.