Religious, Spiritual sights in Zadar
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Church of St Donat
The main places of interest are near the circular Church of St Donat , one of the most outstanding monuments in Dalmatia. Dating from the beginning of the 9th century, it was named after Bishop Donat who allegedly had it built following the style of early Byzantine architecture. The unusual circular ground plan is especially visible on the southern side because the southern annexe is missing.
The church was built over the Roman forum, which was constructed between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD. A few architectural fragments are preserved and two complete pillars are built into the church. The original floors were removed, and now slabs from the ancient forum a…
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B
Cathedral of St Anastasia
The Romanesque Cathedral of St Anastasia , near the Church of St Donat, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries on the site of an older church. Behind the richly decorated façade is an impressive three-nave interior marked by 13th-century wall paintings in the side apses. Notice particularly the fresco of a gateway in the southern apse, which was used as a model for the door frame of the main portal.
On the altar in the left apse is a marble sarcophagus containing the relics of St Anastasia, commissioned by Bishop Donat in the 9th century. The presbytery contains choir stalls lavishly carved by the Venetian artist Matej Morozon in the 15th century. The cathedral was bad…
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C
Franciscan Monastery & Church
The Franciscan Monastery & Church a few blocks away is in better shape. Although it's the oldest Gothic church in Dalmatia - it was consecrated in 1280 - the interior has a number of Renaissance features such as a lovely chapel of St Anthony, which contains a 15th-century wooden crucifix. In the sacristy a memorial tablet commemorates the seminal event in Zadar's history - the 1358 treaty under which Venice relinquished its rights to Dalmatia in favour of the Croatian-Hungarian king, Ludovic.
The large Romanesque painted crucifix in the treasury behind the sacristy is worth seeing. The monastery is named after St Donat.
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D
St Simeon's Church
St Simeon's Church was reconstructed in the 16th and 17th centuries on the site of an earlier church. The sarcophagus of St Simeon is a masterpiece of medieval goldsmith work. Commissioned in 1377, the coffin is made of cedar and covered inside and out with finely executed gold-plated silver reliefs. The middle relief showing Christ's presentation in the Temple is a copy of Giotto's fresco from Capella dell'Arena in Padua, Italy.
Other reliefs depict scenes from the lives of the saints and King Ludovic's visit to Zadar. The lid shows a reclining St Simeon.
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E
St Grisogonus Church
Another notable church is St Grisogonus Church , which was part of a 12th-century Benedictine monastery that was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. The church has a baroque altar constructed in 1701 and Byzantine frescoes on the northern wall and in the northern apse. Frescoes on the southern apse are poorly preserved.
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F
Church of St Donat
This circular 9th-century Byzantine structure was built over the Roman forum. Slabs from the ancient forum are visible in the church and there is a pillar from the Roman era on the northwestern side. In summer, ask about the musical evenings held here (featuring Renaissance and early baroque music).
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