Church of St Michael and Franciscan Monastery, Zadar

Zadar, the seat of the county of the same name, is home to the Church of St Michael and its Franciscan monastery, a religious complex that links medieval Gothic with later alterations. For visitors exploring the Zadar peninsula, it is an interesting stop, as a façade with a rich portal, an ancient crucifix and peaceful monastery spaces can all be seen in one place.

The church is first mentioned in the 12th century, and at the end of the 14th century it was rebuilt in the Gothic spirit, so most of that appearance has survived to this day. It is a single-nave building with a rectangular sanctuary. The most prominent part is the main façade, whose portal was later remodelled in the Neo-Gothic style. Even so, the original lunette has been preserved on it, attributed to Paul of Sulmona, together with figures of saints and a Roman spolium. The church houses a painted wooden crucifix from the 13th century. The cloister and monastery buildings have no pronounced stylistic features.

The church and monastery are a protected cultural property, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-740. The property belongs to the sacral and secular architectural heritage, and its period of origin spans the 12th to the 14th century.

Photo: The original uploader was Maestralni at Croatian Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).