Remains of the Stomorica Church, Zadar

Stomorica, also known by its Latin name S. Maria de Pusterla, is one of the few surviving traces of early church architecture in the centre of Zadar. The remains lie in the town of Zadar, in Zadar County, and let visitors imagine what a medieval centrally planned church looked like before it disappeared under the ramparts.

The building dates from the 11th century. By the middle of the 16th century it had already been buried and partly demolished when new town ramparts were built. The remains seen today have been excavated and conserved to a height of about a metre and a half. The ground plan is circular, with five semicircular apses projecting from it. The sixth arm is a rectangular vestibule, joined at a right angle by a somewhat narrower atrium. From this layout experts conclude that the central space was once covered by a dome, with semi-domes over the apses, while a bell tower probably rose where the arms crossed.

The remains of the church are a protected cultural property and are entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code Z-753.

Data: Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia (Ministry of Culture and Media), Open Licence; coordinates: DGU (centre of the settlement).