Church of the Holy Cross with Surrounding Finds, Nin

The church of the Holy Cross is located in Nin, in Zadar County, on a site where traces of prehistoric and ancient habitation are layered beneath it. A walk in Nin therefore easily combines early medieval architecture and archaeology.

It was built in the 9th century over the foundations of older residential buildings. Its floor plan is in the form of a Greek cross, and the dome rests on a tall drum. The arms of the cross are covered by semi-domes at the corner transitions and by stone slabs. The east side is closed by three semicircular apses. Above the entrance in the western arm can be read the foundation inscription of Župan Godečaj, decorated with interlace. A burial ground extends around the church. The site covers the period from the 10th century BC to the 9th century.

The church is a protected cultural good, entered in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia under the code N-34.

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