Church of St. Nicholas, Nin

Last updated
Church of Saint Nicholas
Croatian: Crkva svetog Nikole
Church of St. Nicholas in Nin - by Pudelek.jpg
Church of St. Nicholas, Nin
44°13′52″N15°10′41″E / 44.231°N 15.178°E / 44.231; 15.178
Location Nin
CountryFlag of Croatia.svg  Croatia
Denomination Roman Catholic
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Style Pre-Romanesque
Years built12th century AD
Specifications
Length5.90 metres (232 in)
Width5.70 metres (224 in)
Height6 metres (240 in)
Materials Stone
Administration
Archdiocese Zadar

The Church of St. Nicholas (Croatian : Crkva svetog Nikole) is a late 11th or early 12th century Pre-Romanesque style Roman Catholic church located in the field of Prahulje, one mile from Zadar, between Zaton and Nin in Croatia. It was built on the earthen pyramid mound on top of the Liburnian prehistoric tomb.

Contents

The church is the only surviving example of early Romanesque architecture in all of Dalmatia. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

Description

Old photograph of St. Nicholas Church. Church of St. Nicholas at Nin, Croatia (11th century) Crkva sv. Nikole kod Nina (11. stoljece) - europeana.eu 22 69244 CC.jpg
Old photograph of St. Nicholas Church.

The Church of St. Nicholas was built in form of a fortress. It has a trefoil plan with four branches arranged around a central circular core, three of which form the apse, and the fourth the input branch. Its dome-shaped vault is reinforced with circular-ribbed arches above which 8 small towers with battlement as a lookout were built in the 16th or 17th century during Hundred Years' Croatian–Ottoman War.[ citation needed ] Flanges that are resting on pilasters that are abutting onto the pylons between the apses are placed under the dome. Input branch is rectangular and roofed with a mezzanine leaning on squinch, while three other branches of semicircular conch are translated with semi calotte. The church was built of small stones and has a smooth outer surface. It has very small dimensions; length: 5.90m, width: 5.70m, height= 6m. [1]

Visit of Priul in 1603

In 1603, Church of St. Nicholas was visited by Priul[ who? ] who found neatly kept Glagolitic registers of baptisms and marriages, as well as two Glagolitic missals. At the time of his visit, Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit with 28 members was active in the parish. Priul ordered brotherhood to write its rules that had to be approved by the local bishop. [2]

Usage

Since the Church was constructed, Mass was celebrated in it on the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6. In recent times, Mass is celebrated on the day of Saint Mark on April 25.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanesque architecture</span> Architectural style of Medieval Europe

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Romanesque is characterized by semicircular arches, while the Gothic is marked by the pointed arches. The Romanesque emerged nearly simultaneously in multiple countries ; its examples can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. Similarly to Gothic, the name of the style was transferred onto the contemporary Romanesque art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</span>

Cathedrals, collegiate churches, and monastic churches like those of abbeys and priories, often have certain complex structural forms that are found less often in parish churches. They also tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished craftsmen, and occupy a status both ecclesiastical and social that an ordinary parish church rarely has. Such churches are generally among the finest buildings locally and a source of regional pride. Many are among the world's most renowned works of architecture. These include St Peter's Basilica, Notre-Dame de Paris, Cologne Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Antwerp Cathedral, Prague Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of San Vitale, St Mark's Basilica, Westminster Abbey, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Antoni Gaudí's incomplete Sagrada Família and the ancient cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, now a mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apse</span> Semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome

In architecture, an apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an exedra. In Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic Christian church architecture, the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal termination of the main building at the liturgical east end, regardless of the shape of the roof, which may be flat, sloping, domed, or hemispherical. Smaller apses are found elsewhere, especially in shrines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotunda (architecture)</span> Building with a circular ground plan

A rotunda is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building. The Pantheon in Rome is perhaps the most famous, and is the most influential rotunda. A band rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-Romanesque art and architecture</span> Art style of Europe between the fall of Rome and the 11th century


The Pre-Romanesque period in European art spans from the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom around 500 AD, or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the Romanesque period in the 11th century. While the term is typically used in English to refer primarily to architecture and monumental sculpture, this article will briefly cover all the arts of the period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church architecture</span> Branch of architecture focused on church buildings

Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as churches, chapels, convents, seminaries, etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions. From the Early Christianity to the present, the most significant objects of transformation for Christian architecture and design were the great churches of Byzantium, the Romanesque abbey churches, Gothic cathedrals and Renaissance basilicas with its emphasis on harmony. These large, often ornate and architecturally prestigious buildings were dominant features of the towns and countryside in which they stood. However, far more numerous were the parish churches in Christendom, the focus of Christian devotion in every town and village. While a few are counted as sublime works of architecture to equal the great cathedrals and churches, the majority developed along simpler lines, showing great regional diversity and often demonstrating local vernacular technology and decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Šibenik Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Croatia

The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik, Croatia, is a triple-nave Catholic basilica with three apses and a dome. It is the episcopal seat of the Šibenik diocese. It is also the most important architectural monument of the Renaissance in the entire country. Since 2000, the cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germigny-des-Prés</span> Commune in Centre-Val de Loire, France

Germigny-des-Prés is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zagreb Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Croatia

The Zagreb Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Kaptol, Zagreb. It is the second tallest building in Croatia and the most monumental sacral building of Gothic architecture southeast of the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lungro</span> Comune in Calabria, Italy

Lungro is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iž</span> Croatian island

is an island in the Zadar Archipelago within the Croatian reaches of the Adriatic Sea. Its settlements are located exclusively on island's eastern part, facing Ugljan. The main settlement, Veli Iž, is situated in the bay on the north-eastern shore, while Mali Iž is situated on the south-eastern shore and consists of three hamlets — Muće, Makovac and Porovac — located on three hills, below which are two bays — the bay of Knež below Porovac and the bay of Komoševa below Makovac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Croatia</span>

The architecture of Croatia has roots in a long history: the Croats have inhabited the area for fourteen centuries, but there are important remnants of earlier periods still preserved in the country. The historic architecture of most old towns on the coast is Venetian, a legacy of the Venetian empire. The Habsburg and Ottoman empires also influenced the architecture of the region.

Croatian art describes the visual arts in Croatia, and art by Croatian artists from prehistoric times to the present. In Early Middle Ages, Croatia was an important centre for art and architecture in south eastern Europe. There were many Croatian artists during the Medieval period, and the arts flourished during the Renaissance. Later styles in Croatia included Baroque and Rococo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donatus of Zadar</span>

Donatus, also called Donato of Zara, was a Dalmatian saint who became a bishop and a diplomat for the Dalmatian city-state of Zadar (Zara). His feast day is celebrated on 25 February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St. Donatus</span> Church in Zadar, Croatia

The Church of St. Donatus is a Catholic church located in Zadar, Croatia. Its name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatian pre-Romanesque art and architecture</span>

Croatian Pre-Romanesque art and architecture or Old Croatian Art is Pre-Romanesque art and architecture of Croats from their arrival at Balkans till the end of the 11th century when begins the dominance of Romanesque style in art; that was the time of Croatian rulers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarragona Cathedral</span> Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain

The Primatial Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. It was declared a national monument in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Dunat</span> Church in Krk, Croatia

The Church of St. Dunat is a Roman Catholic church located on the island of Krk, Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Holy Trinity, Split</span> Church in Split, Croatia

Church of Holy Trinity is a Pre-Romanesque style Roman Catholic church located in Split, Croatia. Out of all early-medieval architectural monuments in Dalmatia, which historians date back to the period between 8th and 11th century, Church of Holy Trinity, with its original shape and rich findings, has a very important place. This small central edifice with six-leaf structure of semicircular arches strung around irregular circle has become one of the most precious heritage monuments of Split and Dalmatia.

References

  1. Crkveno graditeljstvo u sjeverozapadnom dijelu zadarskog zaleđa, Građevinar 61 (2009) 7, p. 681
  2. Amos R. Filipi, Radovi JAZU Zadar,13-14/1968. p. 231-235.