CROATIAN TOURISM – NIN, Church of the Holy Cross

Church of the Holy Cross in Nin Church of the Holy Cross is one of the most valuable monuments of Croatian early medieval architecture. It was erected in the 9th century and is located in the center of Nin on a historic island. In the Middle Ages, it was apparently used as a sundial and calendar, which has inspired the creation of the Festival of the Sun and Light. Researcher Thomas Graham Jackson called it “the smallest cathedral in the world". The Church is also considered a kind of a symbol of the Zadar region, as it is represented on the coat of arms and the flag of Zadar County. Church of the Holy Cross - one of the most valuable monuments of Croatian early medieval architecture and pre-Romanesque art. The church is located in the center of the old town of Nin. It was erected in the 9th century during the period of early Christianity, on the remains of Roman buildings that are still visible today. The plan of the church is in the shape of an irregular equal-armed Greek cross. All the “arms” are vaulted with a barrel vault. The facade is decorated on the outside with a series of blind niches, and the church is dominated by a dome of irregular ellipsoidal shape. The church of a unique architectural style is about 8.50 m long and is of equal width and height. Above the entrance door is a lintel from the 11th century, which has the name of the county prefect Godečaj engraved on its lower edge. On the interior north wall there is a fragment of preserved frescoes from the 13th century. According to some interpretations, it may have been a votive building. In the time of Croatian national rulers, the church was an integral part of the nearby duke's (royal) court, and it served as a court chapel. About 170 medieval Croatian graves, dating from the 7th to the 15th century, were discovered in the vicinity of the church and studied, and remains of material culture of the Croats were found. Remaining standing through turbulent times, it is the only one of the 12 medieval churches on the historic island of Nin that has withstood the destruction of the city and has survived to this day. With its beauty and shape, it dominates the space in which it is located. The irregularities in its construction and the so-called mistakes in masonry are the result of following the annual and daily movement of the Sun, as confirmed by Mladen Pejaković, and in the Middle Ages the church served as a calendar and sundial. Inspired by this fact, the Festival of the Sun and Light has been taking place in it since 2009. In 1910, Don Luka Jelić organized the first collection of stone monuments in the church, called the Antiquities Collection. Church of the Holy Cross is also considered a kind of a symbol of the Zadar region, as it is represented on the coat of arms and the flag of Zadar County. Researcher Thomas Graham Jackson, mesmerized by the beauty of this sacral building, called it "the smallest cathedral in the world". Marija Dejanović, PhD Director of the Tourist Board of Nin