Kotor Cathedral: A Romanesque Cathedral in Montenegro
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Montenegro
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Byzantine, Venetian
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Cathedral
On this page11 sections
History
Kotor Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Montenegro dedicated to Saint Tryphon, an early Christian martyr venerated as Kotor’s patron. The present building, a Romanesque church incorporating Byzantine elements, was begun in 1124 and became the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Kotor. It also developed into a center of spiritual life for Kotor’s Croatian population.
The ninth-century martyrium
An earlier church stood on the site from 809. It was built as a martyrium, a church or shrine commemorating a martyr, after the Kotor citizen Andrea Saracenis financed its construction and obtained Saint Tryphon’s relics from Venetian merchants who had brought them from Constantinople. The church is mentioned in De Administrando Imperio, a tenth-century work by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.
For centuries, the earlier building was believed to have been a rotunda. Archaeological investigations in 1987 instead revealed a vaulted structure, a difference that may have resulted from a translation error in the imperial text. Arabs destroyed the church in 841, and its remains came to light during later restoration work.
Construction and consecration
Construction of the present cathedral began in 1124 during the episcopate of Bishop Ursacius. Bishop Maio solemnly consecrated it on 19 June 1166, assisted by five other bishops and eight abbots. Kotor’s nobility attended the ceremony, as did Isaac, the Byzantine governor of Duklja and Dalmatia.
Earthquakes and reconstruction
Earthquakes in 1537, 1563, 1667, and 1979 repeatedly altered the cathedral. The sixteenth-century earthquakes brought the removal of the dome over the central bay, together with the vault over the western bay and the half-bay. The earthquake of 1667 destroyed part of the building, including the original western facade and bell towers. These elements were rebuilt, along with the main portals, rose window, terrace, and porch, while successive restorations introduced Renaissance and Baroque features.
The 1979 earthquake caused serious damage. Restoration formed part of recovery work carried out across Kotor by 2003, with substantial support from UNESCO, the United Nations agency responsible for international cultural and natural heritage programs. In 2002, the cathedral received a diploma from the European Union and Europa Nostra for the quality of its reconstruction and seismic strengthening. It forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property called the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. A memorial plaque placed on the facade in 1925 commemorates the millennium of the coronation of Tomislav, the first Croatian king.
Remains
Building and exterior
Plan and structure
The cathedral stands on the square named for it, beside the Diocese of Kotor and Drago Palace. The municipal building and historical archive also occupy the square. Built of brick, the church is a three-aisled basilica measuring approximately 35.21 metres in length and 17.47 metres in width. Its nave has three and a half bays, structural divisions formed by supports and vaulting, with a dome over the central bay. Each side aisle has seven bays and ends in an apse, a rounded or polygonal termination commonly containing an altar.
Five-lobed and monolithic columns alternate between the nave and side aisles. The main apse contains an elaborate Gothic triforium, an arcaded passage or gallery in the upper part of a church interior. Despite repeated rebuilding, the cathedral retains its character as a prominent Romanesque building with Byzantine elements.
Western facade
The rebuilt western facade has two stone bell towers made from material quarried on the island of Korcula. The northern tower rises 33 metres and the southern tower 35 metres, and both incorporate Baroque features. A broad arch joins the towers and divides the facade horizontally. Above the entrance it forms a porch, while a large rose window occupies the upper part of the facade. A sarcophagus containing Andrea Saracenis’s body stands to the right of the main entrance.
Interior and sacred furnishings
Saint Tryphon’s baldachin
Over the tabernacle stands a Gothic baldachin, a canopy placed above an altar, shrine, or other sacred object. Four columns of red marble from Kamenari support its three-tiered octagonal form, which is crowned by an angel. Carved scenes from the life of Saint Tryphon appear on each tier.
Frescoes and chapel
The interior was once covered with frescoes. Surviving remnants in the apses and nave vaults are painted in the Byzantine style and date to 1331. They are attributed to Greek fresco painters living in Kotor, who are also associated with the frescoes of the katholikon, or principal church, of the Decani Monastery.
A fourteenth-century chapel contains the relics of Saint Tryphon. It also holds a large wooden crucifix whose precise origin has not been established. Together with the cathedral’s medieval structure and later reconstructed elements, these features contribute to its place among Kotor’s principal symbols.
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