St. Lawrence Cathedral (Trogir)

The cathedral began to be built in the first half of the 13th century (no later than 1213 ) on the site of the old one, which suffered at the end of the 12th century as a result of the Venetian devastation . The cathedral was dedicated to St. Lawrence . The site on which the cathedral was built has probably been a cult place since ancient times, since the remains of the altar of the goddess Hera were found in the basement of the bell tower, which indicate that there was an ancient Greek temple on this site. In the early Christian period there was a basilica .

The people of the cathedral is known as "St. John", in memory of Blessed John, the Bishop of Trogir, whose relics are stored in the chapel attached to the cathedral.

St. Lawrence Cathedral is a Romanesque three-nave basilica with three semicircular apses ^[3] . External compactness and significance from the inside is even more pronounced, thanks to sturdy pylons separating the spacious and high central nave from the side. Unlike other Dalmatian churches that were built during the late Romanesque period, the Trogir Cathedral has a portico designed already at the initial stage of construction, with two belfries planned to be erected on the sides. However, historical circumstances influenced the appearance of the building. The construction of the cathedral was completed in the middle of the XIII century . A number of outbuildings joined the north side of the temple even before the beginning of the Renaissance.

Particularly long, for almost three and a half centuries, the construction of only one bell tower continued, which was completed only in 1603. Built in the southwestern part of the cathedral and decorated with stone plastic, the bell tower dominates the entire space of the square. The wall of the southern side nave, as well as the middle one, raised, and the portico are decorated with restrained Romanesque decor, simple pilasters, between which narrow windows with a semicircular arch are inserted, and at the very top there is a series of blind arcades . In almost the same way, three semicircular apses are decorated, which also end with a string of blind arcades, while the window openings are separated by spiral Roman style columns. In the center of the southern side facade, a Romanesque portal opens, rising above the square with rows of semicircular stairs. The Latin inscription on the portal indicates that its construction was completed in 1213, at the time of Bishop Treguin, who was originally from Tuscany . Wall plates are well-carved, all architectonic divisions and decorations are made with a high sense of proportion and the skill of masons.

The height of the bell tower of the cathedral reaches 47 meters. Its construction was begun at the end of the XIV century , but in 1420 it was badly damaged as a result of the Venetian siege and the conquest of the city. The construction of the first tier was completed in 1422 during the restoration of the cathedral from the effects of destruction. The bell tower was erected in restrained Gothic forms using continuous wall planes and finely carved capitals on the Gothic two-arch windows. On the tier there are inscriptions by the masters Matthew and Stepan. Restoration work was completely completed by master Matei Goikovich.

The second tier was built already in the 40s of the 15th century already in the style of Venetian Gothic, moreover, the authorship of the architectural project is attributed to Lorenzo Pinchino, who until then was the leading master in the construction of the Cathedral of St. James in Sibenik . Pinchino, who participated in the construction of the Ca 'd'Oro Palazzo in Venice, applied his experience of the subtle use of planes in a wall surface and the creation of an exquisite stone mesh and thin tall columns in the construction of the bell tower. According to the design and refinement of the decoration, the bell tower is considered one of the best examples of Venetian Gothic on the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea.

The third tier of the bell tower and the pyramidal roof, completed earlier, but badly damaged, was restored in its late Renaissance forms and completed in 1605 by the master Trifun Bokanich (1575-1609). The last tier, with its rather small height and somewhat heavy elements of architectonic decor, spoiled the Gothic concept of the bell tower. On four sides of the base of the pyramidal roof, Bokanic erected four sculptures by the Venetian Mannerist sculptor Alessandro Vittoria (1525-1608). Today, on the occasion of the recent reconstruction of the bell tower, the sculptures have been replaced by copies. The originals, along with other works of sacred sculpture, are exhibited in the nearby Church of St. John the Baptist. The relics of the saints were placed in a ball crowning the top of the bell tower in order to protect the cathedral and the city from adversity.

• Antun Travirka. = Trogir: povijest, kultura, umjetnička baština. - ISBN 978-953-291-047-6 . (Russian)
• Antun Travirka. = Dalmacija: povijest, kultura, umjetnička baština. - ISBN 978-953-179-717-7 . (Russian)

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