Maps of Power

Kotor, Church of St. Mary (Collegiata)

Blažena Ozana (Sveta Ozana), Crkva Sv. Marije Koledjate, Kolegijalna crkva Sv. Marije, Sancta Maria de Flumine, Sv. Marija na Rijeci, Блажена Озана (Света Озана), Колегијална црква Св. Марије, Св. Марија на Ријеци, Црква Св. Марије Колеђате

Begin between 01.01.0500 and 01.01.0800
End between 31.12.1221 and 31.12.1434

Description

The Church of St. Mary Collegiata is located in the old town of Kotor on the Northern side. The first building was erected in the 6th century and was a three nave basilica with vaulted side naves, three semicircular apses on the Eastern side and a synthronon. The church fits typically into the Early Christian basilica architecture in the Eastern Adriatic. It was remodelled in the early 9th century. In the time of the Serbian King Stefan Radoslav (reigned 1228-1234) and the Bishop of Kotor in 1221, a new Romanesque single-nave church with an apse on the Eastern side and a dome over the middle aisle was built in the area of the middle nave of the original basilica. In the 14th century the building was fresco painted. Also fragments of plaster were found (both from the first and the second building phase). There are entrances (portals) on the Western and Southern side. On the lintel on the Southern entrance is an inscription in Latin. In 1434 the Chapel of St. John the Baptist was built on the Northern side of the church. A bell tower, situated on the North-Eastern side of the church, was erected in 1771, according to the Latin inscription placed on its Southern side. Relics of the local Saint Ozana are kept in the Church.

Relations

Artifacts (2)
Name Class Description
Kotor, Church of St. Mary (Collegiata), Fresco Painting Artifact After the devastating earthquakes in 1979 the Church of St. Mary (Collegiata) in Kotor was left damaged. Restoration works followed soon after, when frescoes were found in the dome, the apse, on the Southern and Western walls of the Western bay, indicating the early 14th century in terms of style and iconography. A fresco of Christ Pantocrator is partially preserved in the dome, the Crucifixion is partially preserved in the apse, while the best preserved scene is the one that begins the cycle of Christ's sufferings, which is Christ before Pilate, etc.
Kotor, Church of St. Mary (Collegiata), Remains of Sculptural Decoration of Pre-Romanesque Edifice Artifact Remains of sculptural decoration found in the lower layers of the altar apse and the sacristy of the Church of St. Mary (Collegiata) in Kotor, as well as the remains of church furniture, allow a certain reconstruction of the Early Christian basilica that was located on the site of the present-day church. The decoration consists mainly of floral and geometric motifs (interlacing). The remains of the altar architrave beam, which consists of a three-part braid and an inscription in Latin IN N(OMINE) D(OMI)NI ET S (ALVATORI)... (J)OHANNIS CVM CONIV(GE), were found. The name Ivan that is read in the inscription is probably the Bishop Ivan of Kotor with his wife. More parts of the inscription were found, but they were not preserved enough to allow an interpretation. Above the Early Christian baptistery a triangular pediment with an archivolt was found carved in local yellow limestone. The interweaving and motifs are similar to the motifs of Prince Ivan's inscription, whose tombstone was also excavated. The lintel with the Latin inscription above the Southern portal of the church also belongs to this group and states: IN NOMINE D(OMI)NI D(E)I SALVATORI NOSTRIS IHS XPI INTER ANTUBVUS PAX EXIENTIBUS SALVTE.

Files

The Bell Tower of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Bell Tower of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Interior of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Interior of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Latin Inscription above the Southern Entrance of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor
The Latin Inscription above the Southern Entrance of the Church of St. Mary Collegiata in the Old Town of Kotor