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Bijela, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter in Bijela was probably built in the Early Christian period (probably in the 5th or 6th century). Fragments of plaster indicate that a pre-Romanesque building was erected on the basis of the original church, which has not been researched so far. For these fragments it could be assumed that they belong to the remains of the former Benedictine Monastery of St. Peter de Campo, which is also mentioned in the charter of Pope Clement VI (1342-1352) from 1345. After the demolition of the church, the present-day church of St. Peter was built by the family Burović from Perast, and some parts of the pre-Romanesque altar screen have been preserved and included in it.
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Bijelo Polje, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter is situated in Bijelo Polje, on the Lim River, and was probably founded by the Serbian Prince Miroslav (reigned 1162-1190) before 1161-1162. It was built on an old place of cult, probably from the 9th or 10th century. (SN ZSp., 596 - koga izvoli Svety Petrь Apostolь; MD Kar. trg., 123, nap 14 - usque Limum ad ecclesiam S. Petri). It is a single nave edifice, with three bays skirted by pilasters and arches, and a rectangular apse. The Eastern and Western bays are almost equal in length, whereas the central one is much shorter and has a transverse barrel vault, in the middle of which is a square dome covered by a pyramidal roof. The construction above the vaults gave the church the look of a three-aisled basilica with a transept and a dome. In the second half of the 13th century the Western porch of the church was turned into a narthex and was painted with frescoes at the beginning of the 14th century. Also, bell-towers were added resembling the Churches of St. Tryphon in Kotor, Djurdjevi Stupovi in Budimlja and the Monastery of the Mother of God in Hvosno. The church furnishings, done in a pre-Romanesque style, were taken from the original (older) building.
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Brnazi, Church of St. Archangel Michael
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The Church of St. Archangel Michael was built in the 9th or 10th century on St. Michael's Hill near Brnazi. A fragment of the choir-screen is preserved and shows the inscription: "INDIGNVS PECATOR FIERI R[ogavi?] ... [t]EMPORE DOM[ni]." This inscription is interpreted in such a way that the church was founded by the Croatian rulers who used the term Domnus as title. The church was destroyed during the Mongol invasion in the year 1242.
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Budva, Church of St. Mary (in the Castello)
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The Church of St. Mary (in the Castello) is situated in the citadel of the old town of Budva, to the South-West of the Church of St. John the Baptist. It was built in the period of Late Antiquity (remains are still visible) and was later renewed. Several stages of development can be observed. The three-nave basilica was built in the late 5th and the beginning of the 6th century. In the 9th century it was turned into a single nave edifice, and galleries were to be found above the aisles. The remains of the church furnishing from the 9th century prove that the church was still in use at that time. Today the church is in ruins.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Andrew in Pile
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The Church of St. Andrew is situated in Pile, in Western part of Dubrovnik, outside the city walls. It was probably built between the 10th and 11th century.
Its a single nave edifice with three bays and a dome. After the establishment of an independent chaplaincy at the parish of St. Michael in 1512, the early medieval church served as the presbytery of a larger church building. Today from the original medieval Church of St. Andrew, the Eastern wall with the apse has been largely preserved while the rest of the building has been remodeled.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Blaise (St. Mary) in Pustijerna
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The Church of St. Blaise (St. Blaise/Sv. Vlaho is a patron saint of the city) is situated North of Pustijerna in Dubrovnik. It was built in 972 after the saint miraculously saved the city. In the 12th century a new edifice was built (on the grounds of previous one) dedicated to St. Mary, on the request of its ktetor King Richard of England and a first mass was held in 1197.
Under the floor of today's baroque cathedral the remains of the early medieval Church of St. Blaise were found, preserved to a height of about 2 m. Even though researchers disagree over the original plan of the Church it was probably a three nave basilica with a dome, that has been expanded over time. Three phases of construction of the early medieval Church have been established, in 972, around 1020 and in 1060. Later, in 1171 a new Church dedicated to St. Mary was built.
Also, remains of stone furnishings and sculpture have been found, as well as fragments of fresco decoration.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. John in Pustijerna (Gospa od Karmena)
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The Church of St. John (sancto Johanni de Papiss) as located in the far eastern part of Pustijerna in Dubrovnik (the southeastern fortress is named after the Church) and in the 17th century, over the remains of the Church, a new building was erected - Gospa od Karmena.
Its was a single nave building with an apse (semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside), built probably in the 9th century and in the 11th century, with the addition of lesenes and girdles in the interior, it became a vaulted edifice. In the 13th century the Church was extended on its Western side. In the 17th century, a new building was erected on the grounds of the former, now destroyed, Church of St. Ivan. Numerous fragments of stone decoration were found during archaeological investigations.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Nicholas in Prijeko
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The Church of St. Nicholas is situated on the North-Eastern part of Dubrovnik, in Prijeko, on a very important urban point and on a cliff that rose steeply above the lowland part (campus). It is also known by different names such as Ecclesia S. Nicole de Campo, appresa Doghana, Saneto Nicola de piazza or Saneto Nicola in salinize, because in the 14th century was built another Church dedicated to St. Nicholas.
The Church of St. Nicholas in Dubrovnik is mentioned around 1100 in connection with the war between Dubrovnik and the Serbian King Konstantin Bodin (reigned 1081- ca. 1099).
It's a single nave building with four bays and a dome, similar to the Church of St. Peter in Omiš. Its apse is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. The walls of the apse and dome were decorated with shallow semicircural niches.
In the course of time the Church was rebuilt several times. The northern lateral nave was annexed to the original pre-Romanesque church and the altar area was rebuilt. The southern side, dome and apse still have shallow decorative niches.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter is situated in Dubrovnik,East of the byzantine castle (Castello), and was probably built at the end of the 10th century and is the oldest cathedral in the city. The cathedral complex has not survived, and what has remained is the crypt that now lies underneath the Baroque Church of St. Catherine.
The oldest mention of the Church is in the document from 1386. By the 16th century the Church was altered, especially after the earthquake in 1667 when it was rebuilt and incorporated into the new Church of St. Catherine. During the 19th century the Church has undergone significant changes.
The Church was a three nave basilica with a transept and a dome, with an apse on the East side which is rectangular on the outside and semicircular on the inside, with a crypt bellow the apse and the nave. Some researchers assumed that the narthex on the West side was framed by bell towers. Therefore its an edifice with a strong Byzantine and Western (Romanesque) influence.
The facade was divided by shallow niches. Numerous stone church furnishing including capitals, pilasters, lintels, ciborium, altar screen, etc. has been found testifying the time of the construction.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Simeon
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The Church of St. Simeon was situated in the Western part of Kaštel (Castello), in Dubrovnik.
The Church was probably built in the 11th century since it was first mentioned in 1108 (terminus ante quem) by the Archbishop of Dubrovnik Domenico. In a devastating earthquake in 1667 the Church was completely ruined and was never rebuilt again. With the expansion of the city, on the site of the Church, the sacristy of St. Peter was built.
Based on archival data, in 1956, the history of the Church and the Monastery was first presented to the public.
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Dubrovnik, Church of St. Stephen
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The Church of St. Stephen was, according to local tradition, the first Church built in Dubrovnik. This would date its construction to the 8th century.
It was first mentioned by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus's (reigned 913-959) 'De administrando imperio' in 949, indicating that the Church is situated in the center of the city housing the remains of St. Pancras.
It is a single-nave edifice with an apse semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. It was built probably in the 8th and 10th century, and later in the so-called Romanesque period, 11th and 13th century, the Church was extended on its Eastern and Western part. On the inner side of the north and south walls a clear division between these two construction phases can be seen.
Fragments of stone sculpture has been found and is dated widely - from the 8th to the beginning of the 12th century.
Extensions continued in the late medieval and early modern period changing the overall appearance of the Church.
After a massive earthquake in 1667 the Church was severely damaged and was never restored.
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Dubrovnik, Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian
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The Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian (today's Church of St. Bartola) is situated within the complex of the Bishops Palace (Palace Sarkočević) in Dubrovnik. It was probably built in the 10th or the beginning of the 11th century. According to an inscription from 1749 at the side entrance of the building near the Church we are familiar with the former dedication of the Church. In the 11th century the Church was given to the Benedictines and was demolished in the 13th century.
The Church was a single nave vaulted building similar to the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Mljet and St. Philip and Jacob in Pelješac. On the west facade of today's church of St. Bartola remained a fully preserved decorated portal that originally belonged to the Church of St. Cosmas and Damian.
At the end of the 18th century, the Sorkočević Palace was built next to the Church of St. Bartola.
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Dubrovnik, St. Mary of Castellum (Sv. Marija od Kaštela)
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The Church of St. Mary of Castellum (Sv. Marija od Kaštela) is situated in the South-Western part of Dubrovnik.
The original appearance and typical affiliation of the pre-Romanesque church of St. Mary is not known. Based on the decorative features of the pilaster above the entrance door and another with a cross motif, the Church can be dated to the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 9th century.
The Church probably turned into a cathedral when it was built to the South side next to the smaller and older church of St. Sergius and Bacchus (built in the 6th century). Some researchers suggest that it is possible that the current chapel dedicated to St. Mary, in the monastery complex, is actually a former Church of St. Mary.
In the 12th century it became a Benedictine monastery.
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Dubrovnik, the Sigurata Church in Prijekom
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The Sigurata Church is located in the northwestern part of the Prijeko area, in the historic center of Dubrovnik, near the Franciscan monastery. Today it's part of the nunnery of the Franciscan school sisters. The name Sigurata comes from the Latin name for the Transfiguration of the Lord - Transfiguratio Domini.
It was a single nave edifice with a dome. The building was divided into three bays with semicircular vaults and an apse that is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. Today, the Church is a three-nave building as a result of the last major reconstruction that took place after the earthquake in 1667. Two aisles were added and connection with the side aisles was established by removing the walls between the girders in all three aisles.
Research in the 20th century identified two older phases of construction. The first points to the crossroads of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages (from the 6th to the 8th century), the second to the early Middle Ages (9th century), while the pre-Romanesque single-nave building with a dome probably dates from the 10th or the 11th century. The church changed after that, and it probably got three naves even before the great earthquake.
Fragments of fresco decoration probably date in the 14th century.
It recalls characteristics of the Churches of St. Peter in Omiš, St. Nicholas in Dubrovnik and St. Michael in Ston.
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Dunave, Church of St. Mary (Male Gospe)
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The Church of St. Mary (Male Gospe) is located to the East of the settlement of Dunave in the parish of Mrcina. The church was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1979, and a new church was built in its place in 1982. A fragment with Glagolitic letters, carved by a certain Goneslav, was discovered among the building material of the old church, making it the oldest historical source about the church. The original ground plan of the early medieval church, from which the inscription originates, is not known.
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Gabrili, Church of St. Demetrius
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The Church of Saint Demetrius in Gabrili, in the Kanali (Konavli) region, was possibly built in the late 11th century, although it has parts which date back to the 9th century. It makes it the oldest preserved Church in Konavli.
Its a single nave edifice, with a quadrilateral apse on its Eastern side, which makes her similar (in plan) to the Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Ston (without a dome). The facade is decorated with rosettes.
The Church fell to ruins at an unknown date.
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Island of Koločep, Church near the Jekavac bay (St. George?)
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The Church near the Jekavac bay of unknown dedication (perhaps St. George?) is a single nave buildings of three-aisled vaulted division, probably with a dome over the middle vaulted field, and an apse (semicircular on the inside, and rectangular on the outside) The building belonged to a typical variant of churches with niches on the inside and bare surfaces on the outside.
Some researchers believe it was built on the grounds of a Roman and later Early Christian edifice. The assumption that an Early Medieval Church was created by adapting an earlier Early Christian building is supported by the unusual thickness of the walls. The different way of masonry on certain parts of the wall speaks in favor of the dating of the subsequent intervention in the 14th or 15th century.
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Island of Koločep, Church of St. Barbara in Borje (Gospa Nuncijata)
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The remains of the Church of St. Barbara are located above the eastern ridge of Gornje Čelo, south of the road leading from Dinkovo Selo to Rajić's house, in an area called Borje. V. Lisičar was the first to mention the Church indicating that its other dedication was Gospa Nuncijata or Gospa Navještenja (Church of the Annunciation). Unfortunately, the results of the research, conducted in 1975, have not been published yet so we don't have enough information regarding this Church.
The Church is a single nave edifice with a dome, with an apse which is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. It was probably build sometime between 9th and 11th century.
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Island of Koločep, Church of St. Michael
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The Church of St. Michael is situated on Island of Koločep, dated in the 11th century. Some researchers believe the ktetor was
Queen Helen (Jelena) wife of King Zvonimir and sister of Hungarian King Ladislav. Today it is left in ruins.
Its a single nave building with three bays, probably with a dome and an apse that is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. Its facade was dissected by shallow blind niches. Side walls probably had lesenes connected by a series of blind arcades.
After collecting fragments all over the island, the altar screen was finally reconstructed showing, in relief, an image of Archangel Michael and a partially preserved inscription. Most researchers recognized Byzantine influence.
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Island of Koločep, Church of St. Nicholas (St. Vitus)
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The Church of St. Nicholas is situated on a small plateau, halfway between Donje and Gornje Čelo. It was probably built between the 9th and the 11th century. Judging by the archival documentation from the 13th century, the Church was dedicated to Saint Vitus. On the other hand, fresco decoration indicates othervise.
Its a single nave edifice with a dome on pendantives, an apse which is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside and has facade divided by lesenes. Inside, the edifice is divided with two lesenes in three bays. Fragments of the original doorpost decorated with a motif of double three-bar knots have been found, and were later used as building material. Parts of the altar screen, that probably belonged to the original Church, are decorated with various braided motifs of geometric design.
Remains of early medieval frescoes, that date to the end of the 11th century, represent figures of saints and have been preserved on the walls and on the vaults of the Church. Some researchers have found stylistic similarities with frescoes of the Church of St. John (Ivan) on the Island of Šipan.
On the Western side of the Church is a bell-tower with a bronze bell made in the 16th century by Ivan Krstitelj Rabljanin, which was brought from the Church of St. Mary in Donje Čelo in the 20th century.
Thorough conservation and archeological works were carried out in the 20th century so the Church of St. Nicholas is still in use, primarily as a cemetery church.
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Island of Koločep, Church of St. Peter
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The remains of the Church of St. Peter are situated at the Eastern side of the Island of Koločep. In historical documents from the 13th to the 17th century the Church is mentioned as ecclesia s. Petri sita in insula Calamote.
Today only the Northern wall has been preserved. The researchers believe that it was a single nave edifice built probably in the 11th century.
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Island of Koločep, Church of St. Sergius
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The Church of St. Sergius was probably built at the end of the 11th century, even though Ivica Žile supposes it might have been built between the 9th and 10th century judging by the remains of an altar, pillar and a capital. The Church is nowadays almost completely ruined.
Its a single nave building with an apse that is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. There is no information about the dome nor about the girders that would divide the three-bay vault, but by analogy with other preserved Churches of the same type on the island (St. Nicholas and St. Anthony of Padua) its original existence can be assumed. The South wall is preserved best, at the height of approximately 3m, and has on its central bay a niche. In the 12th century on the South side of the church a parallel room was added, and on the North side - a cistern.
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Island of Koločep, Gornje Čelo, Church of St. Anthony of Padua
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The exact date of the construction of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua is not known, probably some time between the 9th and the 11th century. Also, the Church was probably originally dedicated to some other saint since Saint Anthony of Padua comes from the Franciscan order in the 13th century.
Its a single nave building with a dome, with an apse that is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. The Church also has gothic elements such as a gothic arches and vaults which led researchers to believe that it was finished in the 14th century, at which time it received a new dedication to Saint Anthony of Padua. The dome, which is built over the widest central field, rests on four arches with which it is connected by pendetives. It is rectangular on the outside. The bell-tower is on the Western side of the Church.
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Island of Korčula, Zablaće, Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian
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The Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian is situated in Zablaće, near Blato, on the Island of Korčula.
Its a single nave edifice dated in the 12th century. It underwent several restorations such as changing the vault in the gothic manner, in the 13th century, after the original collapsed for unknown reasons. The restorations greatly altered the exterior of the church, while the plan of the church remained unchanged.
On the facades are narrow, high niches on its lateral walls, and a shallow porch in front of its western entrance, with a visible tendency towards verticality.
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Island of Lastovo, Church of St. Cyprian
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The Church of St. Cyprian on the Island of Lastovo is situated at the top of a hill, above Skrivena Luka.
Its a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse built in the 11th century and was restored multiple times starting from 1639.
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Island of Lastovo, Church of St. George
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The Church of St. George (Sv. Juraj) on the Island of Lastovo is situated on Prežba (Priježba, Priještap), in the bay Veljem Lag. It was ruined in the Second World War.
It is a single nave building, similar to the Church of St. Luke, built probably in the second half of the 11th century. It has a semicircular apse on the outside and lesenes in the interior which supported the vault. It had a narrow lintel covered with a semicircular gable by which it differed from all Lastovo churches.
At the end of the 19th century was in a dilapidated condition. Then Bishop Gjivoje built a rest house next to it and a private chapel that still stands today.
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Island of Lastovo, Church of St. Luke
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The Church of St. Luke on the Island of Lastovo was built in the 11th century and is the oldest preserved Church on the island.
Its a single nave building built of irregular stones. A constructive arch is inscribed on its Western façade (probably in the 19th century), and on the side walls are three lesenes connected with arches. An apse on its Eastern end is rectangular on the outside and has a niche, while it is semicircular inside.
It has similarities with the Church of St. John (Sveti Ivan) on the Island of Šipan.
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Island of Lastovo, Church of St. Peter in Ubli
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The Church of St. Peter is situated in on the Island of Lastovo, in the village of Ubli. It was built probably in the 11th century on the grounds of the previous Early Christian Church, dated in the 5th or the 6th century.
It was a single nave vaulted building with an apse on its Eastern end. Today the Church is in ruins
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Island of Lokrum, Church and Monastery of St. Mary
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The Benedictine Monastery of St. Mary was erected in 1023, while the original Church of St. Mary may date or perhaps pre-date the above mentioned year. The original appearance of the complex and the stylistic affiliation of the Early Medieval buildings are not known.
Of the Early Medieval Monastery and Church, only four fragments of the lintel and frame of the opening are known, built into the existing assembly, which have not been thoroughly examined.
At the end of 12th or early 13th century, a three-apse Romanesque church of St. Mary was built on the same site.
In 1958, the complex was reorganized into the Biological Institute of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. Elijah
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The remains of the Church of Sv. Elijah are situated on the south side of the semicircular bay of the Island of Lopud built probably in the 9th century, while Church furnishing from the 11th century indicates that the Church was restored the restoration at the end of the early medieval period. The Church of St. Elijah was first mentioned in written sources 1249.
Its a single nave building with a dome supported by squinches. Allegedly, traces of frescoes could once be seen on these squinches, but today the rain mostly washed them away. Interior walls have lesenes placed in the middle of the wall leaning against the stone consoles, which is specific to this edifice. Apse is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside.
In time, the Church was left without a western facade and a roof, and with their demolition, the original square dome disappeared.
Fragments of stone decoration can still be seen, including transena, altar screen beam with parts of inscription in Latin and consoles.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. John the Baptist
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The Church of St. John is situated in the area of Glavotok at the top of the hill named Ivanje brdo.
It was built in the 6th or 7th century, of which testify fragments of stone sculpture (pillars, capitals, etc.) scattered around the Church. After the demolition of the early Christian basilica a new edifice was erected around 1000/1050.
Its a single nave edifice with a dome. Outer walls are dissected by shallow niches, including a rectangular dome. A special feature of the Church of St. John is in the fact that in its interior, in a certain rhythm at the beginning of the barrel vault and in the apse, numerous earthen vessels were built in, which are smooth inside and quite well preserved, and indicate Byzantine influence (similar can be found in the Church of St. Nicholas and St. Sergius in Koločep).
The building was extended from the West side in the 14th century adding a completely new building. Even though the Church is in remains it is still in use on certain days.
Stylistically this Church is one of the earliest pre-Romanesque churches on the Island of Lopud.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. Mary
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The Church of St. Mary (dedicated to the Mother of God), also known by the name "Our Lady of Šunj", is located at the Eastern end of the Island, near the Šunj bay. In historiography is mentioned as Santa
Maria de Bisono.
The Church was probably built in the 9th century. Of the early medieval church, only a slab remains, built into the facade of a newer building, but given the historical data from the 13th century, it can be assumed that in the same place there was a pre-Romanesque Church probably dedicated to the same patron saint. Rectangular slab with double profiled edge on all sides has a large Latin cross in the middle. Stylistic development of the Church is unknown, therefore the Church has remained unexplored to this day.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. Maurus
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Ruins of the Church of St. Maurus are situated in the Eastern part of the Island of Lopud, at the place of Poluga. The Church was built probably in the 11th century, while first known written documents that mention the Church date from 1281 and 1284.
The remains of the Church are preserved to a height of about 3 m, mostly on the north wall. Its a single nave edifice of trapezoidal shape with semicircular apse and divided interior into three bays with lesenes.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. Nicholas the Greek
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The Church of St. Nicholas the Greek is situated near the Polačica hill, North of the Church St. John and Church St. Peter, on the Island of Lopud. This church has an unusual name due to the fact that on the coast, within the Dominican monastery, there is another Church of the same name. The older one was given the adjective "Greek", which emphasizes its age and time of origin, i.e. in the time of the Byzantine Empire.
Its a single nave building with a dome (rectangular on the outside) and an apse is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside, built in the 11th century. On the outside, the shallow niches end in double arches making this Church special since such decoration is rarely seen on this part of the land.
In the lower part of the apse fragments of fresco decoration can be seen.
The Church was in ruins but in the 1970s a complete conservation intervention was carried out and today the Church regained almost entirely its former appearance.
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Island of Lopud, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter is situated on a remote part of an Island of Lopud, on the Eastern side of the Ivanje brdo, above the Šunj bay. It was possibly built in the 11th century. It is recorded in 1299 and was in ruins in the year 1773.
Its a single nave building, with an apse semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. Shallow niches appear only in the interior, where the girdle in the middle reinforced the barrel vault.
Church is today in ruins with only the North wall partially preserved.
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Island of Majsan, Church of St. Maximus
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Island of Majsan is situated 3km East of Island of Korčula.
An Early Christian memoria was first built in the 4th century, and it was restaurated (its decoration) in the 6th century. In the 8th or the 9th century it was transformed into a pre-Romanesque building.
It was probably a single nave edifice with a dome. Stone furnishing fragments were found as well as some fresco decoration fragments.
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Island of Mljet, Church of St. Andrew
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The Church of St. Andrew is situated on the Island of Mljet. It was probably built at the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century and the Church from that period has not been preserved. Therefore the original appearance and ground plan of the Early Medieval Church are not known.
The Church was rebuilt in the Gothic period with the construction of a pointed vault and has a Early Medieval transena built-in the facade.
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Island of Mljet, Church of St. Michael in Babino Polje
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The Church of St. Michael is situated North-West of Babino Polje, on the Island of Mljet. This part of Island is called after the patron saint of the Church (Sutmiho and Sutmiholjska bay). The Church was mentioned in 1430 as a Benedictine Church where monks resided upon arrival on this Island.
There is no information on the original ground plan and affiliation type of the Church. The construction of the early medieval church is indicated by fragments with plaited ornaments (a pilaster from the altar screen and a lintel with an inscription in Latin) that can be dated to the 10th or the 11th century.
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Island of Mljet, Church of St. Pancras in Babino Polje
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The Church of St. Pancras is situated near Babino Polje, in the Island of Mljet. It is dedicated to a one-time patron of the island, a 4th century martyr from Phrygia, who was killed in Rome in 304 AD during Christian prosecutions, under Emperor Diocletian (ruled 284-305).
The Church is a single nave building, dimensions 4x2m, with an apse on its Eastern end which is semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside. The naos was divided into two bays by the opposing, wide pilasters joined by an arch that strengthened the barrel vault.
The Church was probably built in the 11th century, and today is left in ruins. In the 12th century it fell into the hands of the Benedictines. At that time, Babino Polje became the administrative and ecclesiastical center of the whole island.
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Island of Mljet, Church of St. Peter and Paul
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The Church of St. Peter and Paul is situated on the archaeological site called Crkvine, near the village Korite, on the Island of Mljet.
It was built in the Late Antique of Early Mediveal period. At the end of the 11th century, on a narrow scope of the previous building, a new one was erected, dedicated to the same patron saints.
It is a single nave building, with two bays, and an apse (rectangular on the outside and three semicircular niches in the inside).
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Island of Mljet, Double Churches in Polače
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The remains of two Churches are situated in the Eastern part of the Polače bay, on the Island of Mljet. The Double Churches (the Northern and the Southern one) were built in the 5th century. The Northern one was expanded probably in the 11th century and is preserved up to 3m in height because it was in use in the Middle Ages. The Southern basilica remained only in its foundations.
Two single nave basilicas were built in the 5th (the Southern one has rectangular apse on the outside and a semicircular apse on the inside). A memorial was added to the South of the Double basilica.
In the early Middle Ages, lesenes were added to the Northern basilica in order to change the wooden into a barrel vaulted structure. At the same time, a vestibule was added to its West side. The walling of the Southern portal, between the two early Christian buildings, proves that since then the Southern part of the complex of Double basilicas was no longer in function.
The church space shaped in this way is known in the pre Romanesque architecture of Dalmatia
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Island of St. Andrew, Church of St. Andrew
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The remains of the Church of St. Andrew, which dates to the second half of the 11th century based on the analysis of a preserved and decorated lintel, are situated on the Island of St. Andrew.
The Church has not been researched so there are no information on its type, measures, architecture or construction.
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Island of Sušac, Church of St. Nicholas
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The Church of St. Nicholas is situated on the Island of Sušac, 23km West from the Island of Lastovo. The Island was inhabited in ancient times. An Early Christian Church, probably dedicated to St. Michael, was built in the 6th century. This building will be adapted into an early medieval Church dedicated to St. Nicholas.
Since the earliest mentioning of the Church is in the 12th century representing the terminus ante quem for its dating, researchers believe that it was probably built at the end of the 11th century. The Church today is in ruins.
Its a single nave vaulted building with an apse (semicircular in the inside and rectangular on the outside). In the interior it had three lesenes which were connected to each other by arches and closed the barrel-shaped lintels of the side niches and at the same time formed the basis for the construction of the barrel vault of the Church nave. A typical feature of this church is the "pseudo-basilica" roof. No decoration was found.
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Island of Šipan, Church of St. John
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The Church of St. John is located in Šilovo Selo, in the vicinity of Sundjurdje. The original pre-Romanesque Church was expanded in the 15th century and a new renaissance Church of flat surfaces and much larger dimensions was built. The original Church became a presbytery.
The original Church of St. John was a single nave edifice built probably in the 11th century. The interior had a semicircular vault intersected by two girdles and divided into three aisles.The facade walls feature a rhythmical alteration of decorative lesenes and niches (four on each side of the building) that are deeper than on other buildings on Šipan, of the same period. The apse was semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside.
Fresco decoration, with inscriptions in Latin, can be found in the apse and on the South wall, indicating that once the entire interior was painted.
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Island of Šipan, Church of St. Mary
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The Church of St. Mary is situated on the Island of Šipan, today in ruins.
Its a single nave edifice probably built in the 5th or 6th century. In the period between the 9th and the 11th century the Church was vaulted. There are no evidence of the existing dome. Thanks to the preserved transena, we date the building to the pre-Romanesque period.
In the 16th century, as part of the construction of the summer house of the bishops of Dubrovnik, the Church became a part of the residence now restored with Renaissance-style building interventions.
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Island of Šipan, Church of St. Michael (Sutmiho) above the sea
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Ruined Church dedicated to St. Michael is located on a gorge above the sea, East of Bige Bay, on Island of Šipan.
Its a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse, built in the close proximity of an antique archaeological site. Also, with some capitals that were found, researchers believe that it was first built in the 6th or 7th century. In the Late Middle Ages the Church was expanded with the addition of the Western part and a vault, while its Northern window was reshaped.
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Island of Šipan, Church of St. Michael, in Pakljena
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The Church of St. Michael is situated on the Island of Šipan, in Pakljena, next to the benedictine Church of St. Mary. It was most probably built around the years 1000/1050.
Its a single nave edifice, with three bays, a dome based on squinches and an apse which is semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside.
The Church was partly refurbished and extended in the 14th century. In the time of the renaissance and/or baroque a bell-tower was added on the Western side of the building.
Fragments of fresco decoration are still visible, as well as some stone reliefs.
The church bears similarities to the Church of St John (Sveti Ivan) on the Island of Lopud.
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Island of Šipan, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter on the Island of Šipan is situated on Velji vrh, near the abandoned village Govedjari. It was built probably in the 11th century.
Its a rectangular single nave edifice divided into three bays, with a dome placed on squinches. Apse is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside.
The facade of the lateral walls feature a rhythmical alteration of lesenes and niches of approximately equal width. The Eastern wall is divided by two narrow blind niches. The Western wall was divided by lesenes framed by a single arch.
Conservation and restoration works in the 20th century completely restored the building.
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Kotor, Church of St. Archangel Michael
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The Church of St. Archangel Michael is situated in the old town of Kotor. It is an Early Christian three-nave basilica with an apse on the Eastern side, which is semicircular on the inside and polygonal on the outside. It was probably built in the 6th century and equipped with liturgical furniture of the time, which was added in the 9th century. In the preserved apse are representations of Saints in fresco technique, of which only the lower halves have been preserved. In the first half of the 13th century the original church was demolished and a new single nave edifice was built in Romanesque-Gothic style dedicated to St. Archangel Michael. In the 15th century Lovro Dobričević painted the frescos in the church. The abbot of the church called Peter is mentioned in 1166 in a document regarding the consecration of the altar of the new Romanesque cathedral of St. Tryphon. In the 19th century the church became a military warehouse and is today a museum (lapidarium).
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Kotor, Church of St. Luke
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The Church of St. Luke is situated to the South-West of the Northern city gate in the old part of Kotor. It was built in 1195 with the efforts of Mauro Casafranco in the time of the Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja (reigned 1166/68-1196), as is written on an inscription carved in a stone slab placed on the Western façade of the Church (a ktetorial inscription next to the ruler's name is a proof of the new practice in Serbia). It is a Romanesque single-nave church with a dome and with leaning arches divided into three aisles, of which the middle one is longer. On the East is a large semicircular apse. On the Northern side of the church another church was erected in the 18th century and is dedicated to St. Spyridon. However, spolia placed in the church (lintel, portal, stone furniture, etc.) probably belonged to the Church of St. Michael in Kotor. During conservation works in 1971 a fresco was discovered on the Southern wall of the West aisle belonging to 12th century Byzantine art.
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Kotor, Church of St. Mary (Collegiata)
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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.
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Kotor, Church of St. Peter in Šuranj
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The Church of St. Peter is situated on the Southern side of the old town of Kotor in the area of Šuranj. The Benedictine monastery was built between the 9th and the 11th century on a former Late Antique building. Judging by the remains, it could be concluded that the Church of St. Peter in Šuranj was a three-nave basilica, with a middle nave twice as wide as the lateral ones. The apse is semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside. The side naves end in the East with smaller apses of external and internal semicircular ground plan.
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Kotor, Church of St. Tryphon
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The Church of St. Tryphon and at the same time the Roman-Catholic Cathedral of Kotor is situated in the old town of Kotor. The first building was a martyrium (a central plan edifice) built in 809, financed by Andrea Saracenis, a famous citizen of Kotor, who bought the relics of St. Tryphon from Venetian merchants. This church is mentioned in the work "De Administrando Imperio (DAI)" of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (reigned 913-959). Remains of a pre-Romanesque building were found along the North-Eastern segment of the wall of today's Romanesque cathedral of St. Tryphon. Fragments of stone furniture, especially a ciborium, have remained and are dated to the 9th or 10th century. The second edifice was erected from 1124 (during the time of Bishop Ursac of Kotor) until 1166 (when all three church altars were consecrated). It was built in Romanesque style with elements from Byzantine architecture. Its appearance has changed over the centuries, most often due to frequent earthquakes. The cathedral was built as a three-nave basilica with a dome above the middle aisle of the main nave of the church, which was removed after two earthquakes during the 16th century. Each of the naves has an apse. The central apse is decorated with a sumptuous Gothic triforium. Two bell towers are on the Western façade. The interior was painted with frescoes in 1331.
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Kuti, Church of St. Thomas
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The Church of St. Thomas in Kuti near Herceg Novi was probably built in the last quarter of the 11th century. It is a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse in the East as well as with semicircular vaults and a dome, indicating a strong Byzantine influence. Fragments of fresco paintings and stone furnishings have been found. A remaining stone altar screen with two parapets indicates a new, Romanesque style. On the other hand, the fresco decoration (dated to the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century) with heads of Saints points to Byzantine artists, having similarities with the frescoes in the chapel and crypt of the katholikon of the Monastery of Hosios Loukas in Phokis and the Church of St. Nicholas on the island of Koločep. The Church of St. Thomas is in ruins with walls preserved up to a maximum height of ca. 2,5 m.
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Kuti, Church of the Birth of the Holy Mother of God
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The Church of the Birth of the Holy Mother of God is situated in Kuti. It is a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse on the Eastern side and an entrance on the Western side. It was probably built in the 11th century. The church has been converted into the chapel of the local cemetery. The fresco decoration in the church must be of recent fabric, because it shows, amongst others, the late Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro (1938-2020). The iconostasis seems to be from the 19th century.
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Male Rose, Church of St. Mary
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The Benedictine Church of St. Mary is situated in Male Rose, at the Western end of the Luštica Peninsula in the Bay of Kotor. The letter of Pope Clement VI (1342-1352) from 1346 mentions the church under the name Santa Maria de Resson. The church is also mentioned in the charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V (reigned 1355-1371) to the people of Kotor dated to 1355, confirming the borders of the district of Kotor. It is a single nave edifice with an apse, which is semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside. Lesenes in the interior show that in at least one of its early medieval construction phases the church had a dissected interior with niches, girders and a barrel vault, showing similarities with the Church of St. Peter on the Island of Lopud. Therefore, the researchers concluded that the first building was erected initially in the Early Christian period, the second phase was in the 9th century and the third in the 11th century. According to the Latin inscription above the entrance to the church in the East, the church was refurbished in the year 1783. On the fragment of a stone cross the engraved name Petrus may refer to the donor of the church.
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Martinići Gradina
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The Martinići Gradina does not show up in the sources, but was probably built in the Migration Period when the Slavic gentes arrived at the Balkans. It is found on a hill north of Spuž within the boundaries of Donji Martinići, Gornji Martinići and Gradina.
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Martinići, Church of St. Archangel Michael
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The ruins of a basilica are situated in the vicinity of the village of Martinići. It was built in the second half of the 9th or in the 10th century. It is a three nave basilica, having lateral aisles separated from the central one with full walls. A narthex is to be found on the Western side of the basilica. Some researchers believe that the Northern aisle served for baptism. The remains of sculpted stone furnishing in the altar and the nave indicate a richly equipped edifice. A Greek inscription on the altar screen mentions the name of Saint Archangel Michael, which led researchers to believe that he is the patron Saint of the church. This very inscription has been interpreted in two ways:
1. + Ο Θ(EO)C TH ΠΡΕC(BEIA) ...E TON (Π)ETR(0N)I ...
2. + Ο Θ(EO)C TH ΠΡΕC(BEIA) ... (ΦYΛATT)E TON (Π)ETR(0N)I ...
Moreover, it mentions the name of a certain Peter, who could have been the donor of the basilica. Another inscription in Latin has been read as follows: + (MICH)AEL ET IOH(AN)E DIE ... ET GLORIA BEATO MIXAEL AR(CHANGELO) ... N ... LIN
Unfortunately, no other written account has been preserved on this basilica.
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Metohija, Church of Sts. Cosma and Damian (St. Tudor; Sts. Philip and Jacob)
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The Church of Sts. Cosma and Damian (also know as the Church of St. Tudor and Sts. Philip and Jakob) is situated in Metohija (Prve Ponikve), near Ston. Today, the Church is dedicated to St. Philip and Jacob, a dedication first mentioned in the 16th century.
Its a single nave building divided by lesenes into two bays. Bays are vaulted with cross-domed vaults. On the Eastern end of the Church were three niches. Today the central niche (which was the deepest and which ends in apse) has been walled up. Shallow apse is semicircular on the inside and rectangular on the outside. The Western façade is not known due to the addition of a more recent corpus on that side (probably in the 16th century when its dedication was changed).
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Mulo, Church of St. Paul
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The Church of St. Paul, today in ruins, is situated on inaccessible land in the village of Mulo, North-West of Kotor.
The Church is a single-nave building with an apse, rectangular on the outside and semicircular on the inside. The nave was probably vaulted with a barrel vault and covered, like the apse, with a gabled roof. With this shape, the church typologically fits into the group of single-nave buildings with flat (undecorated) wall surfaces.
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Novi Bar, Church
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The church in Novi Bar has two phases of construction. In the first phase a triconchos was built in the 6th century. The second phase is a single nave edifice dated to the 11th century. The older building was demolished before the 11th century, and in the middle part of the triconchos and in the Eastern apse a smaller pre-Romanesque church was built. When the Church of St. Theodore was erected in Stari Bar, a mosaic floor from the triconchos edifice, which had already been in ruins at that time, was transferred.
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Ošlje church, Octachora
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The Ošlje church was probably built in the 10th century and to this day has remained greatly damaged. Its dedication is unknown, but T. Marasović presumes it might have been dedicated to St. Peter.
Its an eight-leaf edifice with dome above its central part while conchae had semi-domes. When taking into consideration solid building construction, facade with lesenes and flat niches, and rare programme concept it is possible that its ktetor was Prince Michael (Mihailo Višević, reigned 912-935) or some other prominent ruler of Zachlumia. Some art historians believe this church was built solely for baptism.
Ošlje and its Octachora are mentioned in the written source "De Administrando Imperio (DAI)" of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (reigned 913/945-959).
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Palje Brdo, Church of St. Paul
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The Church of St. Paul the Apostle is located on a hill above the ancient site of Mirina in the village of Palje Brdo. There are no remains of an early medieval church, which was probably located on the site of today's church of St. Paul. Therefore, there is no data on the dimensions, structure, architecture and construction of the early medieval church. Researchers believe that it was probably built in the 11th century.
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Ponikve, Church of St. George in Sparagovići
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The Church of St. George (Sv. Juraj) is situated at the Ponikve region, in Sparagovići, on the Island of Pelješac, in the so-called Crna gora.
In the 1st or the 2nd century a first building was erected, following a pre-Romanesque building from the 12th or the 13th century.
Its a single nave vaulted building with an apse which has three semicircular niches in the inside and is rectangular on the outside. Lesenes are dividing the interior into three bays. On its Western side it has a bell-tower.
Devastated masonry tombs filled with earth and stones were found at the height of the existing church threshold.
The Church was renewed in 1987.
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Prevlaka, Monastery and Church of St. Archangel Michael
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The Church of St. Archangel Michael, also known by the name "Tumba sancti Archangeli", is situated on the small island of Prevlaka in the Bay of Tivat. There are three layers of edifices on this site. The first church was built on the basis of a 6th century basilica (with graves found as well), which became a three nave basilica by the end of the 6th century. A Benedictine monastery dedicated to St. Archangel Michael was probably built in the 9th century. It was a three nave basilica with a semicircular apse in the center and two rectangular little apses on the sides (which are still being debated in art history, since no similar examples have been found), a narthex and a bell tower on the South-East part of the edifice. A large number of fragments of architectural sculpture of the pre-Romanesque style has been preserved, and some of its pillars were moved to the Church of St. Tryphon in Kotor in 1166. In the 12th century this place was ruined and deserted. This abbey, according to the oldest preserved document in Kotor from 1124, was meant to be the Cathedral of Kotor. At the beginning of the 13th century (1220s) the bishopric of Zeta was founded at this very place by Saint Sava (ca. 1175-1236). Therefore, the second church was built on the remains of an abandoned and demolished Benedictine monastery. It had a dome and strong buttresses and a parraklesion was added on the North side. Numerous graves have also been found. The monastery was abandoned at the end of the 14th century and destroyed in the middle of the 15th century, following the killing of 70 monks. In the immediate vicinity of the ruins of this church, i.e. to the East of it, a single nave edifice, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built in 1833 with bells above the Western entrance.
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Prčanj, Church of St. Thomas
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The Church of St. Thomas is situated in the surrounding area of Prčanj. Today only its foundations remain. It could not be localised in situ in autumn 2021 due to the vegetation in the area. The church is a triconchos with a dome, built probably in the 9th century. Fragments of capitals and an altar screen have been found. Such a ground plan is preserved only in the Boka Kotorska in the Eastern Adriatic and was also implemented in the original church of St. Tryphon in Kotor. This form, however, is known in Carolingian architecture with the most prominent example in the oratory at Germigny-des-Prés, dated to the beginning of the 9th century, and in Early Christian as well as Early Medieval Armenian architecture.
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Ratac, Church C (Bogorodica Ratačka)
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The Benedictine monastery complex of St. Mary is situated on the Ratac peninsula between Sutomore and Bar. Between the 9th and the 11th century a Benedictine monastery was founded, initially dedicated to Saint Archangel Michael and later to the Holy Mother of God, also known by the name Bogorodica Ratačka (Mother of God from Ratac). The oldest church is from the 11th century and is designated as Church C. The peculiarity of this single-nave building with a dome are the four bays, one of which in the West had probably the function of a narthex. This church is mentioned in the Kotor Charter by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321) in 1319, confirming the charter by his mother the Serbian Queen Jelena Anžujska (ca. 1230-1314) from 1305 and indicating that the church was dedicated to the Mother of God. A Latin inscription from September 1347 to the left of the Southern entrance to the Church C mentions the monastery's abbot Paulo Rugerii (Marković 2004, 201).
The monastery complex consisted of several buildings. Among them three churches stand out. During the 14th and 15th centuries other buildings and fortifications were added to the monastery, especially when there was a danger from the Ottomans. The monastery and its buildings were looted and demolished by the Ottomans in the 16th century. The Venetians turned it into a military fortress, which was later taken over by the Ottomans. The walls of the monastery were especially devastated in the Second World War (1941-1945), where the occupying forces installed artillery and built bunkers.
(KJ TDR., 102 nap 205 - Abbas de S. Micaele (!) de Reteza; SN ZSp., 604 - u Rьtьčьka, svetoi Bogorodici Rьtьčьskoi).
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Rogačići
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The church in Rogačići is a six-leaf edifice erected north of the Bosna River's source, probably in the second half of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. Today only the foundations have remained. No historical records have been found about this edifice.
Some researchers, judging by the well preserved ciborium, believe that this church was renewed or embellished in the 11th century, which corresponds to the mass Christianisation of the Serbs (the ground plan of the church also indicates that its main purpose was for mass baptism).
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Stari Bar, Church of St. George (St. Theodore)
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The Church of St. George is situated in the old town of Bar (Stari Bar) on an elevation called Londža. Beneath the remains of the Romanesque Church of St. George (dated to the 12th century) the remains of an older church, dedicated to St. Theodore, were discovered (probably built in the 5th or 6th century). When the Church of St. Theodore was erected in Stari Bar, a mosaic floor from the triconchos edifice in Novi Bar, which had already been in ruins at that time, was transferred. The older church of St. Theodore was probably ruined in a fire, and a new edifice honoring St. George was erected by Archbishop George of Bar (as evidenced by a tombstone) in the 12th century, thus becoming the see of the Archbishopric of Bar. Both churches were three nave basilicas. The Church of St. George had three apses. Remains of vaults indicate gothic elements. Fragments of stone furnishing and decoration belonging to the altar screen have been found. In 1125, King Grubeša of Zeta (reigned ca. 1118- ca. 1125) was buried in the church. High dignitaries of the Archbishopric of Bar were also buried there, e.g. Bishop Jovan from the time of Prince Vladimir and the Archbishops George, Peter and Sergius, who lived in the period from the 11th to the 12th centuries. The church was turned into a mosque in the 16th century, and in 1881 the church was completely destroyed by a gunpowder explosion or, as some indicate, by lightning (since the church served as an ammunition depot).
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Ston, Church of St. Archangel Michael
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The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel in Ston was probably erected by Prince Stefan Vojislav, the archont of the Serbs and a Terbounian Serb (reigned ca. 1037-1050), in the first half of the 11th century. The church is situated on top of the hill named Gradac and it might have served as a palace church.
Its a rectangular, single-nave building, which is divided with composite pilasters into three bays (the middle one has a blind dome, while Eastern and Western have groin vaults) and a bell-tower situated on its Western side. The altar apse is semicircular inside and rectangular on the outside. The exterior is decorated with lesenes and niches, while door frames and stone window have low-relief decoration.
Fresco decoration has been severely damaged but we can still recognize its iconographical programme. Certainly the most significant is the fresco decoration of the ktetor who is holding a model of the church and along with Latin inscriptions we can conclude that the paintings are of Western pre-Romanesque and Byzantine influence finished probably around 1050 (for sure until 1081).
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Ston, Church of St. John (St. Ivan)
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The Church of St. John (some researchers point to Saint John the Baptist while others indicate St. John the Evangelist) was built on the foundations of an Ealry Christian building probably from the 6th century.
The Church is a single nave edifice with an elongated rectangular ground plan with a wide semicircular apse on the East side. The interior of the side walls is divided by four lesenes, which are, interconnected and formed, on each wall, five niches vaulted with a semicircular lintel.
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Ston, Church of St. Martin
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The Church of St. Martin is located on the northern slope of the hill Humac and today lies in ruins. Most researchers agree that it was probably built in the beginning of the 12th century, even though earlier date is also possible.
Its a single nave building divided with two lesenes into three bays. It has a semicircular apse on the inside and a rectangular on the outside.
Today only Southern wall remains. Restoration works on the church, with a minor archaeological intervention, were undertaken in 1964 - 1965 by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments from Dubrovnik.
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Ston, Church of St. Peter
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The ruined Church of Sveti Petar in Ston was first built in late antiquity, probably in the 6th century (remains are still visible on the Southern part of the Church). It was later renewed and by the end of 10th century, on the Northern part of the Church, a sanctuary was added with three aisles and dome over its central part (an adaptation made after the mass Christianization).
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Ston, Church of St. Stephen (Sv. Stjepan)
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The Church of St. Stephen is situated East of Gorica (between Lužine and Gorica). It was built on the remains of a Late Antique building from the 6th century, probably between the 10th and 11th century. Being on a wetland area archaeological research has been hampered and today only the grounds remain.
It is a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse on its Eastern end. A sintronon from the first phase of the building has remained. The early medieval church was built in the sanctuary of the early Christian basilica, and the remains of its North and West walls have been preserved. On its Northern wall remains of lesenes can still be seen and they indicate that the building was divided into three bays.
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Ston, Church of the Virgin of Lužina
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The Church of the Virgin of Lužine (Monastery of the Holy Mother of God) was built in the 10th or the 11th century in the Ston Polje field, close to the sea. It underwent several renovations in the 13th and 16th centuries which makes it difficult to determine its former appearance.
The Church is a single-nave edifice with a semicircular apse, and a tower on its Western end (built during later renovations). It is also probable that this Church Sava Nemanjić designated as the seat of the bishopric in Hum, in 1220.
The Church was repaired and restored after an earthquake in 1667 and later again in 1891. Today it is a Roman Catholic Church.
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Ston, St. Mary Magdalene
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The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is situated on the archaeological site Gorica, in Ston (important center and an episcopal seat in the principality of Zachloumoi).
It was a single-nave late antique basilica that was adapted into a three-nave basilica in the second half of the 9th century, with a bell tower on its Western side. It probably housed the Ston bishops cathedra.
In the Church interior the remains of fresco decoration and a late antique sarcophagus have been found (today kept in Dubrovnik).
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Sušćepan, Church of St. Stephen
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The Church of St. Stephen is situated in Sušćepan near Herceg Novi. Based on the preserved capital, it can only be assumed that the pre-Romanesque Church of St. Stephen was built as a three-nave basilica, erected between the 9th and the 11th century. The Early Medieval church was destroyed by the Ottoman invasion and built anew in the 17th and 20th centuries. The current church is a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse in the East and an entrance in the West. The church has been recently pargetted. It is surrounded by a cemetery.
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Svač, Early Medieval Church
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The remains of an Early Medieval church are known only from finds excavated in the Romanesque church of St. John the Baptist. This first edifice was probably built in the 9th century, and the Church of St. John in 1300.
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Tivat, Church of St. Sergius
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The Church of St. Sergius is situated on Djurdjevo brdo in Tivat.
It was built in the 16th century on the grounds of probably Pre-Romanesque edifice with an original inscription, from a lintel mentioning Saint Sergius, Saint Nicholas and Saint Demetrius built into its wall.
Apart from the fragments, built into today's Church, there are no traces of the original building, therefore its orientation, dimensions or materials, architecture and construction are unknown.
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Topolo, Church of St. Stephen
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The Church of St. Stephen is situated in the village Topolo, 5km North from Ston, probably built in the 11th century.
Its a single nave edifice with a semicircular apse, both in the inside and the outside. It has a semicircular vault.
Since no archaeological research has been conducted there is no information regarding this Church and its development through the centuries, nor to what extent it preserves the remains of the original pre-Romanesque building.
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Ulcinj, Church of Christ the Saviour
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The Church of Christ the Saviour is situated in the old town of Ulcinj and was found beneath the Romanesque Church of St. Mary (Sveta Marija). The Church of St. Mary itself was transformed into a mosque (cf. the remnants of a minaret at its South-Western corner) and is now the Archaeological Museum in Ulcinj. The Church of Christ the Saviour was a single nave edifice, perhaps with a dome (as some researchers have suggested). Next to the Southern wall a ciborium was found, which could have belonged to another church.
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Vrutci, Church of St. Stephen
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The Church of St. Stephen is situated in the village of Vrutci, in the vicinity to the Bosna's source. It was built in the second half of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century. At the time the village of Vrutci was probably a strong political and cultural center of which testifies this Church.
It is a single nave longitudinal edifice with a rectangular apse on its eastern end. Many fragments of pre-Romanesque low relief sculpture have been discovered that were once part of altar screens, ciboria, ambones, etc.
An the end of 13th and the beginning of the 14th century a necropolis was added.
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Zaton, Church of St. John the Baptist
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The Church of St. John the Baptist in Zaton on the River Lim near Bijelo Polje is a trefoil church built in the 9th or the 10th century, was destroyed in the 14th century and again in the 20th century. Finally, it was rebuilt in the 21st century. The similarity with the Church of St. Panteleimon in Ohrid indicates that it was probably erected during the reign of Tsar Samuel. The ground plan indicates a single nave church with square base and three conchae on its Eastern, Northern and Southern sides. Fragments of fresco decoration and a stone slab floor were found. Researchers believe that the church was fresco decorated in the time of the Serbian Prince Miroslav (reigned 1162-1190).
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Zavala, Church of St. Peter
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The Church of St. Peter in Zavala is situated on the Western rim of Popovo Polje, 50km to the West of the town of Trebinje. It is first mentioned in the written sources from the 16th century.
The original appearance of the Church of St. Peter in Zavala is interpreted in two ways: as an example of a building with four pillars, like the Church of St. Mikula in Split (Tihić / Basler) or as a single-nave building (Jovanović). The church is known for its sculptural decoration dated to the 9th and the 10th centuries, however fragments of the altar screen undoubtedly point to the conclusion that the Church of St. Peter in Zavala was built probably in the 11th century.
Researchers believe that the sculptural decoration belonged to the original church (which indicates that the remains of today's church are of a much later date) or they were transferred from the church, the remains of which were found beneath the katholikon of the nearby Monastery of Zavala.
Remains of the alter screen with motifs of the Eucharist, ambons and tombstones are kept at the Museum of Hercegovina in Trebinje. Most fragments have different geometrical ornaments and images of birds that symbolise the Eucharist.
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Čepikuće, Church of St. Martin
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The Church of St. Martin is situated in the village Čepikuće. It was built in the 6th century (in the time of Emperor Justinian, ruled 527-565), and at the end of 11th century was reduced in length.
Its a single nave vaulted building, with two niches on its lateral sides. Its apse is semicircular on the inside and trapezoidal on the outside (as was probably in the 6th century).
It the 17th century the building was enlarged by a longer and wide baroque vestibule.
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Žrnovo (Island of Korčula), Church of St. Vitus
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The Church of St. Vitus is situated at the cemetery of Žrnovo near Korčula.
The edifice is to this day unknown since it is not preserved. A fragment decorated with a plait which is today built into the morgue of the local cemetery, proves that there was a pre-Romanesque Church dedicated to the saint, otherwise significant for the early medieval period. Judging by the style of decoration of the fragment the Church appears to be built in the 11th century. In the 13th century a Romanesque Church dedicated to the same saint was built on the site.
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