St. Mary's Church

The Church of St Mary stands in Zadar’s old town beside the remains of the Roman Forum. Founded in 1066 by the noblewoman Čika, it became a Benedictine monastery on the eastern edge of the forum square. Čika’s daughter Vekenega later led the community and secured funds from King Coloman of Hungary. The monastery’s tall tower, completed in 1105, still bears the king’s name and a record of his entry to Zadar in 1102. Inside the church lie Vekenega’s tomb marked with Latin verses. A Renaissance doorway and southern frontage were added in 1507 by the builder Nikola Španić from Korčula. Baroque touches were introduced to the interior in 1744, and 12th-century frescoes survive in the tower chapel. During the Second World War Allied bombing damaged the church and its surroundings, but it was restored afterwards. Visitors enter through the stone portal into a single-naved interior where the tomb and frescoes can be seen. The tower offers a view over the old forum ruins and the Adriatic beyond. The monastery’s library once held two hymnariums and a prayer book, though only the prayer book remains, now in Oxford. The rebuilt church and its tower remain a quiet witness to centuries of Zadar’s history.