St. Jakov Cathedral (Šibenik Cathedral)
Although Croatia is a relatively small country, it has more UNESCO-listed monuments than, for example, Germany or France. One of them is the spectacular Sibenik Cathedral.
Sibenik Cathedral is the most important Croatian architectural work of the 15th and 16th centuries. Sibenik Cathedral is one of the most important monumental cathedrals in Europe. Because of its beauty, the peculiarities of its construction and its tranquility, this cathedral is not only the largest and most valuable historical building in the city of Sibenik , but also a unique monument of religious architecture in Europe.
Its peculiarity is that the Sibenik cathedral was built only from stones, without mortar and wooden elements. This is the first cutting object in Europe that was built on the principle of interlocking boards.
The Sibenik Cathedral is also known for its iconography, especially for the frieze with 74 heads, which is the most numerous and best portrait gallery on a sacred building in Europe.
The Sibenik Cathedral was built over a period of 105 years and is the most important building in Croatia.
Because of its beauty, architectural specificities and stylistic features, it is not only the biggest and the most valuable architectural object in the city of Šibenik and its cultural heritage, but also a unique monument of European sacral architecture.
It is so special because it is the only cathedral in Europe built entirely of stone, without binding mortar and wooden structural elements, but also because it is the first European building with interlocking panels.
It is famous for its iconographic innovations, especially for the 74 human head sculptures, which are said to be the most numerous and the best portrait gallery presented as a public monument on a sacral monument in Europe. The Cathedral was built over a period of 105 years.