Church of the Holy Cross | |
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Crkva svetog Križa | |
Location | Nin, Croatia |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Architecture | |
Style | Pre-Romanesque |
Completed | 9th century |
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Catholic Church in Croatia |
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Church of the Holy Cross (Croatian: Crkva svetog Križa) is a Croatian Pre-Romanesque Catholic church originating from the 9th century in Nin.[1]
According to a theory from an art historian Mladen Pejaković,[2] the design has an intentionally unbalanced elliptical form designated to "follow" the position of the Sun, retaining the functionality of a calendar and sundial.[2] In its beginning, in the time of the Croatian principality, it was used as a royal chapel of the duke's courtyard nearby.[2]
The church is that of a central type, it features the Croatian interlace (or simply "troplet") and a carved name of the župan of Nin "Godečaj".[2][3]
The church is known under the moniker of "the smallest cathedral in the world",[1][4][5] however it currently is not seat of a bishop of Nin.