The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Katedrala Svetog Tripuna, Катедрала Светог Трипуна) in

Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, is one of two

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedrals A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor, which covers the entire

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...

and Municipality of Budva.

Location and name

It is located in the city of Kotor, one of the best preserved and most beautiful medieval fortified towns in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. It was built in honor of Saint Tryphon (local name Sveti Tripun), the patron and protector of the city, on the same site where an older church had already existed long ago. That earlier church was built in 809 by Andrija (Andreaccio) Saracenis, a citizen of Kotor, where the remains of the saint were kept after being brought from

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(now also known as

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

History

The cathedral was consecrated on 19 June 1166. Compared to other buildings, the Kotor Cathedral is one of the largest and most ornate buildings in

. The cathedral was seriously damaged and rebuilt after the

1667 Dubrovnik earthquake The 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake was one of the three most devastating earthquakes to hit what is now modern Croatia in the last 2,400 years, since records began. The entire city was almost destroyed and around 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed. The ...

, but there were not enough funds for its complete reconstruction. The April 1979 Montenegro earthquake, which completely devastated the Montenegro coast, also greatly damaged the cathedral. It has been salvaged and the careful restoration of parts of its interior has not been completed until a few years ago. The

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

, contains a rich collection of artifacts. Older than many famous churches and cathedrals in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, the cathedral has a treasury of immense value. In its interior there are

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es from the 14th century, a stone ornament above the main altar in which the life of St Tryphon is depicted, as well as a relief of saints in gold and silver. The collection of art objects includes a silver hand and a cross, decorated with ornaments and figures in relief. It is only a part of the valuable objects of the Treasury of this unique sacral building which was the City Hall in the past. Today, it is the best known tourist attraction in Kotor and a symbol of the city: the Saint is depicted in the city's coat of arms, along with a lion and the Mount of San Giovanni.

Gallery

File:Nadvratnik kotorske katedrale.jpg File:U Kotoru u katedrali.jpg File:U kotorskoj katedrali.jpg File:U Katedrali svetog Tripuna 2018.jpg File:U Katedrali svetog Tripuna u Kotoru 2018.jpg File:Unutar kotorske katedrale 2018.jpg File:Unutar Katedrale svetog Tripuna 2018.jpg File:Unutar Katedrale svetoga Tripuna u Kotoru.jpg File:Kotor Cathedral in Kotor.jpg File:Byzantine frescoe Kotor Sv. Tryphon.JPG File:Late Gothic painting Kotor Sv. Tryphon.JPG File:Sarkofag z relikwiami św. Tryfona w Kotorze.jpg File:Kotor Cathedral Ziborium.JPG

References

{{coord, 42.4241, N, 18.7719, E, source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1166 12th-century churches Tourist attractions in Kotor Tourist attractions in Montenegro Roman Catholic cathedrals in Montenegro Kotor

Location and name

History

Gallery

See also

References