Koper Cathedral

Koper, Slovenia

The three-nave Romanesque Koper Cathedral with three apses was built in the second half of the 12th century. The Romanesque construction is preserved on the south side, where typical funnel-shape windows are intact and the stonework is imitated in the facade. Towards the west the church was extended to the bell tower and in 1392 it was Gothicized. The lower floor facade by the square has remained Gothic. The upper floor was redone with pilaster separations after the fire in 1460. The decorative Renaissance elements are the most distinctive on the west side, built in 1488, and in the chiselled details, such as the portals.

In the middle of the square, right next to the west façade, stands a mighty self-supporting bell tower repaired as a city tower in the 15th century. It has four main floors. The upper is open on all sides by quadra-forums. Higher up is a terrace and an ending with an Aquileian cap. In the bell tower hangs one of the oldest bells in Slovenia (1333). It was cast by Master Jakob in Venice. The upper terrace is periodically open and offers a great view of the Bay of Trieste. The clock, positioned in the middle of the third floor, faces the square.

In the first half of the 18th century the interior was unified and arranged, and the hall was remade in Baroque style under the influence of Venetian origins into one of the largest church interiors in Slovenia. The church has had additional fittings. The work was directed by the architect Giorgio Massari. Among the interior fittings are numerous quality paintings of artists from Venice. There are more works by the even more famous artists Benedetto and Vittoreo Carpaccio. On the south side in the middle of the church hangs the Sacra Conversatione by V. Carpaccio from 1516, one of the best Renaissance paintings in Slovenia. It was painted for the of altar St. Rochus.

Among the sculptural works of art, a chiselled sarcophagus of St. Nazarius from the middle of the 14th century holds a special position, behind the altar. The image of the adored bishop is chiselled on the cover; on the circumference are the miracles of that patron of the city.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Trubarjeva ulica, Koper, Slovenia
See all sites in Koper

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in Slovenia

More Information

www.slovenia.info
www.inyourpocket.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Loggia Palace (0 km)
Praetorian Palace (0,1 km)
Da Ponte Fountain (0,3 km)


Church of St. Euphemia (52,3 km)
Church of Snowy Mary (12,7 km)
Church of Our Lady of Consolation (12,7 km)
Minorite Monastery Church (12,7 km)
St. George's Cathedral (12,8 km)
Euphrasian Basilica (37,1 km)
Trieste Cathedral (11,4 km)
St. Stephen's Church (12,9 km)
San Giusto Castle (11,5 km)

User Reviews

Miran Ibrahimagic (6 months ago)
Don't get me wrong for giving just two stars... Church itself is majestic piece of baroque architecture, with paintings by Carpaccio, nicely restored, worth visiting... But, as we were there visiting with the tourist group, a very unpleasant, old man, alcohol smell all around him, approached the group as a charging pit bull, shouting at all the guests and the guide, obviously not allowing explanations inside the church and very rudely kicked us out of it, forbidding any comments... It was an experience which you would have never have expected in a church! Been to hundreds of churches around the world, but have never been thrown out of one before! Pity, it leaves a bitter taste in otherwise pleasant and friendly medieval town. If tourism is of any importance here, local community should do something to prevent such unpleasant situations.
Attila Tényi (6 months ago)
Hisroric church. Great and beautiful.
Meta Lenart Perger (9 months ago)
This cathedral is one of the biggest churches in Slovenia. Almost completely white and quiet interior contrasts with the lively square in front of the church. Art lovers will find some precious art pieces (main and side altars) and they will certainly apreciate the breathtaking white facade. Visit of the bell tower is possible as well.
JASON BACON (9 months ago)
It's not the most stunning looking cathedral from the outside but the interior is lovely. Although the whole setting with the bell tower and palace in the surrounding square makes for some great photos and a lovely place to walk and relax. The bell tower was €3 each and has 204 steps to the top. As usual you get a good view from the top. It is also suppose to be the oldest working bell tower in Slovenia.
Dominika Vilmonova (9 months ago)
You can visit the tower, entrance fee is around 3 € and you need to climb 204 stairs to get to the top where you can see whole of Koper. I liked the view but I think that the entrance fee is too high.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright archer10 (Dennis) 211M Views

Historic Site of the week

Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

In 1986 the Porta Nigra was designated a World Heritage Site, along with other Roman monuments in Trier and its surroundings. The modern appearance of the Porta Nigra goes back almost unchanged to the reconstruction ordered by Napoleon. At the south side of the Porta Nigra, remains of Roman columns line the last 100 m of the street leading to the gate. Positioned where they had stood in Roman times, they give a slight impression of the aspect of the original Roman street that was lined with colonnades. The Porta Nigra, including the upper floors, is open to visitors.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.