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The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik
The Cathedral of St. James in Šibenik*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Croatia
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	963
Region**	Europe and North America
	Inscription history
Inscription	2000 (24th Session)
	* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.; ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Cathedral of St. James (Croatian: Katedrala sv. Jakova) in Šibenik, Croatia is a cathedral church of the Catholic Church in Croatia, the see of Šibenik bishopric. The Cathedral has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000.

The cathedral is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. It is often mistakenly known as "St Jacob's", because Croatian, like many other languages, uses the same name for both "James" and "Jacob".

The building of the church was initiated in 1402, though plans on its construction had already begun in 1298, when Šibenik became a municipality. The actual work to transform the older church began in 1431. A multitude of Venetian and local craftsmen worked on it, in Gothic style.

In 1441, the Grand City Council entrusted the work to the master Giorgio da Sebenico (Giorgio Orsini or Juraj Dalmatinac). He enlarged the cathedral with a side nave and apses, prepared it for the dome and added various sculptural decorations, including 71 small human heads on the outer sides and a baptistery, all in stone. Giorgio Orsini worked on the cathedral up to his death in 1475.

Between 1475 and 1505 the work was overseen by Tuscan master Nikola Firentinac (Niccolò Fiorentino). He continued the building in the Renaissance style, completing the dome, the outer sculptures of St. Michael, St. James and St. Mark, the roof and the upper façade. He also built the triforias (parallel galleries) and worked on the presbytery and sanctuary. After Fiorentino died in 1505, the construction was finally completed in 1536 by two other craftsmen, Bartolmeo of Mestra and his son Jacob, completely following Nicholas' instructions.

The cathedral officially became consecrated in 1555.

The dome of the church was heavily damaged by the JNA-supported Serb forces during the shelling of Sibenik in September 1991. Within years it was quickly repaired with no damage visible.

[edit] Gallery

The front side of the cathedral with the rosetta and the portal	Portal - detail	Main altar	The cathedral dome and sculptures
Side portal	Human heads on the external part belong to unknown individuals, but it is commonly speculated that Juraj Dalmatinac made them after the local residents of Šibenik at the time.	Baptistery

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 43°44′11″N 15°53′25″E / 43.73639°N 15.89028°E / 43.73639; 15.89028