St. Simeon's Church

Zadar, Croatia

First built in the 5th century, St. Simeon's Church has undergone alterations until as recently as 1980, and some find the terracotta and white exterior disappointing in comparison with the other churches. This 17th-century church is best known as the home of the mummified body of St. Simeon, one of Zadar’s patron saints.

The Chest of Saint Simeon is a rectangular cedarwood sarcophagus in the shape of a chasse, overlaid with silver and silver-gilt plaques, said to hold the relics of St Simon the God-receiver; it is located over the main altar in the Church of Saint Simeon. The chest, considered a masterpiece of medieval art and also a unique monument of the goldsmith's craft of the age, is one of the most interesting works in gold in Europe now under the protection of UNESCO. It was made by local goldsmiths to an Italian design between 1377 and 1380.

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Details

Founded: 17th century
Category: Religious sites in Croatia

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Robert Chomicz (2 years ago)
a visually underwhelming church located next to Petar Zoranic Squre. It hoses the supposed remains of st. Simeon, though that should be taken more on faith than anything else. The church is very strict on visitors, all must be decently dressed and no water or food of any kind will be allowed inside. There is a very rude and aggressive guard who will enforce said restrictions with a truly crusading zeal.
Massimo Nalli (3 years ago)
Be careful taking pictures inside this church. A crazy man ( no idea if he's a priest or wathelse) start yelling and shouting at me inside the church because I was taking pictures. He orderered me to delete them as I did because he was looking totally insane and I did not want to loose my camera. Be careful.
Alexandra Dumitru (3 years ago)
Very nice architecture in Zadar. A bit different from the other cathedrals
Sue Vogt-Skard (3 years ago)
Very nice church in the old town. Initially this church was an Early Christian three-nave basilica, then a Gothic building, and later a monument of Baroque characteristics. On its main Altar there is a silver casket with the relics of St Simeon, dating back to 1380. The Casket of St Simeon is considered to be the most valuable work of Medieval goldsmith art in Croatia, which was ordered by the Hungaro-Croatian Queen Elizabeth for the relics of St Simeon. It was made by the goldsmith Franciscus de Mediolano (of Milan), who was living in Zadar at the time, and in the south of the Church of St Simeon there is a Roman column that was put there from the Forum in 1729, and which is made of two preserved columns from the city temple on the Capitolium.
David Smith (4 years ago)
It was closed when I went but from outside seemed an interesting church with architecture differing from the other Zadar churches.
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