Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.61.2.6
Changes In The Space Of The Church Of St. Francis In Zadar From The 14th To The 17th Century
Ana Mišković
orcid.org/0000-0002-7054-6469
; Department of Art History, University of Zadar, Zadra, Croatia
Abstract
The paper presents the key changes in the spatial conception of the Church of St. Francis in Zadar from the 14th to the 17th century. These are based on the relationship between two essential liturgical areas: the sanctuary with the choir, and the space for the laity. At the end of the 14th century, the famous choir stalls, the work of Giovanni da Borgo Sansepolcro, were installed within the sanctuary; today they are located in the rear (eastern) part of the church. The stalls depict motifs from Christian iconography as well as four figures: St. Chrysogonus, Louis of Toulouse, St. Francis, and the then guardian of the monastery, Friar Benedikt. The paper problematizes their original position and, on the basis of precise measurements, concludes that they were arranged in the shape of a double “L”.
Furthermore, the study provides dates for the demolition of the podium — a liturgical element that physically divided the church into the space for clergy and the laity — which had existed from the mid-15th century until the second third of the 16th century. The Franciscan community in Zadar commissioned the renowned builder and stonecutter Juraj Matejev Dalmatinac to construct the podium.
It also appears that towards the end of the same 16th century the choir space was altered, as suggested by the dating of burials found in the area of the choir stalls. Information on the changes in the eastern part of the church of St. Francis is also found in the visitation report of the apostolic visitor Agostino Valier from 1579, who ordered the enlargement of the side chapels flanking the central main apse. The next visitor, Michael Priuli, in 1603 likewise records important information concerning the cult of Gregory the Martyr of Zadar, whose relics were kept within the main altar.
All this points to the necessity of withdrawing the friars into the rear part of the church, thereby forming a retrochoir, and ultimately, with the installation of the high altar — a work produced in the workshop of Baldassare Longhena in 1672 — they became completely isolated.
Keywords
choir; choir stalls; podium; Louis of Anjou; Matafar; Trent
Hrčak ID:
348423
URI
Publication date:
29.6.2026.
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