Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew in Kapitul, Romanesque cathedral in Kapitul, Croatia
The Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew in Kapitul was a three-nave basilica about 32 metres long and 14 metres wide, with three apses and a bell tower, built from 1203 on the site of an earlier Benedictine monastery near Knin. Its appearance is known from a 1927 reconstruction drawing by architect Ćiril Iveković. Excavations in September 2017 uncovered the northern wall and the junction with the facade.
The cathedral was built in 1203 on the grounds of a former Benedictine monastery. It served as the seat of the Knin diocese until Ottoman threats prompted the relocation of religious authority to Cazin.
The cathedral was dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, who became patron of the Knin cathedral chapter and appeared on its seal. The main apse, called the Chapel of St Bartholomew, served as a locus credibilis, a place of public faith where the chapter's archives were most likely kept.
The site is now an archaeological area open for exploration. Visitors should wear comfortable walking shoes as only foundations and wall remains are visible on the uneven ground.
The 10th-century stone tablet naming kings Stjepan Držislav and Svetoslav Suronja was not found in the cathedral: it came from the earlier Benedictine monastery on the site. Lujo Marun arranged with the railway workers building the Knin–Siverić line in 1885 to hand over finds, and the tablet is now kept in Split's Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments.
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