8 Best Sights in Northern Dalmatia, Croatia

Zadar's star attraction, this massive cylindrical structure is the most monumental early Byzantine church in Croatia. Initially called the Church of the Holy Trinity, it was probably inspired by plans outlined in a book by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, De Administrando Imperio (On Ruling the Empire). Centuries later, it was rededicated to St. Donatus, the bishop here from 801 to 814. Legend has it that Donatus, an Irishman, was the one who had it built using stone from the adjacent Forum. The stark round interior features a circular center surrounded by an annular passageway; a sanctuary consisting of three apses attached to the lofty mantle of the church walls, set off from the center by two columns; and a gallery reached by a circular stairway. During the off-season (November to March), when the church is closed, someone at the Archaeological Museum next door may have a key to let you in.

This three-nave basilica's simple front is decorated with a Gothic portal, an appropriately lacelike Renaissance rosette, and unfinished figures of saints. A relief over the entrance depicts the Virgin Mary protecting the townsfolk of Pag. Begun in 1466 under Dalmatinac's direction, it was completed only decades after his death. Inside, note the elaborate 18th-century Baroque altars and the wood beams visible on the original stone walls. The church is open daily from 9 until noon and from 5 until 7 in the evening.

Legend has it that a local noblewoman founded a Benedictine convent on this site in 1066 and the adjoining St. Mary's Church in 1091. Rebuilt in the 16th century, the church was supposed to incorporate a new Renaissance look into the remnants of its earlier style: its rounded gables remained, continuing to express a particular Dalmatian touch. Early Romanesque frescoes are still evident amid the predominantly Baroque interior, and your eyes will discover 18th-century rococo above the original columns. Most noteworthy for modern-day visitors, however, is the adjoining convent complex, two wings of which house one of Zadar's most treasured museums. The Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art, whose highlight is commonly called "The Gold and Silver of Zadar," is a remarkable collection of work from centuries past by local gold- and silversmiths (including Italians and Venetians who lived here), from reliquaries for saints and crucifixes to vestments interwoven with gold and silver thread.

The 18th-century Crkva svetog Anselma, dedicated to a 1st-century martyr believed to have been Nin's first bishop, was built on the site of Nin's former 9th-century cathedral, the first cathedral of the medieval Croatian principality. To the right of the altar is a 15th-century statue of the Madonna of Zečevo, inspired by the appearance of the Virgin Mary to a woman on a nearby island. Though the church is plain—the ceiling is adorned with only a lovely chandelier and a smoke detector—the foundations of the former cathedral are still much in evidence. Beside the church is the belfry, and next door is the treasury, which houses a stunning little collection of reliquaries containing various body parts of St. Anselmo.

Built in the 5th century as a three-nave basilica, St Simeon's Church was later reconstructed in Gothic style and again in Baroque style—however, the terra-cotta and white exterior pales when compared to some of the city's other churches. St. Simeon's Church is best known for housing the gilded silver sarcophagus of Zadar's most famous patron saint. The chest, which depicts intricately detailed scenes from St. Simeon's life and the city's history, was commissioned in 1381 by Elizabeth, wife of Croat-Hungarian King Ludwig I, and made by Francesco di Antonio da Sesto of Milan, one of Zadar's best silversmiths. As for St. Simeon, legend has it that his body wound up here while being transported from the Holy Land to Venice by a merchant who got caught in a storm, took refuge here, fell ill, and died—but not before drawing attention to the saintliness of the body he'd brought with him. Palm trees outside the church lend the site a pleasant Mediterranean touch.

Croatia's oldest church, the 8th-century Crkva svetog Križa is also known locally as the "world's smallest cathedral." Indeed, the simple, three-naved whitewashed structure—which has a solid cylindrical top and a few tall Romanesque windows (too high to peek inside)—has an unmistakable monumental quality to it even though it's no larger than a small house. There's little to see inside, though it is sometimes open, erratically, in summer; check with the tourist office or the Archaeological Museum.

Dalmatia's oldest Gothic church, consecrated in 1280, is a stellar example of a so-called Gothic monastic church, characterized by a single nave with a raised shrine. Although the church underwent extensive reconstruction in the 18th century, behind the main altar is a shrine dating to 1672; inside the shrine, you can see choir stalls in the floral Gothic style that date to 1394. In 1358 a peace treaty was signed in this very sacristy under which the Venetian Republic ended centuries of attack and handed Zadar over to the protection of the Croat-Hungarian kingdom. From mid-October through March or April, the church may keep irregular hours.

From an earlier church, Dalmatia's largest basilica was shaped into its magnificent Romanesque form in the 12th and 13th centuries. However, it was damaged severely during World War II and later reconstructed. The front portal is adorned with striking Gothic reliefs and a dedication to Archbishop Ivan from 1324. The interior includes not only a high spacious nave but also a Gothic stone ciborium from 1332 covering the 9th-century altar; intricately carved 15th-century choir stalls by the Venetian artist Matej Morozon; and, in the sacristy, an early Christian mosaic. St. Anastasia is buried in the altar's left apse; according to legend, she was the wife of a patrician in Rome but was eventually burned at the stake. Bishop Donatus of Zadar obtained the remains in 804 from Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I. The late-19th-century belfry, separate from the main church building, offers a sweeping view to those who climb to the top for a fee, but even the 20 steps up to the ticket desk rewards you with a decent view of the square below.