Restored Complex Of The Church And Monastery Of St. Nicholas Is Opening In April

The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Fund for Regional Development through the program Restoration of the Cultural Heritage of the Urban Area of Zadar within the Priority Axis 6 framework Environmental Protection and Sustainability of Resources and the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014 – 2020. The Zadar City Tourist Board is one of the partners in the project. Following the application to the project, officially called Reconstruction of the Complex of the Former Church and Monastery of St. Nicholas in Zadar, the approved decision came in 2020, and the works started in May of 2021. After the beginning of the works, there were certain complications, especially with the church of St. Nikolas and its construction that did not meet the anti-seismic requirements, and therefore, the documentation was supplemented to strengthen the construction. Ultimately, the works themselves ended at the end of 2023 , remaining only with the detailing and furnishing.

The official value of the project is four million Euro, and it does not refer only to the construction but also to the furnishing. There were some amendments due to an increase in the costs, and these acquired the assistance of the Ministry.

The new center will enable the presentation of what is being done at the International Center for Underwater Archeology in Zadar, their activities related to work, diving, restoration and underwater archeology, not only in Croatia, but also in the world. 

The complex consists of several buildings, starting with the reception building with a souvenir shop and a small bookstore, followed by the presentation pavilion, which is a room where they will hold some kind of experimental archeology and workshops for children and tourists and all visitors, such as, for example, making a replica of some finding and similar. 

Three dormitories have also been built, which will be used by students who come for education, as well as professors and instructors. The dormitories are completely of non-commercial character and not for renting but solely for the needs of the center, our host, Mladen Pešić, PhD, and director of the International Center for Underwater Archeology in Zadar, explained.

The magnificent church of St. Nicholas is definitely the most attractive part of this complex. The locals of Zadar are looking forward to the opening as well as foreign tourist as who will very soon have the opportunity of seeing various events that are to take place in the complex. Namely, prior to the reconstruction, the herein mentioned church was a place where various concerts took place due to its extraordinary acoustics.

Once renewed, the lower part houses a multifunctional space related to exhibitions and concerts and conferences, therefore, for various public events.

- The above two galleries concern underwater archeology where we have an educational-presentation setup with exhibits and virtual screens where people can educate themselves with VR glasses and more modern things. The belfry from the 12th century is also part of the complex, being a protected cultural asset without any particular activities for the conservators said that it must remain in its former condition, but one can climb up to a small viewpoint. We have also acquired office spaces for new employees on two floors, a small conference room and part of the equipment that has come as part of the project, such as sound systems, showcases, furniture, etc. The church of St. Nicholas is open for concerts and there are already agreements with the Zadar Concert Office for potential concerts and open events also – the director informed us.

It should be emphasized that this entire area has an interesting history that goes back to ancient times. 

- When archaeological researches started in 2014, precisely for the purpose of designing and to see what the layers were like, we discovered that beneath us there were even layers of prehistory, then the Roman parts of the settlement of the city of Zadar and later throughout the history of the city. Therefore, there are three meters of layers of archeological findings under us. The Baroque church itself dates from the 18th century, from 1798, when the construction ended but was never completely finished for the Poor Clare nuns that were living there did not succeed in completing the church construction partly due to war turmoil and partly due to the lack of funds. They later moved to the church of St. Mary, and this church had various functions.  It became an army barracks, then a military hospital, and then army barracks again for many years during the Austro-Hungarian rule. It was completely devastated with some holes for chimneys, mezzanine structures, etc. There was also a big fire that destroyed the roof, and later Tankerska plovidba got it from the Archaeological Museum and repaired the roof, and it served as their archive for 30 years. In 2014, the Ministry attributed it to us and various archeological researches followed inside and outside the church. At the same time, phased design was also done and thus the project documentation was completed at the end of 2018 – Pešić narrated.

The reconstruction of the church did not affect its extraordinary acoustics, so we believe that there will be wonderful concerts and musical experiences in it once more.

The floor of the church has been completely changed, similar slabs have been replaced like the earlier ones, but they were either destroyed or partly concreted. Some parts of the columns have been replaced, the roof is completely new, a modern approach has substituted the beams. The two capitals of the columns have been remade completely according to the model of the old ones in the way that they were carved out of stone in one piece and thus erected and set up, while the others have been partially reconstructed. 

There is an elevator inside the church that takes you to two galleries that are intended exclusively for underwater archaeology, and exhibits are being prepared for the installation of showcases on various topics related to underwater archaeology, restoration as well as protection.

The large, spacious yard is also an additional space for holding certain outdoor events.

Five new employees have been hired as part of the project, the director informed us, and they will work on the activities that will take place on the maintenance and organization of the content. However, there will be additional employment. The fact is that with the completion of the renovation, Zadar is getting another tourist attraction open to visitors who will be able to get involved and actively participate in certain workshops. It will be open to tourists during the summer season, and the working hours will be all day and on weekends. Other exhibitions of international character are planned to take place in the lower part, Pešić announced.

- Last year, in cooperation with the Ministry in Paris, we nominated a system for the protection of Croatian underwater sites in UNESCO, where we have a specific system where tourists can come to certain sites through diving centers and dive. Diving centers protect these sites and take care of their safety, but at the same time they themselves earn money from guiding tourists to these sites, and this is something that is specific to Croatia. UNESCO thus recognized and acknowledged the protection system, so we will present not only that system but also 13 different world models for the protection of underwater sites, and that should be from June to September.

Another exhibition is being prepared related to the research of the ancient shipwreck at Piruzi, so that this educational presentation center will come to life in full glory and thus fulfill its purpose.