The Construction Chronology of the Cathedral of St Anastasia in Zadar

Abstract

In scholarly literature, the prevailing hypothesis suggesting that the Cathedral of St Anastasia was built under Archbishop Lampridius (1141/54-1178) and enlarged under Archbishop Laurentius Periander (1245-1287) has persisted for nearly a century. While this perspective is reiterated in P. Vežić latest monograph, he now dismisses the damage inflicted by the Venetian-Crusader conquest of Zadar in 1202 as the primary motif for the Cathedral’s extension. This challenges not only the rationale behind the extension, but also prompts a re-evaluation of the overall construction timeline. This paper draws attention to overlooked details indicating that the analogous church of St Chrysogonus (consecrated in 1175) underwent further construction in the 13th century, and to the fact that the variety of sculptures in St Anastasia contradicts the hypothesis of simultaneous origins. Instead, the author proposes the hypothesis that the Cathedral was largely constructed during the time of Archbishop L. Periander and extended only after its consecration in 1285. Supporting this claim, the paper presents, for the first time in its entirety, the only historical source on this matter. It is the account of Daniele Farlati, which explicitly states that Archbishop Periander built the cathedral from the ground up. This point of view is reinforced by a comparative examination of historical and social circumstances in the second half of the 12th and the 13th century.