St. Mary's Church (Crkva Svete Marije)

St. Mary’s Church, Crkva Svete Marije, belongs to the old religious quarter of Krk Town, the main town of the island of Krk, in the Kvarner Bay, in Croatia. It stands in the historic centre close to Kamplin, the small main square beside the cathedral, and it is part of a cluster of churches and episcopal buildings that makes this corner of the old town one of the most interesting on the Croatian islands.

Krk is among the oldest settled places on the Adriatic. The Romans knew the town as Curicum, and it has been a bishopric since the early Christian period, which explains why a town of its size has such a concentration of churches. The old town is a compact maze of narrow stone streets inside walls that date mainly from the Middle Ages, with a Frankopan castle at the seaward end and gates that still give access from the harbour. The Frankopan family, who ruled the island for centuries, left a strong mark on the architecture and the art of its churches, and under Venetian rule the town prospered as a seat of the bishop and a trading post.

The church is described as Romanesque, a three-nave structure built from local limestone and divided by rows of columns, in the sober style that was typical of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries on the Adriatic. Thick walls, small windows and plain round arches give such buildings a feeling of solidity and calm, and the stone, quarried on the island, takes on a warm honey colour in the sun. Over the centuries, successive generations added to the building and to its furnishings, so the interior shows a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features, including a wooden Baroque pulpit and a silver altarpiece linked to the Frankopan patrons, which are among the treasures that visitors can see. A museum of sacred art connected with the cathedral, which displays liturgical objects, reliquaries and church plate, adds to the interest of a visit.

The church is closely associated with the nearby Cathedral of the Assumption, and the two buildings are often visited together as part of the same religious complex. Visitors should note that, because it is a working place of worship, opening hours depend on services and the season, and visitors should dress modestly and keep quiet. The site is accessible to the public, and the atmosphere is serene.

Krk’s old town also offers the Town Square, the town walls and gates, and a lively harbour with cafés and restaurants, so the church fits easily into a walk of an hour or two. It suits visitors interested in religious art and in Romanesque architecture, and it is a good place to escape the summer heat.