Trg Sv. Tripuna, Kotor, Montenegro
Cathedral of St. Tryphon
A Romanesque cathedral in the walled city of Kotor, Montenegro, dating to 1166 and housing relics of the city's patron saint in one of the best-preserved medieval towns on the Adriatic.
St. Tryphon's cathedral stands inside the walls of Kotor's old town, a UNESCO site tucked between the Bay of Kotor and the steep mountains behind it. The church was first built in 809 and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1166; the twin bell towers were added after another earthquake in the 17th century. The Romanesque interior is austere and beautiful — bare stone walls, rounded arches, a 14th-century ciborium over the altar carved in local stone, and frescoes dating to the 1300s. The relics of St. Tryphon, a 3rd-century martyr, are kept in a silver-gilt reliquary in the chapel. Kotor has been Catholic since late antiquity, even as the surrounding region shifted between Catholic and Orthodox spheres.
Diocese: Diocese of Kotor
Style: Romanesque
What to See
The ciborium is exceptional medieval stonework. The frescoes in the apse are worn but evocative. The reliquary of St. Tryphon is in a side chapel and worth seeking out. Climb the town walls afterward for a view down onto the cathedral's twin towers.
Pilgrim Notes
Mass is offered in Croatian. Kotor is reachable by bus from Dubrovnik or by cruise ship. The old town is small and walkable. The Feast of St. Tryphon on February 3 is the town's biggest celebration.