| Church of the Holy Cross | |
| Crkva Svetog Križa | |
|---|---|
| Location | Nin, Croatia |
| Country | Croatia |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Pre-Romanesque |
Church of the Holy Cross (Croatian: Crkva svetog Križa), also known as "the smallest cathedral in the world",[1][2] is a Croatian Pre-Romanesque Catholic church originating from the 9th century in Nin. According to a theory from an art historian Mladen Pejaković,[3] the design has an intentionally unbalanced elliptical form designated to "follow" the position of the Sun, retaining the functionality of a calendar and sundial.[3] In its beginning, in the time of the Croatian principality, it was used as a royal chapel of the duke's courtyard nearby.[3]
The church is that of a central type, it features the Croatian wattle (or simply "troplet") and a carved name of the Croatian župan "Godečaj".[3]