Croatian National Shrine of St. Nikola Tavelić is located in
Šibenik and is dedicated to the first Croatian canonized saint St.
Nikola Tavelić (Tavilić).
Croatian National Shrine of St.
Nikola Tavelić in Šibenik is one of the most popular shrines on the
Dalmatian coast. The monastery and the church within the sanctuary
are dedicated to St. Francis. Church of St. Frane was built in the
second half of the 15th century in the extreme southeastern part of
the historic city center near the sea. Church of St. Frane was
consecrated on May 31, 1423. Since 1970, with the occupation of the
bishop, this church has been proclaimed the Croatian National Shrine
of St. Nikola Tavelić. At the time of the Baroque period, this
magnificent building was also decorated with Baroque altars, the
side of which have been preserved to this day, while the main marble
altar, with a stone superstructure, was largely removed during
restoration in the 1970s. Of particular value in the church are the
organs of the famous organ maker Petar Nakić.
Croatian
National Shrine of St. Nikola Tavelić had
seven altars, and occasionally more. Many altars were created and
erected as a votive gift of the faithful. The four baroque altars
have their own special historical and artistic value. One is
dedicated to St. Nikola Tavelić.
Within the church and
monastery, there is also the Museum of St. Frane with church books
and artistic sacral objects. The museum library stands out with a
collection of 140 incunabula and a collection of manuscript codices.
There is also the "Šibenik Prayer", one of the oldest Croatian
linguistic and literary monuments, written in Latin around 1375.