The old city of Kotor is 13 centuries old.The Kotorans are 30% Catholic and 70% Orthodox. There are 2 Orthodox and 6 Catholic churches in the old town. It is assumed that the first inhabitants of Kotor were Catholics, which is understandable, since the Romans were the first to settle the area of present-day Kotor. The Orthodox population came in 14th Century.
Saint Luke church is the oldest Orthodox church in Kotor. It is located on the Orthodox square and was erected in 1195, during the reign of the Serbian dynasty Nemanjici. The church was built in Romanesque style and, according to the preserved donor inscription on the church, was erected by Mauro Kazafrangi with his wife Bono. Originally, St. Luke's Church was a Catholic church. Orthodox people settled in Kotor in the fourteenth century. At first, they did not have their own church, so the Catholics allowed them to put their icon inside the church of St. Luke, so they had a place to pray.
An Orthodox church was built quite late inside of the city walls of Kotor. It is a church of St. Nicholas, built in 1902, on the foundations of a church that was originally built in the seventeenth century but destroyed in the nineteenth century. The Church of St. Nicholas was built until 1909, and its designer was the famous architect Cyril Ivekovic from Sarajevo. The church was built in Byzantine style, along the walls of the old town.
St. Tripun Cathedral is one of the symbols of Kotor. St. Tripun is the protector of the city of Kotor. The Cathedral of St. Tripun was built in 1166, at the site of the church also dedicated to St. Tripun,from IX. century. In one of the first earthquakes that struck Kotor, the old church was destroyed, and in its place, the people of Kotor erected a cathedral and dedicated it to their patron saint.
Our Lady of Health is a Catholic church located halfway to the top of Fort San Giovanni, more precisely on about 650 step, in front of which is a magnificent view of the city. The church was built in the 17th century, after the great plague had ravaged Kotor. According to legend, the water source was located in the same place where Our Lady of Health Church is built. The plague had already taken hold and the people needed something to believe in, in order to be healed.
The Church of Saint Ozana is located in the northeastern part of the city center of Kotor, more precisely in one of the longest streets in Kotor, in the square of Blessed Ozana or lately popularly called the cat square, due to the large number of cats that have been gathering there in the last few years. One and a half meters below the level of the present church, the remains of a baptistery and church furniture were found, which testify that there was a church built earlier in the same place.
