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.
Locals like to say that the cathedral is much older, which is also true, because today the remains of the old church from 9th century are preserved inside of the cathedral. Inside the cathedral are the relics of St. Trypun, brought from Constantinople to Kotor, in a silver casket, which was built by goldsmiths from Kotor. The cathedral’s patron was Andrea Saracenih, whose white marble sarcophagus is located in the cathedral.
The cathedral is open for visits. Every Sunday from 9am to 11am there is a Holy Mass in the Cathedral. There are 3 large altars inside and at the very end, there is something that catches the eye of the guests - it is a golden fall, the work of the Kotor masters, which represents a true masterpiece from the 15th century. The life of a saint is represented in 12 paintings. In front of the fall, there is a pink and white ciborium from the fourteenth century, below which the newlyweds make a vow on eternal love. The ciborium is assumed to be part of Fr. Vita Kotoranin, who is the builder of the church Visoki Decani. Sometimes it is possible to see abandoned Biedermeier in the cathedral, because every bride who gets married in this place leaves the Biedermeier in the cathedral, believing that this act will bring her a happy marriage.
On the second floor, after 30 steps, there is a small room that holds the relics of St. Trypun and the Cathedral Treasury. The saints' relics are presented only once a year, in procession through the old town, on February 4th. In the Cathedral treasury it is possible to see the remains of an old church from the 9th century, as well as numerous relics made in Kotor from the 14th to the 17th centuries - part of the Kotor goldsmiths works. The balcony of the cathedral offers a magnificent view on the square and the rooftops of Kotor houses.
Entrance fee to St. Tripun’s Church
Entrance to the cathedral: 3,5 €
Opening hours of St. Tripun's Church
The Church of St. Tripun is open every day from 08:00am to 6:00pm.
Author of the text:
Marijana Niković licensed tourist guide for Montenegro.
If you are interested in guided tours in English, please contact me at:
(Viber) 00382 68 230 241
Photo credit: Balša Dabetić - instagram profile
