Who we are
The Interpretation Centre of St James Cathedral “Civitas Sacra – Holy City” is located within the Galbiani Palace in the old center of Šibenik, between Kalelarga and Zagrebačka streets, and was officially opened on May 13, 2019.
The permanent exhibition extends over three floors where, among other things, the following are exhibited:
– original stone sculptures of Juraj Dalmatinac and Nikola Florentinac
– some of the most valuable paintings in the Republic of Croatia from the Baroque and Renaissance periods
– polyptych of Nikola Valdanov
– a rich treasury of liturgical vestments and dishes
– other objects of the rich cultural heritage of the Sibenik diocese.
The permanent part of exhibition also abounds with a multitude of interactive content that tell the story of the Šibenik Cathedral in a completely new and interesting way:
– two video games
– carving the name on the stone monolith
– scanning the face in stone…
In addition to the permanent exhibition, inside the Galbiani Palace there is also a gallery for occasional exhibitions, a multimedia hall, a souvenir shop and a restaurant with a terrace at the very top of the palace.
The Interpretation Centre ‘Civitas sacra – Sacred City’ gathers the rich history of the Diocese of Šibenik in one place and tells its visitors tales of the specific features of the construction of the Šibenik cathedral that were revolutionary for the architecture of its period, as well as of the importance of this building for the history of Šibenik and its cultural importance for the entire region of Šibenik. Its story is also a story of people – the natives of Šibenik whose efforts made the erection of this magnificent edifice possible.
The Interpretation Centre was named in honour of this distinctive, yet rare spirit of unity that, in mediaeval times, inspired all the social strata of Šibenik to unite around the idea of building a cathedral known as civitas sacra, or sacred city, and to persist for many centuries in their efforts to construct it – peasants, noblemen and clergy alike.
ABOUT THE PROJECT‘Civitas sacra’ is an integrated project for improving the tourist offer of the city of Šibenik and is based on the valuation of the cultural heritage of the Cathedral of St James and Galbiani Palace, whose total value amounts to HRK 36,380,859.92. In addition to contributing to the valuation of heritage protected by UNESCO – the Cathedral of St James – the great value of this project is also reflected in the fact that the project holder is the Diocese of Šibenik, which makes this the first large-scale project of the Church in Croatia that has received funds from the EU – namely, HRK 30,911,666.34 in non- refundable funds.
As part of the project Civitas Sacra, the Interpretation Centre of the Cathedral of St James was built and organised inside the mediaeval Palace Galbiani, a four-storey edifice located in the very heart of the old town of Šibenik, just one hundred metres from UNESCO’s crown jewel, followed by the erection of the children’s playground on the Šibenik boardwalk and the installation of interpretative signage in the old town core of Šibenik.