The Monastery of St Francis Assisi is a Franciscan Monastery from the 13th century. Its church is the oldest gothic church in the region of Dalmatia. The Franciscan school was the origin of the University of Zadar. The museum of the monastery preserves many interesting artefacts.
When in 1752 a massive fire broke out at the Arsenal, a warehouse that was storing gunpowder for the war fleet of the Republic of Venice, the citizens of Zadar desperately called upon the Lady of Castello, or today Our Lady of Health. Since the fire burned itself out thanks to the help of Our Lady, the citizens of Zadar organize a procession every year on 21st November and distribute fritule (fritters) to passers-by, as a sign of gratitude to the Lady. The stone plate with words of appreciation to Our
Zadar Cathedral is a Romanesque building with three naves, it is the largest church in Dalmatia. It was built twice, in the 9th and 11th centuries on the site of an early Christian basilica, and in the 12th and 13th centuries. The late Romanesque façade with arcades with columns in the upper part was completed in 1324.
The Church of St. Donatus, whose construction began in the 9th century, is the most valuable pre-Romanesque monument of Croatia and one of the symbols of the city of Zadar.
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