St. Michael the Archangel

Dugopolje

Parish Church of Dugopolje

In Stepinčeva Street stands the beautiful parish church of St. Michael the Archangel, built in 1938. It is called the "new" church because the old church of the same name stands right next to it. This magnificent three-nave stone building is 35 metres long, 19 metres wide and 15 metres high, while its bell towers are 33 metres high. The church is built of dressed white stone in the shape of a Latin cross; its façade has an atrium with a large triumphal arch reminiscent of the Cathedral of St. Tryphon in Kotor, and two bell towers topped with stone pyramids. This appearance is the work of architect Emilio Ciciliani. The church is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, and its co-patron is St. Jerome.

Right next to the new church, in the local cemetery of Dugopolje, proudly stands the old church of the same name. It was thoroughly restored in 1997 thanks to the Municipality of Dugopolje and various donors. Archaeological research carried out at that time established that the church had been extended several times. It acquired its present dimensions in 1768, and its interior was rearranged again in 1829. When the first church was built on this site cannot be said with certainty. Some sources suggest it may have been before the arrival of the Turks in the Dalmatian hinterland, while some cartographers of the second half of the 16th century mark Dugopolje on their drawings of Klis under the name of St. Michael, «S. Michel» or «S. Michiel». The church was repaired, and perhaps extended, in 1700 – the year carved above its door.