Renaissance in Croatia  The Renaissance in Croatia is a period of cultural enrichment in Croatia that began at the end of the 15th century and lasted until the second quarter of the 16th century. In the 15th century, Croatia was in a personal union with Kingdom of Hungary since 1102, Dalmatian cities were under the rule of the Venetian Republic (with the exception of Dubrovnik), later the Habsburgs gained control over the Croatian crown in the early 16th century and more and more territories came under Ottoman occupation. Dalmatia was on the periphery of several influences, just as far from Italy as from the Ottomans in Bosnia and Austrians in the north, so it benefited from all of these. In such circumstances Dalmatian religious and public architecture flourished, with clear influences from the Italian Renaissance. Three works from that period are of European importance, and would contribute to further development of the Renaissance: the Šibenik Cathedral, the Chapel of Blessed John in Trogir, and Sorkočević’s villa in Dubrovnik. Only in this kind of environment, far from major governing centers, was it possible for the artisan known as Juraj Dalmatinac to build a church entirely to his own design, the Šibenik Cathedral, in 1441. Besides a mixing of Gothic and Renaissance style it was also original in the combination of stone building and montage construction (big stone blocks, pilasters and ribs were bounded with joints and slots on them - without concrete) in the way that was usual in wooden constructions. This was a unique building with so-called three-leaf frontal and half-barrel vaults, the first in Europe. The cathedral and its original stone dome was finished by Nikola Firentinac following the original plans of Juraj. On the cathedral there is a coronal of 72 sculpture portraits on the outside wall of the apses. Juraj himself did 40 of them, and all are unique with original characteristics on their faces. Work on Šibenik cathedral inspired Nicola in his work on the expansion of the Chapel of Blessed John of Trogir in 1468. Just like Šibenik cathedral, it was composed out of large stone blocks with extreme precision. In cooperation with a disciple of Juraj, Andrija Aleši, Nicola achieved a unique harmony of architecture and sculpture according to antique ideals. From inside, there is no flat wall. In the middle of the chapel, on the altar, lies the sarcophagus of blessed John of Trogir.