As Sibenik grew from a small Croatian village into a beautiful prosperous city and even became the center of the diocese, its inhabitants did not give up the idea of ​​building a cathedral. They wanted a majestic and monumental cathedral, not only to show off their city to guests but also to personally enjoy masses in a luxurious Catholic shrine. The citizens got what they wanted, but only almost 1.5 centuries later, when the lands of modern Croatia had come under Venetian rule and the construction of true architectural masterpieces had begun everywhere.

The construction of the Cathedral of St. James began in 1431 on the site of an ancient church, which had been destroyed to ruins. This magnificent example of medieval Gothic architecture with elements of the Venetian style popular at that time was designed by the famous Croatian architect and sculptor Giorgio da Sebenico (Juraj Dalmatinac). He invented a unique masonry specifically for the cathedral. This allowed him to build it without bricks and wood, only from stone slabs. Moreover, the talented master installed 74 sculptures by his outstanding contemporaries on the altar of the temple.

Although the architect spent more than 40 years creating his masterpiece, he never managed to build its main dome. The construction of the legendary cathedral was continued by another famous architect, the Italian Nicolas of Florence (Nicola Firentinac). He created the elegant stucco in the style of the Tuscan Renaissance and the sculptures of Saints James, Michael, and Mark. Finally, in 1536, the cathedral was completed almost a century after the start of its construction. Then it acquired all its splendor, beginning to amaze all visitors with its beauty.

Even after the tragic events of 1991, numerous Serbian bombings failed to destroy the main shrine of Sibenik. Thanks to a thorough restoration, the cathedral was completely restored and became one of the seven churches in Croatia with the honorary status of "minor basilica".