Tucked away in the Topolica district of Bar lie the remnants of a unique early Christian church – Trikonos, or the Triconch Church. Built in the 6th century, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, this sacred structure reflects the architectural style of the time: a single-nave church with three apses, the central one being more prominent than the two lateral ones. The church was constructed with small crushed stones, tightly set in lime mortar. Interestingly, each apse was supported by buttresses, and in the northern conch a vaulted tomb was discovered – likely the final resting place of the church’s founder. Around the church, a necropolis once spread, pointing to its importance as both spiritual and burial ground. Though only the lower parts of its walls remain today, the Trikonos still reveals its full floor plan. It invites visitors to imagine a time when Christianity took root along the Adriatic, and Bar became part of a broader cultural and religious transformation led by Justinian’s vision.
