Its
construction was interrupted by World War Two, which is why it was completed
only in the 1990s. It is interesting that this is the third church of the same
name in Omišalj. The first was an Early Christian basilica in Sepan, and the
second was the Church of St. Nicholas (Sveti Mikul in local dialect) in front
of the town gate on the site of the former cemetery and what is now the
memorial park.
The
incentive for the construction of the present-day Church of St. Nicholas on the
Sea came from the Society of St. Nicholas, the oldest association of immigrants
from Omišalj in New York. The association ceased to function, which led its
members to decide to use the society's savings to raise a church in Omišalj and
dedicate it to their patron St. Nicholas. Construction began in 1940, and the
church was built up to the roof in a relatively short time. However, work on
the interior was interrupted because of the war and could not be continued
afterwards due to unsolved problems concerning ownership of the land. Work was
resumed only after Croatia gained independence in the 1990s. The church, altar,
and new bell were consecrated on 11 August 1990 by the then Bishop of Krk, who
is today the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanić. The exterior walls
of the church are built of stone blocks. The church has a rectangular bell
tower. The new bell in the loggia of the bell tower bears the inscription: St.
Nicholas, patron saint of sailors and travellers, pray for the people of
Omišalj who live in the town and around the world. A gift from I. and I. Ahel
1990. USA. The church façade features a circular stone window with a relief of
a sailboat chiselled in white stone, the work of Vinko Matković, a renowned
sculptor from Sušak. On the decorative side altar of the church, there is an
altarpiece of St. Nicholas, the work of the painter Ana Sadnik.