The diocese of Krbava which was centered around the cathedral of St. James Senior was first founded in 1185 on provincial Church Council in
Split. At a time, it was a first diocese located behind
Mount Velebit, in county of
Krbava. The first bishop of Krbava diocese was named Matej (Matthew). The territory which diocese covered stretched as far as
Trsat. The Vatican Archives document which mentions the consecration of the cathedral is dated to the year 1431, however, both diocese and the cathedral are likely even older since another document from 1389 mentions some dispute between
Zagreb Capitol and bishop of Krbava. There was also a
Francisian Monastery nearby, founded in 1373. An old fort was erected next to the cathedral to protect it, which was located east of the cathedral. The diocese of Krbava existed until appearance in Ottomans in the area and their subsequent conquests. In 1460, due to ever increasing Ottoman
akinji raids, the diocese moved its seat to
Modruš, which was then owned by the
Frankopan family. Subsequently, it was moved even further, to
Novi Vinodolski by 1493. In his flight from the Ottomans, then bishop of Modruš Krištofor took along the golden cross which was once owned by the original bishop of Krbava, Matej. This cross is today stored in the church of Saints Philip and James, in village of
Bribir, near
Novi Vinodolski. The continuous Ottoman incursions and conquests led to the depopulation and destruction of catholic churches in the area. This was followed by the arrival of new population which practiced different religions. As the time passed, the
Krbava cathedral of St. James Senior became buried underground. During the course of
Croatian War of Independence, the area of Udbina was occupied by the rebelled Serbs. In 1994, they dug out two large trenches for their
MLRS systems on top of the cathedral remains. While doing this, they damaged many nearby graves and parts of the cathedral. In spite of the damage caused to the site, this later helped Croatian archeologists to begin with the research, in the aftermath of the
Operation Storm. == Description ==