The Kapitol district centers around the cathedral complex built on the higher hill of the upper town.
While Romans were once here, modern-day Zagreb traces its roots to 1094 when a diocese was located here. Its headquarters has changed many times and what we see (underneath the restorative scaffolding) is an 1880 neo-Gothic rehab after an earthquake collapsed the single spire and the interior dome.
The Hungarian king who established the bishopric was Ladislaus I who went on to sainthood -- and the cathedral was dedicated to him and a few others. Ladislaus expanded Hungary's realm into Croatia and he reorganized the Catholic Church accordingly. The onion-domed spire at right is St. Mary's, built in the 14th century and modified in the baroque wave of the 1740s (like many Zagreb churches). Like the cathedral to its left, St. Mary's sports an exterior rebuilt after the 1880 earthquake.
The first cathedral was removed by the Mongols in 1242. Its replacement was modified over time, including a large central spire -- destroyed by the 1880 earthquake. After the earthquake, the Austrian Hermann Bollé led the restoration. He went on to become a specialist in the neo-Gothic restoration of Zagreb and much of the "medieval" character of the town can be ascribed to Bollé who died here in 1926.
Bollé's neo-gothic tower lacks statues but hold clocks.
Current restoration is returned Bollé's neo-gothic facade into a sparkling jewel.
Note the intricate leaf work.
Angels hold the name cards for the statues below the gothic caps. When Gothic cathedrals were built, most viewers were illiterate. That may not have been the case after the 1880 earthquake when Herman Bollé created this neo-Gothic facade.
The central tympanum may hold Christ flanked by saints Stephen and Ladislaus.
The cathedral is dedicated to the Assumption so we have our requisite Madonna and Child statue at the top, between the twin spires.
A bit of gold decoration seems to be de rigueur.
Somehow the Trinity over the main entry seems to be rather vague among the precision of the rest of the statuary.
Inside we have a traditional nave and two aisles. The apse area seen at the rear has been given over to a mausoleum for Zagreb bishops including one currently proposed for sainthood.
Another view of the gothic apse
The side aisle
The pulpit is quite elaborate from the front.
The organ is from the mid 1800s.
A modern adaptation hides radiators between kneeler and pew.
Side altars sport triptychs with Gothic-like paintings. The late 19th century gothic rework removed most renaissance and baroque elements from the interior.
Here's some of the paintings such as this Annunciation.
These have a neo-gothic feel to them. What happened to Mary's halo?
Probably the Assumption -- for which the Cathedral is named.
Presentation of Mary in the Temple
The main altar and the bishops throne (formally called "the cathedral," of course.)
Behind the altar, the choir area serves as a bishops' mausoleum and includes the somewhat startling remains of Aloysius Viktor Stepinac who is up for canonization. He resisted both Nazis and Communists after becoming Archbishop before turning 40 years old. Tito threw him into prison for 5 years and severed relations with the Vatican when Puis XII gave Stepinac the red hat.
It was nothing personal. Tito's bunch tried its best to mitigate the influence of the Catholic Church including imprisoning several archbishops. The number of Catholic newspapers dropped from over a 100 to 3 after WWII.
The main altar facing the congregation sports a variety of secular and religious figures venerating the Virgin and Child at center.
Croatia's most famous sculptor, Ivan Meštrović, made this memorial plaque to Cardinal Stepinac -- funded by the Croatian community in Detroit.
Detail from Ivan Meštrović's relief.
Returning outside, this view looks west from the Cathedral across its large square. As they feared the Ottoman Turks, the Zagreb bishops finally constructed defensive walls around the cathedral and bishop's palace in the 15th century. About a century ago, the western walls were razed to open the plaza up to the rest of the Kapitol area. At center we see a mid-nineteenth century column topped by a Marian statue which, like the four gilded angels below it, is the work of the Viennese artist Anton Fernkorn. Fernkorn was Zagreb's alpha sculptor until native Croatian Ivan Meštrović arrived.
Fernkorn's statues:
including gilded angels.
The other 3 sides of the cathedral are flanked by a huge bishop's palace which over the years has been expanded into one u-shaped building with a baroque front added over most of it. As at right in this view of the southern wing, the defensive towers have been incorporated into the palace
To the south and east, the baroque facade provides an upscale and consistent view...
...but on the north side, we see buildings added onto the walls and between the defensive towers. The effect is somewhat softened by the garden. Some of the moat areas have been given over to parks on the exterior sides of the walls.
This view shows the north defensive walls. These rose around 1469 when the bishop feared an impending attack from the Ottomans. The Ottomans threatened for two centuries and their capture of Bosnia explains the crescent shape of modern Croatia. The scaffolding at right supports the renovation of the cathedral's neo-Gothic facade.
The west door seems to have been redone in the most recent restoration that ended in March 2009.
west side st marc stitched
Some consider this to be the most significant Gothic portal in Southeastern Europe. The work of a Prague family, it contains 11 niches...
...which contain 15 statues of the apostles.
Some of these are in sad shape including the headless Mary at top right over St. Mark with his Venetian lion.
Mary has lost her head; her Son, the whole top half of his body.
A bit of teleman here, maybe.
Ceiling medallion
The Vatican II altar seems to be a baroque recycle rather than a modern rectangle. It supports the harmony of St. Catherine's interior
Francesco Robba's St. Ignatius altar
The Trinity on the Ignatius altar
The sculptor who did the pulpit statues was somewhat less skilled
St. Catherine -- radiant under questioning from the Alexandrine philosophers
These may be stucco releifs of Antonio Quadrio from the 1720s. They illuminate the life of St. Catherine
A tomb of one of Croatia's governors, Ban Franjo Vlašić who fought for greater recognition of the Croatian and Slavonian languages. His Hungarian bosses insisted that schools teach Hungarian at the expense of the native tongues.
Note the dog at bottom
The angels give communion. What about that triangle standing in for God at the top?
The north side of St. Catherine's faces into the Jesuit courtyard
The south side has another large courtyard with expansive views of the Cathedral and St. Mary's church
Another view of the south courtyard
We found the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of Jesus edging Petar Preradovic Square.
From the outside, it could be just another Roman Catholic church.
Statues in niches, not unlike the Baroque St. Catherine's facade in the old town.
Inside, the DNA says Orthodox!
A lovely annunciation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_Orthodox_Cathedral
