Zagreb Cathedral, consecrated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Stephen, is the most recognizable and impressive landmark of the Croatian capital, Zagreb. The cathedral is Gothic in architecture, measures 77m long and 46m wide, and its twin spires reach a height of 105m. It stands in Zagreb's Kaptol district, one of two old towns that make up the nucleus of Old Zagreb, and the building itself can accomodate up to 5,000 people.

History

After Croatia's royal dynasty ended in the 11th century with the death of King Zvonimir, the Croatian Sabor concluded the Pacta Conventa in 1091 with Hungarian King László (Ladislaus), which gave him the Croatian crown in exchange for complete Croatian autonomy within Hungary. The history of Zagreb Cathedral began shortly thereafter, when King Ladislaus officially established the Archdiocese of Zagreb and ordered a cathedral to be built in 1093.

The first cathedral was constructed in a transitional Romance style, on the site of a 10th century church. This cathedral, however, was razed by an invading force of Tartars in 1242, leading to a massive rebuilding project that lasted from 1264 to 1284. It was decided to build this second cathedral in the then-new Gothic style and to add on St. Stephen's Chapel, which is today part of the Archbishop's Palace.

Expansion and renovation of Zagreb Cathedral continued through the middle ages. The western "castle" part of the cathedral was constructed during the 14th, 15th, and the first half of the 16th centuries, while the side naves of the main part were enlarged to the same height as the central nave, requiring a higher façade to be fashioned by Prague masons in the early 15th century. Gothic floral ornaments were also added in the 15th century, though many of them deteriorated with time and can now be found in museums. The Ottoman Turk invasion of southeastern Europe prompted the construction of a surrounding fortress from the second half of the 15th century to the first quarter of the 16th century. This period of fortification included the construction of cylindrical Renaissance towers, of which five still survive today as part of the Archbishop's Palace. By the end of the 15th century, due to Ottoman advancement into Hungary, Zagreb Cathedral became the eastern-most cathedral of Western Christendom.

Two large fires broke out in the 17th century, forcing even more renovations, though this time a massive five-sided Renaissance belltower was erected, along with a watchtower and further fortifications. In the 19th century, an organ was ordered from Walcker of Ludwigsburg, which is today among the ten most valuable organs in the world. The cathedral's massive belltower was a symbol of the city of Zagreb until 1880, when an earthquake collapsed part of the roof and the belltower had to be taken down. Restoration plans were initially drawn up by Viennese architect Friedrich Schmidt, while architect Hermann Bolle gave the cathedral much of its present-day external appearance, including the distinctive twin spires that replaced the old belltower.

Virtual Reality Tour

Fantastic interactive panoramas of both the interior and exterior of the cathedral:

http://www.burger.si/Croatia/Zagreb/Zagreb_Catedral.html

Miscellaneous Points

• The cathedral is currently undergoing massive external restoration, with each new stone being carefully chisled the same way it was done centuries ago. This means that large parts of the cathedral are unfortunately covered by scaffolding these days, though Zagreb Cathedral promises to be even more stunning in the near future.


• Three new massive chandeliers were recently installed, which normally wouldn't be big news, except that they were donated by Gold Coast, a Las Vegas casino. Apparently, a Croatian employee heard that the casino was planning to throw them out(!) and somehow convinced the management to donate them to the Croatian Catholic Church. I'm convinced there's a joke in here somewhere...