133-758: The Zagreb Cathedral (officially the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Stephen and Ladislav ), is a Catholic cathedral in Kaptol , Zagreb . It is the second tallest building in Croatia and the most monumental sacral building of Gothic architecture southeast of the Alps . The church is one of the most important symbols of Zagreb and Croatia, and in 2013 it entered in
266-594: A " prisoner in the Vatican ". This stand-off, which was spoken of as the Roman Question , was resolved by the 1929 Lateran Treaties , whereby the Holy See acknowledged Italian sovereignty over the former Papal States in return for payment and Italy's recognition of papal sovereignty over Vatican City as a new sovereign and independent state. Catholic missionaries generally supported, and sought to facilitate,
399-628: A devastating earthquake (6.3 degrees on the Richter scale ) occurred in Zagreb, with the epicenter in the area of Zagrebačka gora ( Medvednica ). Material damage amounted to half of the then annual state budget. In the earthquake, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (co-patron is St. Stephen the King), where at that time canon Franjo Rački (+1894) celebrated mass on the side altar,
532-460: A good and strong stone... " The next two centuries, up to the earthquake in 1880, were mainly marked by constant rebuilding and repairs of the interior of the church. In the 17th century, a single fortified renaissance watchtower was erected on the south side and was used as a military observation point, because of the Ottoman threat. At 7 hours, 33 minutes and 53 seconds, on November 9, 1880 ,
665-454: A new central and northern nave. Work on the cathedral is progressing slowly. Around 1400 , during the time of Bishop Eberhard (+1419), the middle and northern and to some extent the southern nave were completed, and by 1433, Bishop Alben (+1433) completed the southern nave and the lower parts of the two bell towers in the Gothic style. Thanks to the efforts of Bishop Thuz (+1499), the cathedral
798-547: A prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization . The church consists of 24 sui iuris churches , including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches , which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and eparchies around the world . The pope , who is the bishop of Rome, is the chief pastor of the church. The Diocese of Rome , known as the Holy See , is the central governing authority of
931-778: A promise of defense in any trouble the society of the brothers of the Croatian dragon safeguarding the sanctuary of the ancestors recommending the Croatian homeland to the great mother of god") Below the Glagolitic inscription, which was placed by the Brothers of the Croatian Dragon, there is a plaster copy of the 12th Station of the Cross in Marija Bistrica - "Calvary", the work of academic sculptor Ante Orlić. To
1064-424: A series of 33 canonical seats placed in the stone recesses of the apse. Timotej built the sacristy in a transitional Romanesque-Gothic style: the ribs of the vault flow into the key ( capstone ) of the vault of a circular concave shape. The paintings on the vaults and the wall of the sacristy were painted in the second half of the 13th century, and are the oldest in northern Croatia. Over time and various renovations,
1197-524: Is 108.20 m high , and the southern bell tower is 108.16 m high , so such a small difference in height speaks eloquently about the skill of Zagreb craftsmen. At a height of 60 meters, each bell tower of the cathedral has four clocks made of bronze and with gilded hands. The watches weigh 500 kg. On both sides of the Portal of the main entrance to the cathedral, there are three round stone columns made of reddish andesite , which serve as pedestals for
1330-427: Is almost half of the eastern part of the cathedral. He also built a sacristy ( Timothy's sacristy ) along the outer wall of the northern nave. The cathedral holds a treasury ( riznica ) that include various metal vessels, liturgical vestments, and liturgical books collected during various periods of its history. Among these objects most notable are: The apsidal space of the sanctuary was decorated by Timotej with
1463-528: Is also mentioned. The appearance of that first, real Zagreb cathedral or "pre-Tatar cathedral", which collapsed almost to the ground in 1242 in a fire started by the Tatars on their way through Zagreb, can only be reconstructed based on the image on the oldest seal of the Zagreb Chapter from 1297, and its mirror copies of the seal from 1371, on which the king of St. Stephen, kneeling, shows the Cathedral to
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#17327727591011596-700: Is decorated with statues of the Mother of God , Jesus and angels , which together weigh around 9,000 kg . The sculpture of " the Virgin with the Child Jesus and angels " is the work of the Viennese sculptor Josef Beyer, and was carved in Zagreb in 1890. The statues were made by the sculptor Karlo Morak, a teacher at the Zagreb Craft School, where trained craftsmen are needed for the restoration of
1729-521: Is drawn to Bosnia." He was buried in the cathedral in front of the altar of the Mother of God; dr. Eugen Kvaternik , Vjekoslav Bach, Ante Rakijaš - having started an uprising against foreign rule, they were betrayed and killed in an ambush near Rakovica on October 11, 1871. Their bones have been resting in a tomb behind the main altar since 1921; In memory of the Croatian people's representatives Stjepan Radić , Pavlo Radić and Đuri Basariček who were killed in
1862-540: Is generally regarded as an institution that has its origin in the Medieval Christian setting. The massive Islamic invasions of the mid-7th century began a long struggle between Christianity and Islam throughout the Mediterranean Basin. The Byzantine Empire soon lost the lands of the eastern patriarchates of Jerusalem , Alexandria and Antioch and was reduced to that of Constantinople,
1995-630: Is the bishop of Rome , known as the pope ( Latin : papa , lit. 'father'), whose jurisdiction is called the Holy See ( Sancta Sedes in Latin). In parallel to the diocesan structure are a variety of religious institutes that function autonomously, often subject only to the authority of the pope, though sometimes subject to the local bishop. Most religious institutes only have male or female members but some have both. Additionally, lay members aid many liturgical functions during worship services. The Catholic Church has been described as
2128-491: Is the universal [katholike] Church." In the Catechetical Lectures ( c. 350 ) of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem , the name "Catholic Church" was used to distinguish it from other groups that also called themselves "the church". The "Catholic" notion was further stressed in the edict De fide Catolica issued 380 by Theodosius I , the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of
2261-651: The Pax Romana made travelling safe. The empire encouraged the spread of a common culture with Greek roots, which allowed ideas to be more easily expressed and understood. Unlike most religions in the Roman Empire, however, Christianity required its adherents to renounce all other gods, a practice adopted from Judaism (see Idolatry ). The Christians' refusal to join pagan celebrations meant they were unable to participate in much of public life, which caused non-Christians—including government authorities—to fear that
2394-670: The Belgrade National Assembly on June 20, 1928; To all Croatian victims of the First and Second World War who gave their lives for their homeland, and their bones lie all over the homeland and beyond. It was a lasting memory for them ."» Blessed Alojzije Stepinac (1898 - 1960), archbishop of the Zagreb Archdiocese from 1937 until his death in 1960. Pope Pius XII declared him a Cardinal (November 29, 1952), and Pope John Paul II blessed him (in 1998 in
2527-809: The Byzantine–Seljuk Wars , which caused Urban to launch the First Crusade aimed at aiding the Byzantine Empire and returning the Holy Land to Christian control. In the 11th century , strained relations between the primarily Greek church and the Latin Church separated them in the East–West Schism, partially due to conflicts over papal authority. The Fourth Crusade and the sacking of Constantinople by renegade crusaders proved
2660-775: The Code of Canon Law (1983). "Catholic Church" is also used in the documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the First Vatican Council (1869–1870), the Council of Trent (1545–1563), and numerous other official documents. The New Testament , in particular the Gospels , records Jesus' activities and teaching, his appointment of the Twelve Apostles and his Great Commission of
2793-666: The Council of Nicaea declared heretical . The resulting religious discord between Germanic rulers and Catholic subjects was avoided when, in 497, Clovis I , the Frankish ruler, converted to orthodox Catholicism, allying himself with the papacy and the monasteries. The Visigoths in Spain followed his lead in 589, and the Lombards in Italy in the course of the 7th century. Western Christianity , particularly through its monasteries ,
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#17327727591012926-733: The Edict of Thessalonica made Nicene Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire , a position that within the diminishing territory of the Byzantine Empire would persist until the empire itself ended in the fall of Constantinople in 1453, while elsewhere the church was independent of the empire, as became particularly clear with the East–West Schism . During the period of the Seven Ecumenical Councils , five primary sees emerged, an arrangement formalized in
3059-766: The English Reformation and the eventual development of Anglicanism . The Reformation contributed to clashes between the Protestant Schmalkaldic League and the Catholic Emperor Charles V and his allies. The first nine-year war ended in 1555 with the Peace of Augsburg but continued tensions produced a far graver conflict—the Thirty Years' War —which broke out in 1618. In France, a series of conflicts termed
3192-607: The French Wars of Religion was fought from 1562 to 1598 between the Huguenots (French Calvinists ) and the forces of the French Catholic League , which were backed and funded by a series of popes. This ended under Pope Clement VIII , who hesitantly accepted King Henry IV's 1598 Edict of Nantes granting civil and religious toleration to French Protestants. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) became
3325-608: The Immaculate Conception as a dogma in the Catholic Church . In 1870, the First Vatican Council affirmed the doctrine of papal infallibility when exercised in specifically defined pronouncements, striking a blow to the rival position of conciliarism . Controversy over this and other issues resulted in a breakaway movement called the Old Catholic Church , The Italian unification of
3458-712: The Italian Peninsula , imprisoning Pope Pius VI , who died in captivity. Napoleon later re-established the Catholic Church in France through the Concordat of 1801 . The end of the Napoleonic Wars brought Catholic revival and the return of the Papal States . In 1854, Pope Pius IX , with the support of the overwhelming majority of Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted from 1851 to 1853, proclaimed
3591-589: The Oriental Orthodox Churches before the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451; all separated primarily over differences in Christology . The Eastern Catholic Churches, who have a combined membership of approximately 18 million, represent a body of Eastern Christians who returned or remained in communion with the pope during or following these schisms for a variety of historical circumstances. In
3724-552: The Polish People's Republic , became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His 26 1/2-year pontificate was one of the longest in history, and was credited with hastening the fall of communism in Europe. John Paul II sought to evangelize an increasingly secular world . He travelled more than any other pope, visiting 129 countries, and used television and radio as means of spreading the church's teachings. He also emphasized
3857-875: The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, when those who ceased to be in communion became known as Protestants. While the Roman Church has been used to describe the pope's Diocese of Rome since the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and into the Early Middle Ages (6th–10th century), Roman Catholic Church has been applied to the whole church in the English language since the Protestant Reformation in
3990-524: The Register of Cultural Goods of Croatia . It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to king-saints Stephen and Ladislaus . The cathedral is typically Gothic, as is its sacristy , which is of great architectural value. Its prominent spires are considered to be landmarks as they are visible from most parts of the city. The cathedral is 108.4 meters high, making it one of the tallest churches in
4123-674: The Roman Empire , when establishing the state church of the Roman Empire . Since the East–West Schism of 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church has taken the adjective Orthodox as its distinctive epithet; its official name continues to be the Orthodox Catholic Church. The Latin Church was described as Catholic , with that description also denominating those in communion with the Holy See after
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4256-558: The St. Mark's Church in Gornji grad ) is missing, the so-called "Zagreb cathedral flag", which was replaced by a copper sheet in 1961 due to wear and tear. But the restoration of the cathedral began before the earthquake. In Italy, Hermann Bollé met Izidor Kršnjav and Đakovo bishop Strossmayer, who in 1874 launched a public campaign for the restoration of the cathedral. Bollé came to Croatia, and in 1878 Strossmayer gave him conceptual designs for
4389-669: The Tridentine Mass as found in the Roman Missal of 1962, which he titled the "Extraordinary Form". Citing the frailties of advanced age, Benedict resigned in 2013, becoming the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years. Pope Francis, the current pope of the Catholic Church, became in 2013 the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere , and the first Pope from outside Europe since
4522-418: The University of Oxford , University of Paris , and University of Bologna . Higher education before then had been the domain of Christian cathedral schools or monastic schools, led by monks and nuns . Evidence of such schools dates back to the 6th century CE. These new universities expanded the curriculum to include academic programs for clerics, lawyers, civil servants, and physicians. The university
4655-460: The body and blood of Christ . The Virgin Mary is venerated as the Perpetual Virgin , Mother of God , and Queen of Heaven ; she is honoured in dogmas and devotions . Catholic social teaching emphasizes voluntary support for the sick, the poor, and the afflicted through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy . The Catholic Church operates tens of thousands of Catholic schools, universities and colleges , hospitals , and orphanages around
4788-444: The dignity of work and natural rights of labourers to have fair wages and safe conditions in Laborem exercens . He emphasized several church teachings, including moral exhortations against abortion, euthanasia , and against widespread use of the death penalty, in Evangelium Vitae . Pope Benedict XVI , elected in 2005, was known for upholding traditional Christian values against secularization , and for increasing use of
4921-496: The reconstruction of the cathedral. Already the following year, Zagreb bishop Josip Mihalović (+1891) began a new renovation of the cathedral, which would be named " Bollé's Cathedral " in the media. On the eve of Christmas 1990, the external renovation of the cathedral began, and its renovation continues today. High, pointed and hollow Belfry are an example of German Gothic, while in French Gothic they were "cubic" and lower. Bollé built them from 1889 to 1899. The northern bell tower
5054-412: The successors of Christ's apostles , and that the pope is the successor to Saint Peter , upon whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ. It maintains that it practises the original Christian faith taught by the apostles, preserving the faith infallibly through scripture and sacred tradition as authentically interpreted through the magisterium of the church. The Roman Rite and others of
5187-422: The 14th century. To escape instability in Rome, Clement V in 1309 became the first of seven popes to reside in the fortified city of Avignon in southern France during a period known as the Avignon Papacy . The Avignon Papacy ended in 1376 when the pope returned to Rome, but was followed in 1378 by the 38-year-long Western schism , with claimants to the papacy in Rome, Avignon and (after 1409) Pisa. The matter
5320-399: The 15th century, and the first organ mentioned in the archives in Croatia was owned by the Zagreb Church of St. Mark on Gradec from 1363. From the time of Bishop Thuz, the organ and the choir were located in the north nave, and today's choir and the large organ (4 manuals, 78 registers, 6068 pipes, Walcker from Ludwigsburg ) are located above the main entrance to the cathedral. The organ
5453-412: The 16th century, the Reformation led to the formation of separate, Protestant groups. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its teachings on sexuality , its doctrine against ordaining women , and its handling of sexual abuse cases involving clergy. Catholic (from Greek : καθολικός , romanized : katholikos , lit. 'universal')
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5586-414: The 1860s incorporated the Papal States, including Rome itself from 1870, into the Kingdom of Italy , thus ending the papacy's temporal power . In response, Pope Pius IX excommunicated King Victor Emmanuel II , refused payment for the land, and rejected the Italian Law of Guarantees , which granted him special privileges. To avoid placing himself in visible subjection to the Italian authorities, he remained
5719-522: The 1960s, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council , which ushered in radical change to church ritual and practice, and in the later 20th century, the long reign of Pope John Paul II contributed to the fall of communism in Europe, and a new public and international role for the papacy. From the late 20th century, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its doctrines on sexuality , its inability to ordain women , and its handling of sexual abuse cases . Pope Pius X (1903–1914) renewed
5852-427: The 1990s was one of the key figures for Croatia's international recognition . During his visit to the cathedral, he prayed at the grave of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac , whom he said was " the brightest figure and true man of the Church " and in 1998 he declared him blessed of the Catholic Church . The cathedral was also visited by Pope Benedict XVI on 5 June 2011 where he celebrated Sunday Vespers and prayed before
5985-399: The 20th century, the majority have resided in the Global South , partially due to secularization in Europe and North America. The Catholic Church shared communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the pope . Before the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, the Church of the East also shared in this communion, as did
6118-408: The 21st century. Pope Gregory VII further initiated the Gregorian Reforms regarding the independence of the clergy from secular authority. This led to the Investiture Controversy between the church and the Holy Roman Emperors , over which had the authority to appoint bishops and popes. In 1095, Byzantine emperor Alexius I appealed to Pope Urban II for help against renewed Muslim invasions in
6251-416: The Americas, Asia and Oceania by explorers, conquistadors, and missionaries, as well as by the transformation of societies through the socio-political mechanisms of colonial rule. Pope Alexander VI had awarded colonial rights over most of the newly discovered lands to Spain and Portugal and the ensuing patronato system allowed state authorities, not the Vatican, to control all clerical appointments in
6384-402: The Byzantine Empire lost to the Lombards the city of Ravenna from which it governed the small fragments of Italy, including Rome, that acknowledged its sovereignty. The fall of Ravenna meant that confirmation by a no longer existent exarch was not asked for during the election in 752 of Pope Stephen II and that the papacy was forced to look elsewhere for a civil power to protect it. In 754, at
6517-405: The Catholic and Orthodox churches. Several eastern churches reunited, forming the majority of the Eastern Catholic Churches . The Age of Discovery beginning in the 15th century saw the expansion of Western Europe's political and cultural influence worldwide. Because of the prominent role the strongly Catholic nations of Spain and Portugal played in Western colonialism, Catholicism was spread to
6650-422: The Christians were angering the gods and thereby threatening the peace and prosperity of the Empire. The resulting persecutions were a defining feature of Christian self-understanding until Christianity was legalized in the 4th century. In 313, Emperor Constantine I 's Edict of Milan legalized Christianity, and in 330 Constantine moved the imperial capital to Constantinople , modern Istanbul, Turkey . In 380
6783-413: The Croatian shrine of Our Lady of Bistrica ). The cathedral contains a relief of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac with Christ done by the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović . The cathedral was depicted on the reverse of the Croatian 1000 kuna banknote issued in 1993. Renovations on the cathedral's towers began in 1990, and have not been completely free of scaffolding for over three decades. When facing
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#17327727591016916-457: The Edict of Nantes by King Louis XIV of France , which ended a century-long policy of religious toleration of Protestant Huguenots. As the papacy resisted pushes for Gallicanism , the French Revolution of 1789 shifted power to the state, caused the destruction of churches, the establishment of a Cult of Reason , and the martyrdom of nuns during the Reign of Terror . In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte 's General Louis-Alexandre Berthier invaded
7049-401: The European imperial powers' conquest of Africa during the late nineteenth century. According to the historian of religion Adrian Hastings , Catholic missionaries were generally unwilling to defend African rights or encourage Africans to see themselves as equals to Europeans, in contrast to Protestant missionaries, who were more willing to oppose colonial injustices. During the 20th century,
7182-410: The Gothic-Italian style, was once in its original statue a true landmark of the city of Zagreb ". During his lifetime, Timotej built a new eastern part of the church – three polygonal apses in early Gothic style, of which the middle (or main) one is larger, hexagonal and elongated towards the east, and its vault is higher than the vaults of the apses in the southern and northern aisles. Today, it
7315-447: The Holy See, or the Apostolic See (meaning the see of the apostle Peter). Directly serving the pope is the Roman Curia, the central governing body that administers the day-to-day business of the Catholic Church. The pope is also sovereign of Vatican City, a small city-state entirely enclaved within the city of Rome, which is an entity distinct from the Holy See. It is as head of the Holy See, not as head of Vatican City State, that
7448-447: The Hungarian capital Ostrogon (40 km north of today's Budapest ). Political reasons forced Ladislav to hastily choose one of the existing churches, which was obviously not adequate for the cathedrals of the time, so the new cathedral began to be built on Kaptol around 1102, and already in 1175 the Zagreb bishop Prodan was buried in it. In the Zlatna Bula (Golden Bull) and the gift book of King Andrija II (1217), this new Zagreb cathedral
7581-432: The Latin Church, the Eastern Catholic liturgies , and institutes such as mendicant orders , enclosed monastic orders and third orders reflect a variety of theological and spiritual emphases in the church. Of its seven sacraments , the Eucharist is the principal one, celebrated liturgically in the Mass . The church teaches that through consecration by a priest , the sacrificial bread and wine become
7714-402: The Pope's insistence on public neutrality and diplomatic language has become a source of much criticism and debate. Nevertheless, in every country under German occupation, priests played a major part in rescuing Jews. Israeli historian Pinchas Lapide estimated that Catholic rescue of Jews amounted to somewhere between 700,000 and 860,000 people. The Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church
7847-447: The Queen . The white stone slab with three stylized crosses , whose shape resembles similar ones from the 11th and 12th centuries, is the original fragment of the altar of St. Mary the Queen from 1284. Bishop Timotej was buried here in 1287. Albrecht Dürer painted couple of his paintings for cathedral. After Timotej's death (+1287), construction continued only in 1344, when the Croatian ban and bishop Stjepan III Kanižaj (+1374) builds
7980-410: The Reformation, which gave birth to the great majority of Protestant denominations and also crypto-Protestantism within the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, Henry VIII petitioned Pope Clement VII for a declaration of nullity concerning his marriage to Catherine of Aragon . When this was denied, he had the Acts of Supremacy passed to make himself Supreme Head of the Church of England , spurring
8113-462: The Republic of Croatia as a protected cultural good. The baroque marble altar of the Mother of God was commissioned by Bishop Josip pl. Galjuf (+1786) for the chapel of St. St. Stephen in the (arch)bishop's palace. Between the statues of St. Joseph and St. Barbara, there is an altar painting of the Mother of God (undamaged in the fire), above the painting is the coat of arms of Bishop Galjuf ("Ebiscius"), and on it stands St. Stjepan. This altar from 1778
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#17327727591018246-499: The Second World War, also because they had powerful supporters from the Vatican. The judgment of Pius XII is made more difficult by the sources, because the church archives for his tenure as nuncio, cardinal secretary of state and pope are in part closed or not yet processed. The Second Vatican Council (1962–65) introduced the most significant changes to Catholic practices since the Council of Trent, four centuries before. Initiated by Pope John XXIII, this ecumenical council modernized
8379-417: The Virgin. Those were the last years of the independent Croatian kingdom , and the Diocese of Zagreb was subordinate to Ostrogon until 1853, when it was raised to the rank of archbishopric . The Bishop's Kaptol and the artisan-trade Gradec only merged into the single city of Zagreb in 1850. In 1093 when King Ladislaus I of Hungary (1040-1095) moved the bishop's chair from Sisak to Zagreb, he proclaimed
8512-484: The War, and established aid networks to help victims, but he secretly assisted the anti-Hitler resistance and shared intelligence with the Allies. His first encyclical Summi Pontificatus (1939) expressed dismay at the 1939 Invasion of Poland and reiterated Catholic teaching against racism. He expressed concern against race killings on Vatican Radio , and intervened diplomatically to attempt to block Nazi deportations of Jews in various countries from 1942 to 1944. But
8645-409: The Zagreb Cathedral was left without most of its towers, almost like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris , and recently it is about 30 meters shorter, because as part of the extensive reconstruction due to the earthquake, all damaged pieces were removed. The bell tower blocks that were damaged and were removed can be seen lined up in front of the cathedral, each marked with its own bar code. As of 2024
8778-458: The apostles, instructing them to continue his work. The book Acts of Apostles , tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. The Catholic Church teaches that its public ministry began on Pentecost , occurring fifty days following the date Christ is believed to have resurrected . At Pentecost, the apostles are believed to have received the Holy Spirit, preparing them for their mission in leading
8911-410: The areas under his control definitively established a form of caesaropapism , in which "he had the right and duty of regulating by his laws the minutest details of worship and discipline, and also of dictating the theological opinions to be held in the Church", re-established imperial power over Rome and other parts of the West, initiating the period termed the Byzantine Papacy (537–752), during which
9044-548: The artistic equipment of cathedrals, and Gothic cathedrals in France (e.g. Chartres cathedral ) were especially richly decorated with them. The Zagreb cathedral also has such unusual characters. All these unusual creatures and monsters actually together guard and defend God's house on earth from evil forces. Through the efforts of Bishop Thuz (+1499), the cathedral was richly equipped with Gothic and Renaissance altars and paintings , and by 1510, equally high Gothic mesh vaults and roofing were completed in all three naves. After
9177-451: The bishops of Rome, or popes, required approval from the emperor in Constantinople or from his representative in Ravenna for consecration, and most were selected by the emperor from his Greek-speaking subjects, resulting in a "melting pot" of Western and Eastern Christian traditions in art as well as liturgy. Most of the Germanic tribes who in the following centuries invaded the Roman Empire had adopted Christianity in its Arian form, which
9310-429: The cathedral is still under major renovation, and the exact date of re-opening is still unknown. Catholic Church God Schools Relations with: The Catholic Church , also known as the Roman Catholic Church , is the largest Christian church , with 1.28 to 1.39 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2024. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played
9443-442: The cathedral itself. The tower in the middle of the ramparts in front of the cathedral's facade is named after him. His relatives and heirs became one of the most prominent Croatian families. Construction on the cathedral started shortly after his death and was finished in 1217 and consecrated by king Andrew II of Hungary . The first Zagreb cathedral, that one-nave pre- Romanesque church that art historians call "Ladislav's Cathedral",
9576-580: The cathedral. The vocational school was founded by Hermann Bollé, and he was its director for many years. It was renovated in 1997 in the workshop of academic sculptor Vladimir Herljević, a student of Antun Augustinčić . The cathedral has 8 church bells; 5 in the North Tower and 3 in South Tower. The largest bell or bourdon is called "Presveto Trojstvo" and it weighs 6 tons. On December 14th 2007, Zagreb Archbishop Cardinal Josip Bozanić blessed
9709-425: The church from evil demonic forces. In Celtic and Germanic mythology, gargoyls are mentioned as creatures that move in the night and turn to stone during the day. They kidnap and eat children. Between the bell towers of the cathedral, on the first of the three galleries (balconies), we see the tympanum ( Pediment ). It is located at a height of 39 meters and has the shape of a triangle with sides of 15 meters. It
9842-496: The church's approach to ecumenism , and a call to improved relations with non-Christian religions, especially Judaism, in its document Nostra aetate . The council, however, generated significant controversy in implementing its reforms: proponents of the " Spirit of Vatican II " such as Swiss theologian Hans Küng said that Vatican II had "not gone far enough" to change church policies. Traditionalist Catholics , such as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre , however, strongly criticized
9975-517: The church's global reach continued to grow, despite the rise of anti-Catholic authoritarian regimes and the collapse of European Empires, accompanied by a general decline in religious observance in the West. Under Popes Benedict XV , and Pius XII , the Holy See sought to maintain public neutrality through the World Wars, acting as peace broker and delivering aid to the victims of the conflicts. In
10108-592: The church. The Catholic Church teaches that the college of bishops , led by the bishop of Rome are the successors to the Apostles. In the account of the Confession of Peter found in the Gospel of Matthew , Christ designates Peter as the "rock" upon which Christ's church will be built. The Catholic Church considers the bishop of Rome, the pope, to be the successor to Saint Peter . Some scholars state Peter
10241-422: The church. There are three levels of clergy: the episcopate, composed of bishops who hold jurisdiction over a geographic area called a diocese or eparchy ; the presbyterate, composed of priests ordained by bishops and who work in local dioceses or religious orders; and the diaconate, composed of deacons who assist bishops and priests in a variety of ministerial roles. Ultimately leading the entire Catholic Church
10374-651: The church. The administrative body of the Holy See, the Roman Curia , has its principal offices in Vatican City , which is a small, independent city-state and enclave within the city of Rome , of which the pope is head of state . The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed . The Catholic Church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission , that its bishops are
10507-867: The conflict. Catholic clergy played a leading role in the government of the fascist Slovak State , which collaborated with the Nazis, copied their anti-Semitic policies, and helped them carry out the Holocaust in Slovakia. Jozef Tiso , the President of the Slovak State and a Catholic priest, supported his government's deportation of Slovakian Jews to extermination camps. The Vatican protested against these Jewish deportations in Slovakia and in other Nazi puppet regimes including Vichy France , Croatia, Bulgaria , Italy and Hungary. Around 1943, Adolf Hitler planned
10640-522: The council, arguing that its liturgical reforms led "to the destruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the sacraments", among other issues. The teaching on the morality of contraception also came under scrutiny; after a series of disagreements, Humanae vitae upheld the church's prohibition of all forms of contraception. In 1978, Pope John Paul II , formerly Archbishop of Kraków in
10773-435: The development of the role of the papacy in the subsequent church". These roles, Brown says, "contributed enormously to seeing the bishop of Rome, the bishop of the city where Peter died and where Paul witnessed the truth of Christ, as the successor of Peter in care for the church universal". Conditions in the Roman Empire facilitated the spread of new ideas. The empire's network of roads and waterways facilitated travel, and
10906-554: The driving force behind the Counter-Reformation in response to the Protestant movement. Doctrinally, it reaffirmed central Catholic teachings such as transubstantiation and the requirement for love and hope as well as faith to attain salvation. In subsequent centuries, Catholicism spread widely across the world, in part through missionaries and imperialism , although its hold on European populations declined due to
11039-735: The eighth-century Gregory III . Francis has made efforts to further close Catholicism's estrangement with the Eastern churches. His installation was attended by Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the first time since the Great Schism of 1054 that the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has attended a papal installation, while he also met Patriarch Kirill of Moscow , head of
11172-749: The empire's capital. As a result of Islamic domination of the Mediterranean , the Frankish state, centred away from that sea, was able to evolve as the dominant power that shaped the Western Europe of the Middle Ages. The battles of Toulouse and Poitiers halted the Islamic advance in the West and the failed siege of Constantinople halted it in the East. Two or three decades later, in 751,
11305-404: The entire Zagreb episcopal city of Kaptol , with its towers, was partially demolished at the beginning of the 20th century, and the remains can still be seen today in Zagreb's Kaptol, Ribnjak and Opatovina. Cardinal Tomas Bakač Erdődy (+1521), the administrator of the diocese of Zagreb and the archbishop of Ostrogonia, built a fortress with ramparts and six round and one square tower around
11438-481: The entire width of the cathedral in the great fire that ravaged Zagreb in 1645 . Bishop Bogdan (+1647) signs a repair contract with the builder Alberthal, in which he demands, in the Baroque era, the repetition of the original Gothic forms in the renovation: " First of all, the bolt, column and chorus, or the gank, which were destroyed, are restored to the original zevzesma form, well, strongly and firmly to make from
11571-466: The existing church as a cathedral. The Kaptol church settlement was fortified with a solid wooden fence ( palisade ) only after the invasion of the Tatars (1242). The building was destroyed by the Tatars but rebuilt by bishop Timothy (1263–1287) a few years later. But as early as 1387, during the civil war between supporters and opponents of King Sigismund , the wooden fence was torn down, by order of
11704-512: The final breach. In this age great gothic cathedrals in France were an expression of popular pride in the Christian faith. In the early 13th century mendicant orders were founded by Francis of Assisi and Dominic de Guzmán . The studia conventualia and studia generalia of the mendicant orders played a large role in the transformation of church-sponsored cathedral schools and palace schools, such as that of Charlemagne at Aachen , into
11837-425: The focus of political activity from the south of Croatia to the north (until then, the entire Croatian kingdom of Dalmatia and Slavonia was in the single Archdiocese of Split ). In 1094, Ladislav chose one of the already existing churches in the old Croatian settlement on today's Kaptol as the seat (cathedral) of Bishop Duha in the newly founded diocese of Zagreb, subordinate to the metropolis ( archdiocese ) in
11970-529: The growth of religious scepticism during and after the Enlightenment. From the 17th century onward, the Enlightenment questioned the power and influence of the Catholic Church over Western society. In the 18th century, writers such as Voltaire and the Encyclopédistes wrote biting critiques of both religion and the Catholic Church. One target of their criticism was the 1685 revocation of
12103-531: The independence of papal office by abolishing the veto of Catholic powers in papal elections, and his successors Benedict XV (1914–1922) and Pius XI (1922–1939) concluded the modern independence of the Vatican State within Italy. Benedict XV was elected at the outbreak of the First World War . He attempted to mediate between the powers and established a Vatican relief office, to assist victims of
12236-456: The interior of the cathedral and all the valuable legacy of Bishop Thuz burned down in 1624, its decoration started again from the beginning. The construction of the southern, new, massive belfry-tower of the observatory with a dome was completed in 1644, and Bishop Vinković (+1642) changed the image of the entrance to the cathedral: he demolished the old Gothic portal and built a new one in the old Romanesque style. The vault collapsed across
12369-602: The kidnapping of the Pope and his internment in Germany. He gave SS General Wolff a corresponding order to prepare for the action. While Pope Pius XII has been credited with helping to save hundreds of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust , the church has also been accused of having encouraged centuries of antisemitism by its teachings and not doing enough to stop Nazi atrocities. Many Nazi criminals escaped overseas after
12502-577: The king, by the residents of Gradec . Due to the panic that prevailed one September night in 1469 , when the Turks from Bosnia came to the Sava near Zagreb and gave up their attack on the city because the swollen Sava flooded the surroundings of Zagreb due to heavy rains, Bishop Osvald Thuz started building real defensive walls with towers around of the entire Kaptol settlement. The walls were completed around 1478 . The medieval fortress that surrounded
12635-591: The largest Eastern Orthodox church, in 2016; this was reported as the first such high-level meeting between the two churches since the Great Schism of 1054. In 2017 during a visit in Egypt , Pope Francis reestablished mutual recognition of baptism with the Coptic Orthodox Church . The Catholic Church follows an episcopal polity , led by bishops who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders who are given formal jurisdictions of governance within
12768-550: The late 16th century. Further, some will refer to the Latin Church as Roman Catholic in distinction from the Eastern Catholic churches. "Roman Catholic" has occasionally appeared also in documents produced both by the Holy See, and notably used by certain national episcopal conferences and local dioceses. The name Catholic Church for the whole church is used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1990) and
12901-457: The left of the entrance to the cathedral, on the western wall of the northern nave, there is a large painting of the Assumption of Mary . Below the painting is the entrance to the chapel of the Zagreb bishop Augustin Kažotić (+1322). At the top of the northern bell tower, a cross was repaired and re-gilded - 2.55 m high, 1.44 m wide and weighing 1500 kg. The Zagreb Cathedral already had an organ in
13034-551: The memorial plaques in the niches of the seats we read: «" Ana-Katarina Frankopan-Zrinski , wife of Ban Petar Zrinski and mother of Ivan-Antun Zrinski. Died in Graz as a captive on November 16, 1673. Ivan Antun Zrinski (+1703), his bones rest in a tomb behind the main altar next to his father and uncle Fran-Krsta Frankopan ; Nikola Bakač-Erdödy (+1693) liberated Slavonia from the Turks, and he tried to liberate Bosnia as well. "My heart
13167-577: The mid-6th century by Emperor Justinian I as the pentarchy of Rome, Constantinople , Antioch , Jerusalem and Alexandria . In 451 the Council of Chalcedon , in a canon of disputed validity, elevated the see of Constantinople to a position "second in eminence and power to the bishop of Rome". From c. 350 – c. 500 , the bishops, or popes, of Rome, steadily increased in authority through their consistent intervening in support of orthodox leaders in theological disputes, which encouraged appeals to them. Emperor Justinian , who in
13300-741: The new colonies. In 1521 the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan made the first Catholic converts in the Philippines . Elsewhere, Portuguese missionaries under the Spanish Jesuit Francis Xavier evangelized in India, China, and Japan. The French colonization of the Americas beginning in the 16th century established a Catholic francophone population and forbade non-Catholics to settle in Quebec . In 1415, Jan Hus
13433-458: The numerous visual artists sponsored by the church. Historian Paul Legutko of Stanford University said the Catholic Church is "at the center of the development of the values, ideas, science, laws, and institutions which constitute what we call Western civilization ". In Western Christendom , the first universities in Europe were established by monks. Beginning in the 11th century, several older cathedral schools became universities, such as
13566-406: The oldest multinational organization in the world. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is headed by the pope, currently Pope Francis , who was elected on 13 March 2013 by a papal conclave . The office of the pope is known as the papacy . The Catholic Church holds that Christ instituted the papacy upon giving the keys of Heaven to Saint Peter . His ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called
13699-400: The other, and all of this was framed by a richly carved frame. The Renaissance abandons the wing and builds an architectural altar composed of several elements; in its center is placed a picture or statue of the saint to whom the altar is dedicated. Baroque retains the architectural form of the altar, but richly decorates it with sculptures of angels and saints . In the southern nave , to
13832-683: The pope receives ambassadors of states and sends them his own diplomatic representatives. The Holy See also confers orders, decorations and medals , such as the orders of chivalry originating from the Middle Ages . While the famous Saint Peter's Basilica is located in Vatican City, above the traditional site of Saint Peter's tomb , the papal cathedral for the Diocese of Rome is the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran , located within
13965-599: The portal, the building is 46 meters wide and 104 and 105 meters high, respectively. In 1994 , Pope John Paul II visited Zagreb Cathedral, during his first visit to the Republic of Croatia on the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Zagreb Diocese . " Today I am here, in Croatian land, as a bare-handed pilgrim of the Gospel of Christ, which is a message of love, harmony and peace " said Pope John Paul II, who in
14098-412: The practices of the Catholic Church, allowing the Mass to be said in the vernacular (local language) and encouraging "fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations". It intended to engage the church more closely with the present world ( aggiornamento ), which was described by its advocates as an "opening of the windows". In addition to changes in the liturgy, it led to changes to
14231-683: The preservation and transmission of ancient culture. During this period, monastic Ireland became a centre of learning and early Irish missionaries such as Columbanus and Columba spread Christianity and established monasteries across continental Europe. The Catholic Church was the dominant influence on Western civilization from Late Antiquity to the dawn of the modern age. It was the primary sponsor of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque styles in art, architecture and music. Renaissance figures such as Raphael , Michelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci , Botticelli , Fra Angelico , Tintoretto , Titian , Bernini and Caravaggio are examples of
14364-462: The prominent universities of Europe. Scholastic theologians and philosophers such as the Dominican priest Thomas Aquinas studied and taught at these studia. Aquinas' Summa Theologica was an intellectual milestone in its synthesis of the legacy of ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle with the content of Christian revelation. A growing sense of church-state conflicts marked
14497-421: The recesses were walled up, but they were found and restored by Hermann Bollé , and today in their niches there are stone tablets with a list of all Zagreb bishops and archbishops (67 bishops and seven archbishops, five of whom were cardinals). The northern apse was completed in 1275, and in it Timotej consecrated the altar of St. Ladislav, and in 1284 he completed the southern apse with the altar of St. Mary
14630-498: The restored portal of the cathedral, and on that occasion expressed his admiration for the work of sculptors and stonemasons, builders and artists who participated in the restoration of the portal. He noted: From the 13th century , pictures or reliefs made up of several parts began to be placed above the stone slab of the altar , from which in the 14th century the so-called a Gothic winged altar, with several layers of folding panels ( triptych , polyptych ), painted on one side and
14763-455: The right of the entrance, on the wall of the belfry, there is an inscription in angular Glagolitic script that reminds us of the first connections of Croats with Christianity and Pope John IV (640-642 AD). The inscription was carved in 1942, and in translation it reads: ("glory to the most high god - in commemoration of the 1300th anniversary of the baptism of the Croatian people who pledge eternal fidelity to peter's cave receiving from it
14896-590: The schism was reconciled, unresolved issues would lead to further division. In the 11th century, the efforts of Hildebrand of Sovana led to the creation of the College of Cardinals to elect new popes, starting with Pope Alexander II in the papal election of 1061 . When Alexander II died, Hildebrand was elected to succeed him, as Pope Gregory VII . The basic election system of the College of Cardinals which Gregory VII helped establish has continued to function into
15029-535: The statues of saints: Cyril and Methodius , Saint George , Saint Barbara , Saint Catherine , Saint Florian . Above them, at the top, there is an angel holding a ribbon with the saint's name. Bollé decorated the cathedral with numerous gargoyls during the neo-Gothic renovation. On Gothic cathedrals, they built gutters for the drainage of rainwater in the form of a gargoyle (fr. gargouille - throat), stone figures of dragons, frogs, bats and other monstrous zoomorphic forms that belch water from their mouths and protect
15162-521: The term "bishop of Rome" to the most prominent members of the clergy in the earlier period and also to Peter himself. On this basis protestant scholars Oscar Cullmann , Henry Chadwick , and Bart D. Ehrman question whether there was a formal link between Peter and the modern papacy. Raymond E. Brown also says that it is anachronistic to speak of Peter in terms of local bishop of Rome, but that Christians of that period would have looked on Peter as having "roles that would contribute in an essential way to
15295-434: The tomb of Blessed Aloysius Stepinac . At approximately 6:24 AM CET on the morning of 22 March 2020 , an earthquake of magnitude 5.3 MW, 5.5 ML, hit Zagreb, Croatia, with an epicenter 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the city centre. The cathedral was damaged, in which the tip of its southern spire broke off and crashed onto the roof of the adjacent Archbishop's Palace. On 17 April 2020, the northern spire of Zagreb Cathedral
15428-649: The urgent request of Pope Stephen, the Frankish king Pepin the Short conquered the Lombards. He then gifted the lands of the former exarchate to the pope, thus initiating the Papal States . Rome and the Byzantine East would delve into further conflict during the Photian schism of the 860s, when Photius criticized the Latin west of adding of the filioque clause after being excommunicated by Nicholas I . Though
15561-620: The war and reunite families. The interwar Pope Pius XI modernized the papacy, appointing 40 indigenous bishops and concluding fifteen concordats, including the Lateran Treaty with Italy which founded the Vatican City State . His successor Pope Pius XII led the Catholic Church through the Second World War and early Cold War . Like his predecessors, Pius XII sought to publicly maintain Vatican neutrality in
15694-480: The western side, both of which are now in the process of being restored as part of an extensive general restoration of the cathedral. After the earthquake, the cathedral was renovated (1880 – 1902) in the neo-Gothic style under the leadership of the architect Hermann Bollé and under the patronage of Izidor Kršnjavi . The cost of the renovation was 2,494,430 crowns and 76 filars. Zagreb's cathedral church got its present form. The roof made of glazed tiles (such as
15827-429: The world . Due to 2020 Zagreb earthquake , one of its two spires was damaged, so the cathedral is under reconstruction until further notice. Judging by the archaeological finds (a Roman tombstone from the 1st - 2nd centuries AD, and jewelry from ancient Croatian graves that appears from the 8th to the 11th centuries), it is likely that the settlement in the area of today's Kaptol existed long before 1094 , but
15960-428: The world, and is the largest non-government provider of education and health care in the world. Among its other social services are numerous charitable and humanitarian organizations. The Catholic Church has profoundly influenced Western philosophy , culture , art , literature , music , law , and science . Catholics live all over the world through missions , immigration , diaspora , and conversions . Since
16093-675: The written history of Zagreb and its cathedrals begin to be counted from that year. After the death of the Croatian King Zvonimir (+1089), and due to the now legendary Croatian discord, the Hungarian king Ladislaus I of Hungary established power in Slavonia by military force and, with the intention of limiting the political and ecclesiastical autonomy of Croatia, founded the diocese of Zagreb (which stretched from Senj to today's eastern borders of Croatia), which will move
16226-487: Was a major factor in preserving classical civilization , with its art (see Illuminated manuscript ) and literacy. Through his Rule , Benedict of Nursia ( c. 480 –543), one of the founders of Western monasticism , exerted an enormous influence on European culture through the appropriation of the monastic spiritual heritage of the early Catholic Church and, with the spread of the Benedictine tradition, through
16359-524: Was also badly damaged. He described his impressions of the earthquake (November 5, 1880): The cathedral was severely damaged in the 1880 Zagreb earthquake . The main nave collapsed and the individual tower was damaged beyond repair. The restoration-reconstruction of the cathedral in Neo-Gothic style was led by Hermann Bollé , bringing the cathedral to its present form. As part of that restoration, two spires 104 m (341 ft) high were raised on
16492-530: Was at its most intense in Poland , and Catholic resistance to Nazism took various forms. Some 2,579 Catholic clergy were sent to the Priest Barracks of Dachau Concentration Camp , including 400 Germans. Thousands of priests, nuns and brothers were imprisoned, taken to a concentration camp, tortured and murdered, including Saints Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein . Catholics fought on both sides in
16625-459: Was bought by Archbishop Haulik in 1855. The Zagreb Cathedral Organ belongs to the line of concert organs with romantic sound characteristics. In fact, it is classified among the top ten finest and top-quality organs in the world. It has more than 6,000 flue pipes, seventy-eight registers and four manuals. As a zero-category monument of culture, the organ is registered with the Ministry of Culture of
16758-645: Was burned at the stake for heresy, but his reform efforts encouraged Martin Luther , an Augustinian friar in modern-day Germany, who sent his Ninety-five Theses to several bishops in 1517. His theses protested key points of Catholic doctrine as well as the sale of indulgences , and along with the Leipzig Debate this led to his excommunication in 1521. In Switzerland , Huldrych Zwingli , John Calvin and other Protestant Reformers further criticized Catholic teachings. These challenges developed into
16891-464: Was first used to describe the church in the early 2nd century. The first known use of the phrase "the catholic church" ( Greek : καθολικὴ ἐκκλησία , romanized : katholikḕ ekklēsía ) occurred in the letter written about 110 AD from Saint Ignatius of Antioch to the Smyrnaeans , which read: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be, there
17024-461: Was largely resolved in 1415–17 at the Council of Constance , with the claimants in Rome and Pisa agreeing to resign and the third claimant excommunicated by the cardinals, who held a new election naming Martin V pope. In 1438, the Council of Florence convened, which featured a strong dialogue focussed on understanding the theological differences between the East and West, with the hope of reuniting
17157-581: Was made by the sculptor Sebastian Petruzzi, and was moved to the cathedral in 1946. Corsian seats of the Chazman chapter The "Čazman chapter" was founded in 1232 by the Zagreb bishop Stjepan II, and in Čazma it performed the service of a credible place until the Turkish conquest of the place in the middle of the 16th century. The Čazman canons then moved to Zagreb. In the beginning, there were 33 of them, but later their number stabilized at 32 canons. On
17290-526: Was probably located on the site of today's southern nave of the cathedral, because parts of the foundation were found there, and the remains of frescoes from that time were discovered on the southern and northern walls of the apse . Bishop Timotej (+ 1287) started to rebuild the damaged "pre-Tatar cathedral" from the ground up, which is why some call it "Timothy's cathedral". It was completed only in 1510, and Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer (+ 1905) said about it: - " The Table Church of Zagreb, built in
17423-410: Was removed due to leaning during the earthquake. In May 2024, the cathedral was seen without 30 meters of both North and South spires . The Croatian construction company "Spegra" explained that they are currently in process of replacing each stone block (each of them weights 100 kilos, some of them up to 1200 kilos), then they are 3D printed , and replaced with new travertine blocks. For a long time,
17556-669: Was richly equipped with altars and paintings, and Dürer's triptych of the Passion of Christ was placed on the altar of St. Mary the Queen in the southern apse. The most popular reading of the Middle Ages , along with the Bible , is the bestiary or medieval natural history with a list of plants , animals , demons , dragons and other mythological creatures , which, according to popular belief, were given magical properties by God. The mysticism and symbolism of these beings became part of
17689-416: Was the first bishop of Rome. Others say that the institution of the papacy is not dependent on the idea that Peter was bishop of Rome or even on his ever having been in Rome. Many scholars hold that a church structure of plural presbyters/bishops persisted in Rome until the mid-2nd century, when the structure of a single bishop and plural presbyters was adopted, and that later writers retrospectively applied
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