Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2025.5
History of Construction of the Zagreb Cathedral before the 16th Century – a Brief Overview
Matko Marušić
orcid.org/0000-0001-9208-3111
; Institut za povijest umjetnosti
Sažetak
The paper briefly presents the historiography of the ‘medieval phase’ of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Stephen and Ladislaus, in Zagreb. The central points of its architectural history up to the early 16th century are discussed through a critical reading of 20th-century scholarly literature. The Cathedral in Zagreb is a layered architectural monument that, beneath the Neo-Gothic exterior, still preserves a significant portion of its medieval structure. Earlier structures that date back to before the 13th century exist only as archaeological remains that have yet to be excavated.
The critical episodes in the architectural history of the cathedral include questions regarding the appearance and exact location of two earlier churches: the church that was elevated to cathedral status at the end of the 11th century (the so-called ‘Ladislaus’s Church’), and a new church built in the 12th century (the so-called ‘pre-Tatar cathedral’).
The later history of the cathedral’s construction is tied to the figures of prominent bishops, and the centuries-long building process resulted in several changes to the architectural concept. The construction of a new church began in the second half of the 13th century. The monumental sanctuary with three polygonal apses, entirely Gothic in appearance, is named ‘Timotheus’ Cathedral’, after the bishop who initiated this major construction effort. Part of this structure has largely been preserved to this day. The construction of the nave and aisles remains a topic of significant debate, but there is no consensus regarding the chronology (during the 14th and 15th centuries), reasons for changing the original basilical structure into a hall church, dating of the two-tower façade, and overall authorship of this extensive reconstruction phase (with assumed involvement of master builders from the Parler family of Prague).
Many questions that have dominated scholarly discourse on the Zagreb cathedral still await conclusive answers. Conservation research prompted by the 2020 earthquake will undoubtedly reveal new layers of its intricate history. The fundamental goal of art-history research should be to define more precisely the origins and influences of the cathedral’s various construction phases, such as ‘Lombard Romanesque’, ‘French Gothic’, ‘Cistercian architecture’, ‘Parler style’ etc. It is important to note that new research (primarily archaeological) will undoubtedly shed new light on the sequence of construction of the earliest phases of the Zagreb cathedral.
Ključne riječi
Zagreb cathedral; medieval architecture; historiography
Hrčak ID:
341856
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2025.
Posjeta: 495 *