Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2025.10
Medieval Wall Paintings in Zagreb Cathedral
Kristina Krulić
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod, Odjel za zidno slikarstvo i mozaik
Edita Šurina
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod , Odjel za konzervatorsku dokumentaciju nepokretne baštine
Sažetak
Medieval wall paintings have been preserved on the vault and part of the southern wall of the eastern section of the old sacristy, as well as on the walls of the eastern part of the southern nave of the Zagreb Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saints Stephen and Ladislaus. The cycle of wall paintings in the sacristy dates to the second half or the third quarter of the 13th century, during the time of Bishop Timotej, who is believed to have initiated the cathedral’s reconstruction following the Tatar invasion. The vault fields feature individual depictions of apostles, prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament, while part of the southern wall depicts, likely alongside Christ, the holy founders of the Franciscan and Dominican orders, both of which had monasteries in Zagreb at the time. Over the centuries, the paintings suffered significant damage due to architectural modifications and restorations carried out on two occasions. The first restoration took place during Bollé’s extensive restoration of the cathedral in the 1880s, as the wall paintings had been painted over. At the time, the integrity of the medieval paintings was greatly compromised by the removal of the western wall with the scene of the Last Judgment, preserved only as a watercolour sketch. Restoration of the vault fields, attributed to Bukovinian-Viennese painter Epaminondas Buczewski (Bučevski), focused on reintegrating the painted layer, and resulted in overpainting certain portions of the wall paintings. A more appropriate presentation of the paintings was considered in the mid-20th century during the 1949 restoration, and carried out to prepare for an exhibition of medieval art. Zvonimir Wyroubal conducted cleaning and conservation, described the condition of the wall paintings, and identified shortcomings of the first intervention. Despite subsequent initiatives, comprehensive conservation and restoration was not undertaken, due to a lack of funding.
The paintings in the eastern part of the cathedral include a narrative scene, Ordeal of the Bitter Water, on the south wall of the south aisle, and a fragment of decorative painting on the northeast wall of the same aisle, beneath the tombstone of Tamás Erdődy. The decorative painting features marbling and a geometric border with a motif of the so-called Cosmatesque pattern reminiscent of mosaic tesserae. It dates to the mid-14th century and was likely discovered during the cathedral’s interior restoration in the early 1980s. Despite their fragmentary state, the preserved plaster and painted layers remain in good condition. The narrative scene Ordeal of the Bitter Water, one of the episodes from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, was first mentioned in the late 19th century during Bollé’s restoration, though it was initially thought to depict the Annunciation. At the time, it was considered the work of an unskilled painter and was likely painted over, only to be ‘rediscovered’ during the aforementioned 1980s restoration. The better-preserved portion of the scene depicting the Virgin Mary was restored and displayed. A possible dating to the late 13th century, during the time of Bishop Timotej, was proposed, along with a new interpretation identifying it as a scene from the apocryphal text.
Since the wall paintings in both the sacristy and the cathedral were only preliminarily examined during the conservation and restoration research following the
2020 earthquake, comprehensive investigations are required to reassess their value and ensure their appropriate presentation.
Ključne riječi
Zagreb cathedral; old sacristy; figurative and decorative medieval wall paintings; conservation and restoration
Hrčak ID:
342551
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2025.
Posjeta: 393 *