Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.47.92.3
History of the construction and furnishing of the parish church of the Holy Spirit in Lonja
Dragan Damjanović
orcid.org/0000-0003-2589-8075
; Odsjek za povijest umjetnosti Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
The parish church of the Holy Spirit in Lonja, a municipality located along the Sava River, between Sisak and Jasenovac, is a valuable monument of historicism and a generally important piece of the Croatian art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its architecture is an example of the high-quality sacral construction of Vojna Krajina (Croatian Military Border) in the 1870s. At the same time, its well-preserved furnishing, which was mostly made by various Croatian companies, is an example of the historicistic tendency towards rich colors and decoration. The church was built in the period between 1878 and 1880, primarily due to the efforts of the local Gradiška Border Regiment, so it can be assumed that the project for it was created within one of the institutions of the Military Border. With its architectural and stylistic design (it is an example of the so-called Rundbogen style), it is related to numerous sacral buildings erected in Croatia during the 1860s and 1870s. Due to the circumstances after the completion of the construction, there were not enough funds for completely new furnishing, this building was partly furnished with objects from the old wooden parish church. In addition, in 1883, some parts of the wooden altars of St. Ladislaus and the Blessed Virgin Mary originally from the Zagreb Cathedral were placed in it. These altars were built at the end of the seventeenth century. At the beginning of the 1880s, the Zagreb Cathedral was being restored, so a large part of its baroque equipment was thrown out to highlight the Gothic architecture of its renovation to a greater extent. The new lavish late historicist interior of the church in Lonja was finally completed between 1908 and 1921 when, among other things, a new pulpit, new confessionals, and stained-glass windows were acquired. Furthermore, the painting of the church walls was entrusted to the painter Rikard Rojnik in 1910-1911, while the new altars were completed by the Zagreb craftsman Josip Kaplan. The side altars of St. Anne and St. Anthony of Padua were installed in 1917, and the main altar was probably installed in 1921. At that time, parts of the old altars, from the Zagreb Cathedral, were returned to Zagreb and then placed in various Zagreb museums, where they are still today. The church in Lonja was heavily damaged in the Croatian War of Independence - during shelling in the fall of 1991: the cap of the tower was set on fire, the fire spread to the interior, and destroyed the wooden chancel with the organ as well as the paintings in the entrance area of the church. After the shelling, the roof leaked for some time, which led to the appearance of moisture and other damage to the vaults and walls. It was repaired at the end of the 1990s. Due to the great depopulation of the settlement, the church is being used less and less, which contributes to its further neglect. The building was additionally damaged in the earthquake that hit central Croatia on December 29, 2020, and it is currently in the process of renovation. Despite these damages, the parish church in Lonja represents a small historicistic Gesamtkunstwerk.
Keywords
Lonja; parish church; historicism; Zagreb Cathedral; Ivan Domian; church furnishings; baroque altars; Johannes Komersteiner; Rikard Rojnik; Josip Kaplan
Hrčak ID:
313277
URI
Publication date:
23.1.2024.
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