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The diocese of Zagreb-ljubljana |
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"Thou makest us to turn
back from the enemy; and they which hate us spoil fot themselves." (Psalm 44:10)
The Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana includes Serbian settlements in Upper Slavonia, i. e. present-day northern Croatia. From the 16th to the 19th century this territory was incorporated within the (Austrian) Slavonian Krajina (Frontier Region), i. e. within the military buffer zone of Varazdin; today this Diocese comprises the entire region of Slovenia as well, so that the Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana extends from the Ilova River to the western border of Slovenia. The above-mentioned territory was settled by Serbs from Bosnia and Serbia, who came with their spiritual leaders – their priests and monastics. In 1438, Pope Eugene IV sent a missionary, Jakob de Marcia, to the newly-settled Serbs in these regions, in order to convert these "schismatics" to the "Roman Faith" or, in lieu of success, to banish them. On the territory of today’s Diocese of Zagreb – Ljubljana Serbian Orthodox clergy were already present at the time of Katarina Brankovic, daughter of Serbian Despot Djuradj (reigned from 1427–1456). When she left the Royal Court in Smederevo with her marriage to Count Ulrih of Celje (1434), alongside her maids-in-waiting and courtesans she was also accompanied by her spiritual father. It was through her intercession that an Epistle Lectionary, the first known Serbo-Slavonic book to be written in that area, was copied in Varazdin in 1454. In this Epistle of Varazdin, kept in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum in Belgrade, there is an inscription from that time, which reads: this liturgical book was written "during the time of Right-believing and Christ-loving Lady and Princess Cantacuzenus, Daughter of Despot Djuradj, Serbian Autocrat." Following the restoration of the Patriarchate of Pec, under Serbian Patriarch Makarije Sokolovic, the Orthodox Serbs of Old Slavonia were under the spiritual guidance of the Metropolitan of Pozega, whose See was located in Monastery Orahovica. Because of Turkish attrocities, Metropolitan Vasilije of Pozega had to abandon Monastery Orahovica, at the beginning of October 1595, for the area of Upper Slavonia, residing in Roviste near the border with the Turks, in order to be as close as possible to his people still under Turkish rule. Metropolitan Vasilije founded a new Diocese in this area, with its See in Monastery Marca, from whence it was named the Diocese of Marca. In historical sources it is also referred to as the Diocese of: Svidnik, Uskok, Vretanija. The Metropolitans of Marca waged a fierce struggle against agressive Roman Catholic proselytism and its program of Union. Alongside Monastery Marca, a second spiritual focal – point for the Orthodox Serbs of that region was Monastery Lepavina. Kondrat, an Abbot of the Monastery, lost his life protecting the purity of Orthodoxy; he was murdered by enraged Uniates on the doorstep of the Church in Lepavina in 1716. Under heavy pressure from the Roman Catholic Church, and especially the Bishop of Zagreb, the Serbs lost Monastery Marca, but preserved their Orthodox faith and national pride. As the spiritual heir of the Diocese of Marca, the Diocese of Lepavina-Severin was established in 1734 with its See in Monastery Lepavina, then later moved to Severin. The Diocese was united with the Diocese of Kostajnica-Zrinopolje in 1754, and later, in 1771, the territory of the Diocese of Lepavina-Severin was incorporated into the Diocese of Pakrac. This situation lasted until 1931, when the Diocese of Zagreb was formed, on the level of a Metropolitanate, with its See in Zagreb. Dositej Vasic, a well-educated theologian and a person with wide vision and understanding for other nationalities and confessions, was elected to be its first Metropolitan. At the very beginning of World War II, on 2 May 1941, Metropolitan Dositej was imprisoned by the Ustashas in the police jail in Petrinje Street. Arnold Robert, Belgian Consul and witness to his suffering, stated after having seen the greatly disfigured Metropolitan through an opening in the door to Cell Number 8: "This is, by God, savagery what these people are doing." According to the testimony of Bozidar Cerovski, Ustasha Chief of Police in Zagreb: "The Metropolitan was so terribly beaten that he was barely alive when he was put on the train for Belgrade." The Germans transferred him as a critically ill patient to Belgrade, where on 14 January 1945 he passed on as a consequence of physical and mental torture. After the Second World War, the Diocese of Zagreb – as well as the other Dioceses on the territory of Croatia – were administered by Vicar Bishop Arsenije Bradvarevic. He was succeeded by Damaskin Grdanicki, formerly Bishop of Banat; and following his death in 1969, this Diocese was administered by the Bishop of Pakrac Emilijan Marinovic. In 1977, the Holy Assembly of Bishops entrusted the spiritual guidance of this Diocese to the Bishop of Lepavina Jovan Pavlovic, who in 1982 was elected Metropolitan of Zagreb. At his suggestion, the name of the Diocese was expanded in 1983 to the Diocese of Zagreb–Ljubljana. In World War II, eight priests and three monks, alongside innocent Serbian Orthodox people, lost their lives. A great number of churches were destroyed (in Graberje, Ivanic-Grad, Grubisno Polje, Velika Peratovica, Velika Pisanica, Koprivnica, Cadjavac, as well as in other places), many more damaged, most having been plundered as well. In the war of 1991–1995, even though in general there were no war operations on the territory of the Diocese of Zagreb–Ljubljana, nine churches were destroyed and 29 damaged. The log churches in Donja Rasenica from 1709 and Rastovac from 1730 – unique monuments to the spiritual heritage of the Serbs dating from the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th century – were burnt to the ground by Croatian nationalists, no trace of them being left. The Metropolitan’s Residence in Zagreb, where both a Church Museum and Diocesan Library were located, was dynamited on the night of 11 April 1992. Items of exceptional value, especially the collection of icons, ancient liturgical books and manuscripts, metal and textile liturgical items, portraits and numerous other valuables from the 13th to the 19th century were destroyed or considerably damaged. Apart from the destruction of the Episcopal Residence in Zagreb, registered as an historical monument (the building was constructed in 1886/87 according to the plans of architect Kuhn Weidmann as his family home), five parish homes were destroyed (three were dynamited and two set afire), while seven were significantly damaged. Two chapels were also damaged. In the Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana more than 50 churches and other church buildings were either destroyed or damaged. These Serbian places of worship, in the majority, were damaged outside the war zone. In 1996 the remains of the Church of the Holy Cross in Veliki Zdenci, damaged even during the Second World War, were totally demolished. In spite of petitions from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the demolition of this Church could not be prevented. The official Croatian State "established" that the Church was the property of "Greek Catholics" who disappeared from that area in 1919. Existing written records proving the continuity of the Church of the Holy Cross within the fold of the Serbian Orthodox Church for over two centuries were obviously not enough for the Croatian authorities. Zagreb Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord – built in 1794. Renovated in 1866 and 1884 according to the plans of architect Herman Bohle. Iconostatis painted by Epimanondas Bucevski in 1833. Church damaged before any war operations: buglarized during the night between 27 and 28 January 1991; damaged several times afterwards. During the night of 24/25 August 1997 stained glass windows on the entrance door were broken (Report of 29 August 1997). Metropolitan’s Residence – built according to the plans of architect Kuhn Weidmann in 1886–1887. Dynamited on 11 April 1992 at 10:45 p. m. outside war operations.
Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church for the Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana (in the Metropolitan’s Residence), founded on 23 October 1981, permanent exhibit opened for the public on 26 April 1895. Displays in six rooms on ground-floor, total area of 423 square meters. Most of the items consisted of church art valuables looted by the Ustashas in World War II, returned after numerous requests to the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1983. Valuables on display included in general icons (67) painted between the 16th and 19th century – work of Serbian, Russian and Cretan icon painters, metal (30) and textile (11) liturgical items, liturgical manuscripts from 13th to 18th century, books printed in Venice, Vienna and Moscow, Privileges (Charters) issued by Austrian Emperors and Duke Jovan Besaraba of Moldavia (15). Metropolitan’s Residence together with the Diocesan Museum dynamited with dozens of kilograms of explosives, blowing up church art treasures and other historical items witnessing Sebian spiritual, cultural and creative talent from the former Diocese of Marca founded in the 16th century. Convent of Saint Petka at Crnomerec – endowment of Djura Avirovic from 1866. Convent buglarized 1991/92. |
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