Basilicas in Croatia and Slovenia

Croatia

I blogged about the following basilicas on February 11, 2021.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Anastasia in Zadar, Croatia.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Dakovo, Croatia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. James (the Great), Sibenik, Sibenik-Knin

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII in 1895.

The basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Sibenik. The church was built between 1431 and 1535 to replace a Romanesque church. This church was built using Renaissance and Gothic styles. The exterior is shown in one episode of Game of Thrones.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows of Bistrica, Marija Bistrica, Krapina-Zagorje

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1923.

The statue of Our Lady of Bistrica dates to the 15th Century and has long attracted pilgrims. A fire mostly destroyed the church in 1880. The current church was soon erected using Gothic, Baroque, Florentine, and German Renaissance styles.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Mother of God, Rijeka, Primorje-Gorski Kotar

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1930.

The church was built in the 15th Century and employs various architectural styles. It was built on the foundation of Roman baths.

From Dreamstime.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Porec, Istria

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1931.

This church is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Porec and Pula. The Byzantine style church was built in the 6th Century. The church is filled with mosaics and the mosaic floor dates to the church’s 4th Century predecessor. The church has a 6th Century octagonal baptismal font and 18 Greek marble colonnades. It is the earliest example in Western Europe of a church with three apses.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Most Sacred Heart, Zagreb, Zagreb

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1941.

This Jesuit church was completed in 1902 in a neo-Baroque style. It can hold 3000 people and is the second largest church in Zagreb. It was heavily damaged in 2020 by an earthquake.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Quirinus, Shrine of Divine Mercy, Sisak, Sisak-Moslavina

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The church was completed in 2002 to serve a parish of over 8,000 people.

Pictures are from local sources.

Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Zagreb, Zagreb

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2022.

The church was built between 1931 and 1934 in a basilica-monumental style. The bell tower was completed in 2008.

Pictures are from local sources.

Slovenia

Basilica of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, Maribor, Maribor

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1906.

The neo-Romanesque church serves as the parish church for Maribor and as the church for a Franciscan monastery. It was built in the 1890s to replace a former Capuchin church which was too small for the town.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Mary, Queen of the Holy Mountain, Sveta Gora, Nova Gorica

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius X in 1906.

Jesus and Mary were said to have appeared to a young girl in 1539 asking that a church be built here so that people would come seeking grace. A church had been on this site but had been destroyed by the Turks in 1496. A new church opened in 1544 but this church was demolished by Emperor Joseph II in 1786. The church was rebuilt a few years later but again was destroyed during the First World War. The current church was built between 1920 and 1932. The Franciscans have administered the church since 1544.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes, Brestanica, Krsko

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1928.

The Neo-Romanesque Basilica was constructed between 1908 and 1914. It is one of the largest churches in Slovenia and is a pilgrimage destination.

Pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Sorrowful Mother of God, Sticna, Grosuplje

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1936.

The church was originally built as the church for a Cistercian monastery in the 12th Century. This Romanesque church was largely destroyed by the Turks in both 1475 and 1529. It was restored in a Baroque style in the 17th Century. Emperor Joseph II closed the monastery and made the church a parish church only. The people of Sticna could not support such a large church and it deteriorated. It was renovated in the 1880s and 1920s. The church was bombed twice during the Second World War but has been restored.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Visitation of Mary, Petrovce, Zalec

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984.

The church was originally built in the 14th Century using a Gothic style. It was renovated in the 18th Century in a Baroque style. The Dominicans have administered the church since 1965.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, Brezje, Radovljica

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

Pilgrims began coming to this location after three miraculous healings in 1863 and 1864. The current neo-Renaissance church was constructed between 1889 and 1900 to replace the original church. Today it is the main pilgrimage site in Slovenia attracting 400,000 people each year. It is also the church of a Franciscan monastery.