The Saint Mark’s Church is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the old part of the capital city of the Republic of Croatia, Zagreb. Being one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb, it is located on the Saint Mark’s Square; however, it is easily recognizable by its colorful roof.
Even though there are no official proofs of the time of construction, it is estimated that Saint Mark’s Church was built as early as the 13th century; however, it was radically reconstructed in the second half of the 14th century. The real evidence of the construction is the Romanesque window, which is found on the south façade of the small church, together with the semicircular ground plan of Saint Mary’s Chapel, which was later altered.
The striking feature is the colorful tiled roof that was constructed in 1880, which has the medieval Coat of Arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia on the left side, actually, while on the right side is the Emblem of Zagreb. The Old Town of Zagreb was destroyed many times with numerous city fires and earthquakes, so the church was turned into a late Gothic church of the three-nave type with its radical reconstruction of the 14th century.
The massive round columns support the heavy ribbed vaults that are cut in stone, and an air of peace and sublimity characterizes the church interior in its simplicity. The South Portal, which dates from the period of Gothic renovation, is the richest looking Gothic portal in Croatia, consisting of 15 sculptures, out of which 11 are stone Gothic sculptures, and 4 are wooden Baroque sculptures in 11 niches.
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All these were a masterpiece of the Parler Family from Prague, the Czech Republic. On the exterior, on the northwest wall of the church, lies the oldest Coat of Arms of Zagreb with the year 1499 engraved in it; however, due to the importance of the symbol, the original is now kept in the Zagreb City Museum.
Still, the interior of the church was redone several times during the 17th and 18th centuries, and at that time the church got its stone pulpit, a place for the choir, tiling, several altars, and other furniture. Together with the old Coat of Arms of Zagreb, part of the 18th-century altars are also exhibited in the Zagreb City Museum.
Even though there were mentions of the demolition of this impressive church, so that a bigger cathedral could be built, this, luckily, did not occur, and there was a restoration in 1876. It was started by Friedrich Schmidt and continued by Herman Bollé, whereas the Neo-Gothic appearance is mainly a product of Schmidt’s idea, while the interior was probably done completely by Bollé.
Being one of the most impressive structures in the city of Zagreb, it is no wonder that many people are simply taken aback by its pristine beauty, which is something unique, and it definitely should be preserved for future generations to marvel at it.
