Sveta Jelena (; en, Saint Helen) is a historic medieval site in Međimurje County, northern Croatia. Originally a distinct settlement, Sveta Jelena is part of the

Šenkovec Šenkovec ( hu, Szentilona) is a municipalities of Croatia, municipality in Međimurje County, Croatia, located just outside the county seat, Čakovec. The municipality includes two villages – Šenkovec and Knezovec. In the 2011 census, the tw ...

municipality, about two kilometres away from Čakovec to the north. The site is well known for its Pauline monastery of St. Helen and associated facilities. Members of the Zrinski noble family were buried in a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

there. From the whole monastery complex, only the St. Helen's Chapel still exists. The monastery itself was founded by

Stephen II Lackfi Stephen II Lackfi ( hu, Lackfi (II.) István, hr, Stjepan II. Lacković Čakovečki; died 27 February 1397 in Križevci) was Ban of Croatia, Palatine of Hungary and the Voivode of Transylvania from the Lackfi family. He was murdered at the Bloody ...

, Lord of Međimurje and Ban of Croatia, on 27 August 1376 and dedicated to

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and All Saints. After Joseph II,

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

and the King of Croatia abolished the Paulists' provinces in his Empire on 7 February 1786, the members of the Order left Sveta Jelena. Over time, the monastery complex had to be rebuilt several times after being damaged by disasters such as fires and earthquakes. In particular, a large earthquake in 1880 nearly destroyed the building. Partial

archaeological excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

have been carried out recently by the local Međimurje County Museum in Čakovec.

Burials at the monastery

* Nikola Šubić Zrinski *

Juraj V Zrinski Juraj V Zrinski ( hu, V. Zrínyi György; 31 January 1599 – 28 December 1626) was a Croatian Ban (viceroy), warrior and member of the Zrinski noble family. Biography Juraj V Zrinski was born in Csáktornya Kingdom of Hungary (today Čakov ...

Image gallery

File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia) - Pavlinski samostan.JPG, Pauline monastery in the 18th century File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia), kapela - jug.jpg, Chapel: south view File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia) - ostaci samostana i kapela.jpg, The remains of the monastery and the chapel File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia), kapela - ulaz.jpg, Entrance File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia), kapela - južni zid.jpg, South wall File:Sveta Jelena (Croatia), kapela - freske.jpg, Frescos

External links

History, archaeological excavations and paintings of St. Helen's Chapel

A photo of the Chapel

History and photos of the Sveta Jelena site

Pauline monastery

Međimurje County tourism page
{{coord, 45, 54, N, 16, 16, E, display=title, region:HR_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Buildings and structures in Međimurje County Tourist attractions in Međimurje County Archaeological sites in Croatia Medieval sites in Croatia Zrinski Former populated places in Croatia History of Međimurje