Sveta Jelena (; en, Saint Helen) is a historic medieval site in

Međimurje County Međimurje County (; hr, Međimurska županija ; hu, Muraköz megye) is a triangle-shaped Counties of Croatia, county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje (region), ...

, northern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. 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 Čakovec (; hu, Csáktornya; la, Aquama; german: Tschakathurn) is a city in northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, sm ...

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 Ban of Croatia ( hr, Hrvatski ban) was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) an ...

, 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 Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

and All Saints. After

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...

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 King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

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 The Međimurje County Museum in Čakovec, the seat of Međimurje County, Croatia, is located in the Zrinski Castle inner palace, the biggest medieval fortification in the county, close to the centre of the town and its main square. History The ...

in Čakovec.

Burials at the monastery

Nikola Šubić Zrinski Nikola IV Zrinski or Miklós IV Zrínyi ( hu, Zrínyi Miklós, ; 1507/1508 – 7 September 1566), also commonly known as Nikola Šubić Zrinski (), was a Croatian nobleman and general, Ban of Croatia from 1542 until 1556, royal master of the tr ...

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 Čakovec, ...

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