The Church of St. George in

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the populat ...

church in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The church is dedicated to

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

. Work on church were completed in 1884. The church is located inside of Varaždin's main market place. The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George in

is one of the youngest Orthodox sacral buildings constructed in

n urban areas in the 19th century. After the 1781

Patent of Toleration The Patent of Toleration (, ) was an edict of toleration issued on 13 October 1781 by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II. Part of the Josephinist reforms, the Patent extended religious freedom to non-Catholic Christians living in the crown lands ...

issued by

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

, the first larger Orthodox churches began to be built in towns and cities of Croatia (

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

Bjelovar Bjelovar (, , Czech language, Czech: ''Bělovar'' or ''Bělovár,'' Kajkavian dialect, Kajkavian: ''Belovar,'' Latin: ''Bellovarium'') is a city in central Croatia. In the Demographics of Croatia, 2021 census, its population was 36,316 . It is ...

Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...

) and the

Habsburg empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

as a whole. Complete removal of limitations for non-Catholic religions in the 1850s and 1860s led to a new wave of church construction immediately after the mid-19th century in the

Eparchy of Osječko polje and Baranja The Eparchy of Osječko Polje and Baranja ( sr-Cyrl, Епархија осјечкопољска и барањска / Епархија осечкопољска и барањска; ) is a eparchy (diocese) of the Serbian Orthodox Church that en ...

, not to mention

Otočac Otočac () is a town in Croatia, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. It lies in the northwestern part of Lika region, in the Gacka river valley. The population of the administrative area of the Town of Otočac was 9,778 in ...

Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in central Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the nearby ...

and other places of the empire where Serbs are considered people of a

constituent state Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

. Since the Varaždin Serbian Orthodox community was rather small, the church was constructed fairly late, in 1884, primarily owing to the circumstances such as the Orthodox religion of the officials who then had high positions in the county and city administration:

Ognjeslav Utješenović Ognjeslav Utješenović Ostrožinski (spelled Utješinović in some sources; sr-Cyrl, Огњеслав Утјешеновић Острожински; 21 August 1817 – 8 June 1890) was a Croatian Serb politician and writer. He is mainly rememb ...

Ostrožinski was the head of Varaždin County and Milan Vrabčevića was the mayor of the city of

. Belonging to the political and cultural elite of Croatia of the time, they ensured all necessary permits and funds for the church construction. Their efforts were also supported by the very emperor

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. The church, built according to the designs of Žigo Baločanski (and executed by Radoslav Atzinger) is a special interpretation of

Neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a Revivalism (architecture), revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine architecture, ...

style, with strong

Neo-Romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

elements. The interior equipment is incomparably more interesting. The donation the church received consisted of old

Biedermeier The Biedermeier period was an era in Central European art and culture between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle classes grew in number and artists began producing works appealing to their sensibilities. The period began with the end of th ...

equipment from the early decades of the 19th century (probably between 1813 and 1828) that was moved from the Orthodox church in Zagreb and included an iconostasis, two choir stalls, pews, three small window panes, and a big crystal chandelier. The only change being made on the

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

after its move to Varaždin was the removal of one vertical row of icons on each of its wings due to the smaller width of the church.

References

Churches completed in 1884

George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

19th-century churches in Croatia 19th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Serbian Orthodox church buildings in Croatia Buildings and structures in Varaždin Metropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana {{Croatia-church-stub

See also

References