The story of Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Varaždin

Varaždin Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is one of the most important early Baroque churches in northern Croatia. The Jesuits built it between 1642 and 1646. The Jesuit Juraj Matota is named as its designer and site manager, and the building was paid for by Count Gašpar Drašković. It is a single-nave church with six side chapels, above which run two galleries.

The bell tower followed in 1676, and the sacristy was completed in 1726. The church then went through some unusual changes. When the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773, it passed to the Pauline monks. In 1788 it was taken away from the church altogether and turned into a military storehouse, and only in 1797 was it consecrated as a church again.

For two centuries it was simply a parish church near the main square. Then, on 5 July 1997, Pope John Paul II created the new Diocese of Varaždin, and this former Jesuit church became its cathedral. Step inside to see its Baroque interior.