Spotlight on: St Mark's Church, Zagreb

One of the most famous sights in Croatia is St Mark’s Church in Zagreb. It’s one of “those kinds of sights” that is often featured in tourist advertising for the country along with Zlatni Rat Beach, Plitvice Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik’s Old Town Walls and similar. And – like all those aforementioned beauties – it’s definitely the kind of thing you need to see in real life, not just on screen.

With its stunning tiled roof featuring two historic shields of Croatia, it’s an absolute must-see when visiting Croatia’s capital city. It’s easily done so on a walking tour of Zagreb’s sight-filled Upper Town, and when you turn the corner onto St Mark’s Square (Trg svetog Marka) you’ll be rewarded with a stunning view of this iconic sight.

Zagreb Photos - St Mark's Church — St Mark’s Church, with its famous tiled roof

Zagreb Photos - St Mark's Church Roof — A close-up of the tiled roof – it shows the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia (left) and the coat of arms of the City of Zagreb (right)

History of the St Mark’s Church, Zagreb

The original church that stood here is understood to be from the 13th century, officially making it one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb. However, it is just one Romanesque window on the southern wall that still exists today. Much of the main structure and layout of the church is from the 14th century, including beautiful sculpture work in its Gothic southern portal.

The church was extensively renovated and reconstructed in the 19th century (especially due to the devastating 1880 earthquake), with designs by Viennese architect Friedrich von Schmidt, and Hermann Bolle who was heavily involved with Zagreb’s city plans and other grand buildings at that time. Works then included the lowering of the floor, the burying of tombs underground and the removal of the church’s Baroque altars with the installation of three stone altars instead. It was during this renovation that the Church received its beautiful tiled roof.

Further renovations took place in the early part of the 20th century, with works by famed Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic installed during this time.

In March 2020, another earthquake caused structural damage to the Church. After repairs, the Church was reopened to Mass in December 2023.

Features

Have I mentioned the beautiful tiled roof?! The colourful glazed tiles depict two coats of arms. On the left, you will see the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, an autonomous kingdom within Austro-Hungary that existed from 1868 to 1918. Within this latter coat of arms, you can see elements of the Kingdom of Croatia (the red and white checkered part), of Slavonia (the bottom blue – white – red – white – blue part which features a pine marten) and of Dalmatia (the upper right portion with three lions).

St Mark's Church, Zagreb, a closeup of the Coat of Arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia — A closeup of the Coat of Arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia

St Mark's Church, Coat of Arms of Zagreb closeup — A close-up of the Coat of Arms of Zagreb

The right-hand coat of arms is that of Zagreb – or, in fact, Gradec which is the historic town (largely located where today’s Upper Town stands) from which Zagreb hails. Zagreb’s coat of arms is actually a castle on a blue background, whilst Gradec’s is of the castle on a red background – as shown on the church’s roof.

St Mark's Church, Zagreb — St Mark’s Church, with the parliament building – Sabor – on the right

The impressive Gothic portal on its southern wall features sculpture work from the 14th century with fifteen figures including Joseph, Mary and Jesus. This work is thought to be done by the Parler workshop from Prague.

On the outside of the northwestern wall you can find the oldest coat of arms of Zagreb, which is from 1499.

Getting There

As I’ve mentioned, the Church is located in the middle of the cobbled St Mark’s Square in the Upper Town part of Zagreb. It is a short walk from many of the city’s other most famous sights, such as the Stone Gate, Lotrscak Tower and the Funicular. Also located on St Mark’s Square is the the Croatian Parliament Building, the Sabor and Banski Dvori which houses the Croatian government.

If travelling from elsewhere in Zagreb, the best idea is to take a tram to the main square – Ban Jelacic Square – first. From here, it is then a 10-minute walk to St Mark’s Church; walk up Ulica Pavla Radica until you get to the statue of St George, then go round it and through the Stone Gate and then straight ahead until you get to St Mark’s Church.

Alternatively, from the main square, walk along Ilica until you get to the Funicular. Ride it to its Upper Station and then walk north, past Lotrscak Tower, in a northern direction for a few minutes to once again hit St Mark’s Square.

Visiting St Mark’s Church, Zagreb

It used to be possible to get right up close to the Church and do a full circular walk around the exterior. Unfortunately, railings have been positioned around St Mark’s Church for a few years now due to security issues – thanks to the two political buildings on this same square. This means that it’s not possible to get particularly close to the Church.

Nevertheless, you can still take a photo or two or three hundred from the edge of the square itself. You are there, of course, to see the wonderful tiled roof so point your camera(phone) upwards and start clicking away!

It is not possible to visit the interior of the church unless you attend a Holy Mass. These are held at 6pm on working days and at 11am and 6pm on Sundays and religious holidays.