Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb

Archidioecesis Metropolitae Zagrebiensis

Zagrebačka nadbiskupija i metropolija
Zagreb Cathedral
Location
Country Croatia
Statistics
Area4,246 km2 (1,639 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2017)
Increase1,211,298
Decrease1,002,923 (Decrease82.8%)
Parishes205
Information
DenominationCatholic
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established1094
CathedralCathedral of the Assumption of Mary
Patron saintBlessed Alojzije Stepinac
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
ArchbishopDražen Kutleša
Metropolitan ArchbishopDražen Kutleša
Auxiliary BishopsIvan Šaško
Mijo Gorski
Bishops emeritusCardinal Josip Bozanić
Website
zg-nadbiskupija.hr

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb (Latin: Archidioecesis Metropolitae Zagrebiensis; Croatian: Zagrebačka nadbiskupija i metropolija) is the central Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb.[1] It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, and the present archbishop is Dražen Kutleša.[2] It encompasses the northwestern continental areas of Croatia.

Background

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The territory of the present-day Archdiocese of Zagreb was part of the Roman province of Pannonia Savia, centered around the busy river port of Sisak. Christianity started to spread in Pannonia in the 3rd century. The capital of province, Sisak got its first bishop in the second half of the 3rd century. Bishop Castus was mentioned for the first time in 249 A.D. during Emperor Decius’s reign. One of the more notable bishops is Quirinus of Sescia, who suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.[3]

Sisak was suffragan first to Sirmium, then to Solin but was abolished in the seventh century during the turbulent Avar and Slavic migrations. For a while the area was under the Patriarch of Aquileia. During the rule of Vladislav of Croatia (821–835), all of Croatia except the Archdiocese of Nin became subject to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Spalatum.[4] Later, the Councils of Split confirmed the Archbishopric of Split as the archepiscopal see having the right to govern all parishes on Croatian territory.[5]

History

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The diocese of Zagreb was founded by Ladislaus I of Hungary in 1094. It belonged to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Esztergom until 1180, when it came under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Kalocsa. King Ladislav was not on good terms with Pope Urban II, who supported King Zvonimir, and did not approve Ladislus' policy towards Croatia. Ladislav then obtained approval for the foundation of the diocese from the Antipope Clement III.[6] After the end of the Avignon papacy, the Diocese was not abolished as the Pope did not oppose its existence.

In 1227 Pope Gregory IX confirmed the grants and privileges of the Zagreb Diocese, among which the most important, the Felitianus’ Charter from 1134 A.D., the oldest preserved document of Croatian land between the rivers Sava and Drava.[6] Coloman, King of Hungary was crowned king of Croatia in Biograd na Moru in 1102.[7] Thus, the Diocese of Zagreb remained under the sponsorship of the King of Croatia and Hungary. The territory of the diocese changed several times throughout history.

On November 11, 1852, it was elevated to the status of an archdiocese.

Suffragan dioceses

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Archbishop's Palace in Zagreb

Ordinaries

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Bishops
Archbishops

Auxiliary Bishops

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References

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  1. ^ Archdiocese of Zagreb, catholic-hierarchy.org.
  2. ^ Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb, gcatholic.org.
  3. ^ Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. Quirinus." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 20 August 2023 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Matthew Spinka, A history of Christianity in the Balkans: a study in the spread of Byzantine culture among the Slavs, pp. 19–20
  5. ^ Budak, Neven (1994). Prva stoljeća Hrvatske (PDF) (in Croatian). Zagreb: Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada. ISBN 953-169-032-4.
  6. ^ a b "Zagrebačka nadbiskupija" [Archdiocese of Zagreb]. Croatian Encyclopaedia (in Croatian). 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  7. ^ Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89452-4.
  8. ^ a b Metropolitan Archdiocese of Zagreb - Bishops, on gcatholic.org.