During his pontificate, John Paul II made three pilgrimages to Croatia. These took place in 1994, 1998 and 2003. The first two visits, in particular, were of special significance to the Croatian people – they took place during a difficult period of conflict in the Balkans.

The first visit to Croatia, specifically to the country’s capital, Zagreb, took place in 1994, at a time when the region was engulfed in war. The spiritual support provided by the Pope was of inestimable value to the Croatians. The Holy See was the first to recognise the independence of Slovenia and Croatia in January 1992. In difficult times, John Paul II not only offered comfort but also encouraged people to build a future in the spirit of Christian values and democratic principles.

The Pope began his second pilgrimage, which took place in 1998, with a visit to Zagreb, before travelling on to the shrine at Maria Bistrica and the cities of Split and Soline. During this visit, Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, a figure of particular significance to Croatian Catholics, was beatified. Mementoes of this pilgrimage, such as the monuments in Maria Bistrica and the commemorative plaque in St Duja’s Cathedral in Split, serve as a tangible reminder of the Pope’s presence in Croatia.

The third pilgrimage took place in June 2003. Its highlight was the beatification of Mary of Jesus Crucified Petković. The Pope began his visit on the island of Krk, where as many as two monuments were erected to commemorate his presence. He then travelled to Rijeka, and subsequently to Dubrovnik, where the main beatification ceremony took place. The Pope’s visit is commemorated by a monument and two plaques. Later in his journey, John Paul II visited Osijek, Đakovo and Rijeka once more, where his prayer before the image of Our Lady, Queen of the Adriatic, in the Minor Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Trsat was commemorated by yet another monument. The pilgrimage ended in Zadar.

Commemorative plaques honouring John Paul II
Dubrovnik (clock tower)
Dubrovnik (Dominican church)
Split (St Domion’s Cathedral), 1989, by Kuzma Kovačić

Monuments commemorating John Paul II
By Kuzma Kovačić
Year of unveiling: 1996
Material: sandstone (Pučišće on the coast of Brač)
Dimensions: height 2.50 m
Location Selca
The monument commemorating Pope John Paul II was unveiled on 7 September 1996 thanks to the initiative of the then parish priest, Fr Jerčić, and the mayor of the municipality, Ivan Škrpac. The initiators’ intention in erecting the monument was not only to highlight the impact of the Pope’s numerous works on positive changes around the world, but also to express gratitude for his contribution to the development of the Croatian nation and the shaping of Croatian statehood.

Year of unveiling: 2000
Material: bronze
Dimensions: height 2.30 m
Location: Županja
The Pope points his right hand towards the entrance to the courtyard, in the direction of the faithful entering, whilst his left hand points to the image of Divine Mercy. The inscription at the base states who erected the statue and who blessed it, and quotes the Pope’s words addressed to the Croatians: “My dear Croatians! Be faithful, be steadfast, be proud of your Christian name!”

Year of unveiling: c. 2000
Material: sandstone
Location: Solin
A bas-relief depiction of John Paul II.

Artist: Zlatko Čular
Year of unveiling: 2003
Material: bronze (statue)
Location: Marija Bistrica
The National Shrine of Marija Bistrica is the most famous and most frequently visited shrine to the Virgin Mary in Croatia. During his second visit to Croatia in 1998, Pope John Paul II declared the Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac blessed right here. The papal visit in 2003 was commemorated with a monument. The stonework was carried out by Jerbić from Sveta Nedjelja.

Artist: Kuzma Kovačić
Year of unveiling: 2003
Material: bronze
Dimensions: approx. 2.5 m
Location: Zagreb ( Military Ordinariate, park)
The bas-relief depicting St John Paul II is located at the military ordinariate in Split. Its creator, Kuzma Kovačić, was also the creator of the first monument to John Paul II in Croatia, in Selce on the island of Brač.

Author: Damir Mataušic
Year of unveiling: 2004
Material: bronze
Location: Omišalj
In Omišalj, on the John Paul II Promenade, there is a monument commemorating the Pope. The monument’s unusual shape, resembling a mooring post, also symbolises the Glagolitic letter ‘I’. It was erected at the spot where John Paul II’s third pilgrimage began in 2003. At that time, the Pope flew to Omišalj Airport, from where he travelled by catamaran to Rijeka. The aim of those behind the monument’s erection is not only to commemorate the Pope’s historic visit, but also to highlight his important role in Croatian history and culture.

Designer: Ante Jurkić
Year of unveiling: 2005
Material: bronze
Dimensions: 2.8 m (including the plinth)
Weight approx. 1 t
Location Rijeka
Depiction of John Paul II at a moment of prayer before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Trsat, praying for the success of his visit to this shrine on 8 June 2003, during his third pastoral visit to Croatia, when he spent five days in Rijeka. The monument was funded by the Government of Croatia, the County of Primorsko-Gorski Kotar, the City of Rijeka and the Croatian Tourist Board.

Designer: Radoslav Duhović
Year of unveiling: 2006
Material: bronze
Location: Žrnovo
The monument is situated in front of St Martin’s Church

Creators: Denis Nižetić (stonemason) and Dražen Prlić (sculptor),
Year of unveiling: 2007
Material: bronze
Location: Račišće
The monument is situated in front of St Nicholas’s Church

Designer: Petar Barišić
Year of unveiling: 2007
Material: bronze
Location: Kuna ( courtyard of the monastery and Church of Our Lady of Delorita)

Artist: Slaven Miličević
Year unveiled: 2011
Material: bronze, plinth of light-coloured stone
Dimensions: height approx. 2.9 x 0.7 x 1.6 m, weight approx. 600 kg
Location Udbina
The cross held by the Pope is modelled on the Golden Cross of the Bishops of Krbava from the early 13th century, whilst the crosier is modelled on that of the same bishops from the 15th century. The statue is made of bronze at the foundry of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. At the base is a quotation from John Paul II: ‘May the nations not allow those who have suffered martyrdom to be forgotten’.

Creators: Marija Ujević-Galetović (sculptor) and Branko Silađina (architect)
Year of unveiling: 2013 (completed in 2012)
Material: bronze
Location: Dubrovnik
Other designs were also submitted as part of the competition for the monument in Dubrovnik:
Hrvoje Urumović and Fabrika arhitekti doo
Neven Bilić and Marija Premužić Ančić, Azra Suljić
Kristina Fontana Dujmić and Ksenija Miličević, Vinko Pešorda and Ana Nada Krpelnik
Iris Lobaš Kukavičić and Ursula Stanić Siništaj, Lea Đurović Ruso, Maja Čadež ( https://www.proto-arch.com/spomenik_ip.html )
Dragan Dužević and Ivo Vojnović, Suzana Lunić, Nina Šperac
Zlatko Čular and Krešimir Zmijanović
Pero Jelisić and Goran Tomas, Renata Capponi
Nikola Vrljić and Ivan Dorotić, Damir Petrić, Damir Sekulić
Ana Belošević and Ivan Galić
Ozren Feller and Ivica Gjurić ( https://gib.hr/hr/projekt/spomenik-papi-ivanu-pavlu-ii.-58 )
Krešimir Katušić and ADE STUDIO doo: Sanja Borisavljević, Mihaela Harapin, Valentina Milić
Nikola Šimunić and Roman Šilje
Željko Karaula and Saša Kovačić, Damir Doroda, Ivana Sertić
Stjepan Divković and Zlatko Korunda
Mile Blažević and Vedran Kovač
Zoran Jurić and Jesenko Horvat

Artist: Vida Vučaka
Year of unveiling: 2014
Material: bronze
Location: Omišalj
The Pope is depicted with his right hand raised in blessing, his left hand resting on his crosier; below is an inscription in Croatian: “Saint John Paul II, pray for us” (SVETI IVANE PAVLE II / MOLI ZA NAS //). It stands on a low plinth in the form of a protruding platform resembling a sea wave; in front of it, evergreen shrubs have been planted, symbolising the islands of the Diocese of Krk. Behind the monument, seven mulberry trees have been planted as symbols of the seven municipalities of Krk which supported the project. The symbolic significance of the monument, as envisaged by the organisers, was explained during its unveiling by Dr Anton Bozanića, parish priest of Omišalj: “The Pope looks upon us with clarity and, leaning on the cross, blesses us with his outstretched hand. His figure resembles a sail braving a fierce storm, and we know that, throughout history, islanders have always been able to recognise which way the ‘winds’ are blowing. The Pope does not stand on a high pedestal, like some influential people who want to be seen, because he has always been close to the people; and here his statue is positioned so that it is close to the ordinary person, so that one can touch it with one’s hand. The base, which rises gently beneath him, seems to want to tell us how it lifts our spirit and body. Below are the round stones from the funeral, which remind us of the verses of his hymn: “In the statue of the holy Pope, the faithful recognise a Heavenly Intercessor, One who can be appealed to, to whom they will pray; that is why the inscription beneath the statue reads: ‘St John Paul II, pray for us!’”.

Artist: Kuzma Kovačić
Year of unveiling: 2016
Material: bronze with a silver plating, framed in red marble
Dimensions: 254 x 148 cm
Location: Split
A bas-relief depicting St. John Paul II is located in the Archbishop’s Palace in Split. Its creator, Kuzma Kovačić, was also the artist behind the first monument to John Paul II in Croatia, in Selce on the island of Brač, and the monument at the Military Ordinariate in Zagreb. It depicts John Paul II, guided by the Holy Spirit—present in the wind billowing the saint’s robes and the halo casting a radiance upon his face—crossing the threshold of hope with a cross in his hand.

Year of unveiling: 2018
Material: bronze
Location: Zaprešić
A bas-relief depicting St John Paul II is located in the archbishop’s palace in Split. Its creator, Kuzma Kovačić, was also the sculptor of the first monument to John Paul II in Croatia, in Selce on the island of Brač, and of the monument at the military ordinariate in Zagreb. It depicts John Paul II, guided by the Holy Spirit – present in the wind billowing the saint’s robes and the halo casting a radiance upon his face – crossing the threshold of hope with a cross in his hand.

Artist: Tomislav Kršnjavi
Year of unveiling: 2022
Material: bronze
Location : Krašić
The bust is situated in the square in front of the church. A statue of Stepinac is also to be erected opposite the statue of John Paul II. The sculptor spoke about this to the hkm.hr website as follows: “For me, this is a great challenge, which came about after I created a large statue of Cardinal Kuharić in Pribić in 2019 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. I felt truly inspired and, in some way, sensed that these three were connected. Pope John Paul II beatified Cardinal Stepinac in 1998, and Cardinal Kuharić was with him at the time. I was particularly impressed by the interaction between these three men, by how they relied on one another – and now this saint has declared Stepinac blessed.”

Author: Zvonko Beljo (creator of the cast)
Year of unveiling: 2022
Material: bronze
Location: Križevci
The bust is situated in a small square in the immediate vicinity of the parish church, next to the monument to Cardinal Franjo Kuharić.