John Paul II made three pilgrimages to Croatia during his pontificate. They took place in the years: 1994, 1998 and 2003. Especially the first two visits had a special meaning for the Croatians - they took place during a difficult period of conflict for the Balkans.

The first visit to Croatia, precisely to the capital Zagreb, took place in 1994, at a time when the region was immersed in war. The spiritual support provided by the Pope was of inestimable importance to the Croatian people. The Holy See was the first to recognise the independence of Slovenia and Croatia in January 1992. John Paul II not only offered consolation in difficult moments, but also encouraged them to build a future in the spirit of Christian values and democratic principles.

The Pope's second pilgrimage, which took place in 1998, began with a visit to Zagreb, followed by visits to the shrine of Maria Bistrica and the cities of Split and Soline. During this visit, the beatification of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who was a person of special importance to Croatian Catholics, took place. Souvenirs of this pilgrimage, such as the monuments in Maria Bistrica and the memorial plaque in St Duja Cathedral in Split, are material traces of the Pope's presence in Croatia.

The third pilgrimage took place in June 2003. Its highlight was the beatification of Maria of Jesus Crucified Petković. The Pope began his visit on the island of Krk, where up to two monuments were erected to commemorate his presence. He then travelled to Rijeka and then to Dubrovnik, where the main beatification ceremony took place. The Pope's presence is commemorated by a monument and two plaques. Later in the journey, John Paul II visited Osijek, Đakovo and again Rijeka, where 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 another monument. The pilgrimage ended in Zadar.

Plaques commemorating John Paul II
Dubrovnik (clock tower)
Dubrovnik (Dominican Church)
Split (St. Domion Cathedral), 1989, by Kuzma Kovačić

Memorials to John Paul II
Author 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 intended the erection of the monument not only to emphasise the impact of the Pope's numerous works on positive changes in the world, but also to express gratitude for his contribution to the development of the Croatian people and the formation of Croatian statehood.

Year of unveiling 2000
Material bronze
Dimensions height 2.30 m
Location Żupanja
The Pope points with his right hand towards the entrance to the courtyard towards the entering faithful, while with his left hand he points to the Divine Mercy image. The words placed at the base say who erected the statue, who blessed it, and recall the Pope's words to the Croatians: "My dear Croatians! Be faithful, be unwavering, be proud of your Christian name!".

Year of unveiling approx. 2000
Material sandstone
Location Solin
Bas-relief representation of John Paul II.

Author Zlatko Čular
Year of unveiling 2003
Material bronze (statue)
Location Marija Bistrica
The best known and most visited shrine of the Mother of God in Croatia is the National Shrine of Marija Bistrica. During his second visit to Croatia in 1998, it was here that Pope John Paul II proclaimed Croatian Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac Blessed. The papal visit in 2003 was commemorated with a monument. The stonework was carried out by Jerbić iz Svete Nedjelje.

Author Kuzma Kovačić
. Year of unveiling 2003
Material bronze
Dimensions approx. 2.5 m
Location Zagreb (Military Ordinariate, park)
The bas-relief depicting Saint John Paul II is located in the Military Ordinariate in Split. Its creator Kuzma Kovačić was the author of the first statue of John Paul II in Croatia in Selci on the island of Brač.

Author Damir Mataušic
Year of unveiling 2004
Material bronze
Location Omišalj
In Omišalj, on the quay named after John Paul II, there is a monument commemorating the Pope. The unusual form of the monument, resembling a mooring post, also symbolises Glagolitic I. It was placed on the spot where John Paul II's third pilgrimage began in 2003, when he arrived at the airport in Omišalj, from where he travelled by catamaran to Rijeka. The intention of the initiators of the erection of the monument is not only to remember the historic visit of the Pope, but also his important role in Croatian history and culture.

Author Ante Jurkić
Year of unveiling 2005
Material bronze
Dimensions 2.8 m (including plinth)
Weight approx. 1 t
Location Rijeka
Depiction of John Paul II at the moment of prayer before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Trsat for his visit to this shrine on 8 June 2003, during his third pastoral journey to Croatia, when he stayed for five days in Rijeka. The donors of the monument are the Government of Croatia, the Župania Primorska-Gorski Kotar, the City of Rijeka and the Croatian Tourist Community.

Author Radoslav Duhović
Year of unveiling 2006
Material bronze
Location Žrnovo
The monument is located in front of the Church of St. Martin

Authors Denis Nižetić (stonemason) and Dražen Prlić (sculptor)
Year of unveiling 2007
Material bronze
Location Račišće
The monument is located in front of the Church of St. Nicholas

Author Petar Barišić
Year of unveiling 2007
Material bronze
Location Kuna (courtyard of the monastery and church of Our Lady of Delorita)

Author Slaven Miličević
Year of unveiling 2011
Material bronze, base of light stone
Dimensions H approx. 2.9 x 0.7 x 1.6 m, weight approx. 600 kg
Location Udbina
The cross that the Pope holds in his hands was made on the model of the Golden Cross of the Bishops of Krbava from the beginning of the 13th century, and the shepherd's staff comes from the same bishops from the 15th century. The statue is made of bronze in the foundry of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. At the base is the invocation of John Paul II: "May the nations not allow those who suffered martyrdom to be forgotten".

Authors Marija Ujević-Galetović (sculptor) and Branko Silađina (architect)
Year of unveiling 2013 (realisation 2012)
Material bronze
Location Dubrovnik
Other projects were prepared as part of the competition for the Dubrovnik monument:
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

Author Vida Vučaka
Year of unveiling 2014
Material bronze
Location Omišalj
The Pope is shown with his right hand raised in blessing, his left hand resting on the pastoral, below is an inscription in Croatian: "Saint John Paul II pray for us" (SVETI IVANE PAVLE II / MOLI ZA NAS //). It is placed on a low pedestal in the form of an overhanging platform resembling a sea wave, with evergreen shrubs planted in front of it, symbolising the islands of the Krk diocese. Behind the monument, seven mulberry trees were planted as symbols of the seven Krk municipalities that supported the project. The symbolic meaning of the monument, as the organisers saw it, was presented at its unveiling by Dr Anton Bozanića, parish priest in Omišalj: "The Pope looks at us brightly and, supported on the cross, blesses us with an outstretched hand. His figure resembles a sail facing a strong storm, and we know: throughout history, islanders have always been able to recognise where the 'winds' are blowing. The Pope does not stand tall, like some influential people who want to be visible, because he has always been close to the people, and here his statue is positioned so that he is close to the ordinary person, so that he can be touched by hand. The base that gently climbs beneath him seems to want to tell us how he lifts our spirit and body. Below are the round stones of the funeral, which reminds us of the verses of his song: " In the statue of the holy Pope, the faithful recognise the Heavenly Advocate, the One who can be influenced, the One to whom they will pray, which is why under the statue we read: "St John Paul II, pray for us!"".

Author Kuzma Kovačić
Year of unveiling 2016
Material bronze with silver overlay, border red marble
Dimensions 254 x 148 cm
Location Split
The bas-relief depicting Saint John Paul II is located in the Archbishop's Palace in Split. Its creator, Kuzma Kovačić, was the author of the first monument to John Paul II in Croatia in Selci on the island of Brač, as well as the monument at the Military Ordinariate in Zagreb. It depicts John Paul II, guided by the Holy Spirit, present in the wind wrapping the Saint's robes and the halo covering his face with radiance, crossing the threshold of hope with a cross in his hand.

Year of unveiling 2018
Material bronze
Location Zaprešić
The bas-relief depicting Saint John Paul II is located in the Archbishop's Palace in Split. Its creator, Kuzma Kovačić, was the author of the first monument to John Paul II in Croatia in Selci on the island of Brac, as well as the monument at the Military Ordinariate in Zagreb. It depicts John Paul II who, guided by the Holy Spirit, present in the wind that wraps the Saint's robes and the halo that covers his face with radiance, crosses the threshold of hope with a cross in his hand.

Author Tomislav Kršnjavi
Year of unveiling 2022
Material bronze
Location Krašić
The bust is placed in the square in front of the church. Opposite the statue of John Paul II there is also to be a statue of Stepinac. The author of the bust for the hkm.hr portal spoke about it this way: "For me, this is a great call that happened after I made a large statue of Cardinal Kuharić in Pribić in 2019 for the 100th anniversary of his birth. I had a really great inspiration and somehow felt that the 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 interplay between the three of them, how they relied on each other - and now it was the saint who declared Stepinac blessed."

Author Zvonko Beljo (casting author)
Year of unveiling 2022
Material bronze
Location Križevci
The bust is placed on a small square in the immediate vicinity of the parish church, next to which there is a monument to Cardinal Franjo Kuharić.