Plečnik’s Plans for the Church of the Holy Cross in Zagreb

Abstract

Architect Jože Plečnik prepared several proposals for the church of the Holy Cross and the monastery for the Zagreb Franciscans from the province of Sts Cyril and Methodius, which was to become the centre of the new parish with the same name. The original location for the project was the Square of King Peter Krešimir. However, since the traffic regulation for this part of town had not yet been determined, he had to change his plans. The construction was prevented by the start of World War II, and after it, Plečnik replaced his design for a long and narrow church (1939) with a central building (1946– 1947), which summarises his ideas for the unrealized cathedral of St Joseph in Sarajevo and the concurrent work on the National Assembly Building of Slovenia. The intensive work on this commission is characterized by a wide range of typological and creative possibilities.