The Cultural Heritage of Zagreb County

Pulpit in the form of Jonah’s fi sh
Lovrečka Varoš is a very old settlement, and the Parish of St. Lawrence
with its church, after which the village was named had already existed
here in the Middle Ages. The nearby lowland fortress, Lovrečina Grad, was
also named after the church, and has always belonged to Lovrečka Varoš.
The Church of St. Lawrence stands out in the realm of art history due to
its magnificent pulpit in the form of Jonah’s fish with ivy branches, dating
back to 1780. This is a true rarity in world art history, as there are only a
few similar examples in the Czech Republic and in Germany, and this is the
only one east of the Czech Republic.
Jonah was a prophet of the Old Testament, sent by God to teach
repentance and atonement to the Jews in the loathed city of Nineveh.
But Jonah did not want to obey God’s willing, and so he tried to flee
by ship. God raised a terrible storm and the terrified sailors rolled the
dice to decide which of the passengers to throw overboard. They chose
Jonah, as they considered him to be the cause of the terrible storm, having
angered God. As soon as Jonah fell into the sea, the storm was calmed and
the ship sailed peacefully. Jonah was then swallowed by a fish, and after
spending three days and nights in the belly of the fish, Jonah repented and
promised to obey God. The fish cast Jonah out onto land, and he set off
to preach in Nineveh. The residents of the city repented and atoned for
their sins and God saved them from destruction. Jonah was dissatisfied
that God has shown mercy over the city of sin, and he sat in the distance
to observe the city. Overnight, ivy branches grew to protect Jonah from
the sun and provide him with shade, though on the second day, a worm
gnawed through the ivy and it was dried out by the sun. Jonah cried out,
and God said, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant, and I not pity
Nineveh!”
(Text prepared by: Jelena Magoš, Vrbovec)
Parish Church of St. Margaret, Dubrava
The church was already mentioned in 1269, and was later adapted and
expanded several times. The present day appearance, with the vaulted
sanctuary and main nave, arose in the period 1758–1765. The church
interior is dominated by the lovely altar and church inventory.
A parish has existed in Dubrava since the 12th century and early on, the
region of Ivanić was also included in this parish. Thanks to the frequent
presence of the bishop, as the parish belonged to the diocesan estate, it
became an important ecclesiastical centre. In this strong Dubrava parish, a
church assembly was held in 1527 at which Ivan Zapolje was elected king.
The Church of St. Margaret was a lovely late Gothic church, but it was
heavily damaged in a Turkish attack in 1552 when the town of Dubrava
was destroyed. It was restored in the late 16th century.
Info: Dubrava parish office, tel: +385 1 2725 218, Vrbovec Tourist Board, tel: +385 1 2791 661
Parish Church of St. Peter (Wounded Christ),
Gradec
The church was built in the period from 1768 to 1824. The main Historicist
altar was designed by Herman Bollé.
The town of Gradec is mentioned in the historical documents in 1292. The
Chapel of St. Peter was first mentioned in 1325 and again as a parish in
1334. After the Turkish conquests of Dubrava in 1552, the Zagreb Bishop
transferred his seat to Gradec. The old Parish Church of St. Peter was
situated in the Bishop’s manor, and was thus small in size. When the number
of residents increased, a new, larger church was erected and consecrated
to the Wounded Christ. The Zagreb Bishops assisted in the construction of
the church, which took many years. After the old bells were melted down
for war needs in 1917, the church received three new bells in the period
from 1925 to 1927, and the godfathers of the bells were the leaders of the
HSS party, Vladko Maček, Juraj Krnjević and Rudolf Horvat.
Info: Gradec parish office, tel: +385 1 2797 155, Vrbovec Tourist Board, tel: +385 1 2791 661
58 Vrbovec