“The outward appearance of the church in Đakovo fully suits its geographical location and it will remind our people of the divine purpose which we, as the population of this part of Europe, are particularly prompted to fulfil. This must be the quest of all of our art...“ Josip Juraj Strossmayer wrote in 1874, eight years after the beginning and eight years before the completion of construction of the most important cultural monument in Đakovo, the most beautiful cathedral between Venice and Istanbul, as the famous the Good Pope John XXIII described it.
The construction of the Cathedral
The construction of the Cathedral (1866–1882) is the most important event in the cultural history of Đakovo and one of the most important Croatian construction projects of its time. Contemporaries of the Cathedral’s construction and completion dubbed it “a monster of art”, and one young female peasant from the Đakovo region, when asked about its appearance by the famous Isidor Kršnjavi, whom she met in the recently consecrated Cathedral, answered as follows: “How beautiful heaven must be if there is such beauty here!“ Bishop Strossmayer commissioned the Viennese architect Karl Rösner to design the plans for the Cathedral. They signed a construction agreement in Đakovo on 17 April 1866; however, Rösner died in 1869. After his death, the project was taken over by Friedrich Schmidt, according to many the most famous 19th century Gothic architect. Even Strossmayer admitted “that he deserves praise for many things, because his Gothic architecture marvellously complements the Romanesque elements of the Cathedral’s interior and exterior”. The church was covered with roof tiles in May 1871. The construction of the church was finalized 11 years later, and it was consecrated on 1 October 1882.
Interior
The Cathedral is lavishly adorned with frescos and sculptures. The most famous Nazarene painter J.F. Overbeck was hired to paint the frescos, but he died, so the frescos were painted by his disciples – German painters who lived in Rome, father and son, Alexander-Maximilian Seitz and Ludwig Seitz. A total of 43 frescos were painted, two of which were painted by the Italian painter Ludovico Ansiglioni. These paintings are, according to many, among the most valuable works of art in the Cathedral. In addition to paintings, there are 7 altars and one ceremonial pulpit with stone statues and reliefs of saints. The main altar is an architectural masterpiece dedicated to the patron saint of the Cathedral, St. Peter the Apostle. The choice of saints on auxiliary altars is related to the history of the Diocese, ideas of the bishops during the time of construction and general popular piety. Most of the sculptures were made by Vatroslav Donegani, Ivan Rendić and Georg Feuerstein. All walls of the Cathedral are adorned with coloured ornaments of varying shapes, the works of painter and decorator Josip Voltolini and his associates.
The organ
The organ on the choir and the large rosette in the background are of great value. The original organ was destroyed in a large fire which broke out in the Cathedral in 1933. The current organ was built by the famous Slovenian organ company owned by Franc Jenko. It has 73 registries, three manuals and a pedalboard with 5,486 pipes.
Construction style
Furniture was made in the historicist style. The crypt contains gravestones of the Đakovo bishops and is the burial place of J.J. Strossmayer, with a relief made by the sculptor Rudolf Valdec in 1913. The Cathedral is a prominent example of historicist Gesamtkunstwerk, where the Neo-Romanesque idea was consistently carried out from the front façade to the altars, sculptures and frescos. The Cathedral’s original appearance is preserved even though it was damaged in the 1933 fire and the wars in 1941, 1945 and 1991.