The monument of Bishop J.J. Strossmayer was made by the sculptor Marijan Sušec, according to the model of Robert Valdec. It was installed in 1999 across of the Cathedral of St Peter.
Without Bishop Strossmayer's work, it would be impossible to imagine Đakovo today. He is the most memorable Đakovo citizen in written documents, newspapers and online books, the only you could find in the the world-famous encyclopaedia Britannica and is one of the key persons of the Croatian history.
He was born on February 4th, 1815 in Osijek, where he finished a Franciscan gymnasium. He graduated theology at Catholic seminary in Đakovo, philosophy in Pecs and earned a PhD in Theology at Vienna. In Vienna he operated for two years as a chaplain and one of the three Augustineums. He was named Bishop in Đakovo on 29 September 1850. He is the founder and benefactor of Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (today's HAZU) from 1868 and the founder of of University of Crotian in 1874. He was a great bishop, a cultural and science benefactor, orator and a travel writer. His biggest life's work would be the Đakovo Cathedral across of which stands his monument. He died in 1905 in Đakovo, where he was buried in the crypt under the Đakovo Cathedral.