VARAŽDINSKA SREDNJOVJEKOVNA SAKRALNA ARHITEKTURA - NOVI PRILOZI ISTRAŽIVANJIMA
MEDIEVAL CHURCH ARCHITECTURE IN VARAŽDIN – NEW FINDINGS

Summary/Abstract: The city of Varazdin prospered through the centuries as a commercial and a trading center because of a favorable position at the ancient crossroads. In the Middle Ages, the town grew around the three points: the church of St. Nicholas, the church of John the Baptist (and the Franciscan Complex) and the feudal fortress. Franciscans came to Varazdin during the 13th century and settled on an estate that was donated by the King, and it is the same place where the church of St. John the Baptist and the Franciscan monastery stands today. This paper brings the results of the recent research of the Franciscan church and also the study of the medieval architectural elements re-used on the site of the today’s baroque church of St. John the Baptist. The several pieces of carved stone elements, embedded in the wall are also presented. One of the elements is recognized as a fragment of a rib. Such ribs were used over a long period of time, from 12th /13th to 15th /16th century. These ribs are simple, with one concave, carved out of sandstone. On the basis of a comparative and archival research, it can be assumed that these are the remains of the Romanesque - Gothic phase of the church.The keystone of the parish church of St. Nicholas was made in the late 15th century. It was carved out of a single block of limestone, decorated with a coat of arms. The coat of arms is in the shape of a shield, with a bird in the center, the letter N on the left, and the seven –pointed star on the right side. Based on the comparison, the authors concluded that this coat of arms can be connected with the Corvinus (Hunyadi) family. This proves the close relation of the city of Varazdin with the royal family.

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