Uključivanje Opatije Topusko u crkveno-politički i javni život na području Zagrebačke biskupije
The inclusion of the Topusko Abbey into the Church-political and public life on the territory of the Zagreb bishopric

Summary/Abstract: The territory of the Abbey was part of the territory of the Zagreb Church Gorski archdeaconry. The latter was one of the two most important territories under direct jurisdiction of the Zagreb prepost (provost, prepositus). From the start, the relationship between these two institutions had been largely unclear and it may be traced only through the real-estate records and documents on the performance of pastoral duties. At the same time, Abbey, as an institution under the patronage of Hungarian monarchs, was directly subjected to the Pope and exempt from the supervision of the diocesan bishop. Some parish churches lay on the Abbey estate, but the confirmation of parish priests as well as the care for pastoral duties and liturgy fell within the remit of the Zagreb prepost. A separate monastic community of the size and importance of the Abbey of Topusko had had little need to form closer ties with the bishopric until it lost the strong royal support and grew weaker from the inside. The first half of the fourteenth century saw the formation of increasingly strong links between these two institutions. As a result, the Abbey became more involved in church issues at the level of the bishopric. Only the internal weakening of the order and the loss of its morale forced the management of the order to direct its activities towards the outside of the convent. The role of the Abbot Ivan II as the arbiter of the Zagreb Church resulted in the participation of Cistercians in the key Church-political issues at the bishopric level. He was mentioned as the elected judge and papal delegate in the matters of Zagreb bischopric’s efforts to return lost estates and income. Thanks to Ivan’s clever politics, the Abbey managed to keep and possibly even recover part of its properties. The first certified Abbey documents bearing the stamps of the convent and the Abbot come from the era of Ivan’s rule.

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