Built in 1650, on the site of an earlier building, the Church of St. John the Baptist is a part of the Franciscan monastery in Varazhdin. The complex housed an infirmary and a pharmacy and was thus a part of the town’s secular as well as religious life. The pharmacy in particular has an art-historic value with its ceiling covered in 18th century fresco paintings.

At 54.4 meters, the church’s bell tower is the tallest one in the city. The church altar, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is a stunning work of art, based on the design of a Franciscan from Bavaria. It was made at the end of the 17th century by the artisans from Maribor and upon completion delivered to the church, quite possibly in 1702. Among other artwork the altar carries the paintings of various Franciscans, sculptures and decorative elements, the latter two of which were gilded in 1715 by J. Shidt, a Zagreb-based painter.

Further renovations to the altar were done in 1908 and the most recent ones were completed in 2018, having been conducted by the Croatian Conservation institute.

See more about Varazdin

№22 of 24 places in Varazdin
№2153 of 2178 places in Croatia
№3 of 4 Churches and cathedrals in Varazdin
№288 of 290 Churches and cathedrals in Croatia