Visit The Wooden Chapels of Velika Gorica
The beautiful wooden chapels of Velika Gorica highlight Croatia’s rich folk tradition that still lives on today. They are not only important parts of Croatia’s cultural heritage but also the only structures of their kind remaining in the country today.
The early Middle Ages bore witness to the construction of Croatia’s first all-wooden “shingled” chapels. Most though, were built during the 17th century. All chapels were built by skilled timber workers who, as a rule, had to fashion the sacral buildings from oak trees. Today, you can find 11 well-preserved chapels in Velika Gorica–three in Turopolje, two in Vukomericke Gorice and six in Pokuplje.
One of the most famous is Kapela sv. Barbare (Chapel of St. Barbara) in Velika Mlaka, pictured above, whose construction began in 1642. Inside you’ll discover a number of colorful domestic folk paintings. Other wooden chapels of note include Kapela sv. Ivana Krstitelja (Chapel of St. John the Baptist) in Busevec, Kapela sv. Roka (Chapel of St. Rocco) in Cvetkovic Brdo, Kapela sv. Antuna Padovanskog (Chapel of St. Antony of Padova) in Gustelnica and Kapela ranjenog Isusa (Chapel of the Wounded Jesus) in Pleso.
Photo: Darko Tomas / CROPIX
