Presenting the monograph, HAZU president, academic Zvonko Kusic underscored that St. Peter's cathedral in Djakovo is one of four grand, capital projects by Bishop Josip Strossmayer who also founded the Academy in 1861, the contemporary University of Zagreb in 1874 and Strossmayer's Art Gallery of the Masters, founded in 1884.
"Strossmayer was a gigantic figure, a visionary who united Croatia's intellectual and cultural space even before Croatia was united. With his works, he positioned us in Europe as a European country and transformed Zagreb into a real metropolis, which was not just the political, but cultural and science centre of Croatia," Kusic said.
He mentioned the exceptional importance of building the cathedral in Djakovo "on the edge of Europe" - on the border with the Turkish Empire, and how Strossmayer brought together some of the most reputable artists of the time, of the likes of architect Kalr Roesner, Friedreich Schmidt and Herman Bolle and artists such as the father and son team - Alexander-Maximillian and Lidwig Seitz.
The author of the book is art historian and associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, Dragan Damjanovic.
The monograph's reviewers, Professors Zvonko Makovic and Sanja Cvetnic and editor Zorz Drausnik described the monograph and a scientific but very readable work.
The monograph is published in Croatian and English.