Saint Lawrence church

The medieval Saint Lawrence church in Požega is one of the oldest monuments of gothic sacral heritage that survived 150 years of Ottoman power in Slavonia (1537-1689). The main nave with the shrine was built at the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century.

During the time of Ottoman power, the church was turned into a mosque, and soon afterward it served as grain storage until the liberation. The Jesuits came to Požega in 1698. The emperor, Leopold I gave them the church of Saint Lawrence and it served as a student church after a gymnasium was founded in 1699. After the Jesuits and Paulites were abolished in 1786, the church fell into ruin until it was re-acquired by the Zagreb bishop, Aleksandar Alagović, in 1832.
With the foundation of the Diocese of Požega in 1997, the church of Saint Lawrence became part of the Bishop’s Palace. In 1998, Pope John Paul II confirmed Saint Lawrence as the patron saint of the Diocese of Požega, and then the church of Saint Lawrence became the second most important church in the Diocese, right after the cathedral.

During the consecration of the church in 1998, a relic of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac was built into the main altar, since he was the second patron of the church and the Diocese, and four bells were installed in the bell tower. Besides regular Sunday service, meetings of episcopal importance are regularly held in the church.

Rector: mr. Ivan Popić