ZAGREB, 16 February 2020 – A Croatian chapel dedicated to Croatian saints and Croatians who have been blessed is to be built in Bethlehem.

The Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, this week received representatives of the Custody of the Holy Land, Vicar Dobromir Jasztal and custodian of the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, Brother Sinisa Srebrenovic, who both thanked him for blessing the foundation stone for the Croatian chapel being built in Bethlehem.

The Croatian chapel will be built in Shepherd’s Field in Bethlehem and will be dedicated to Croatian saints and Croatians who have been blessed, the Press Office of the Archdiocese of Zagreb said.

Cardinal Bozanic thanked Father Jasztal and Brother Srebrenovic in Zagreb for their commitment to the realisation of this “visible sign of Croatian presence and connection with the Holy Land” and presented them with the blessed foundation stone for the Croatian chapel in Bethlehem.

He also emphasised joy in blessing the foundation stone on the feast of Blessed Alojzije Stepinac who, as a pilgrim to the Holy Land, blessed the altar in honour of Blessed Nikola Tavelić in Jerusalem on July 25, 1937, Tportal wrote.

The chapel will be built as soon as as soon the necessary funds are raised. Donations for the project are currently being taken and can be made here on the following account: Samostan Svetog Duha, Sveti Duh 31,10 000 Zagreb, Erste Bank d.d. IBAN HR4524020061100908284, Swift: ESBCHR22

3-D and plan photos of the Croatian chapel in Bethlehem project below.