Crikvenica - Church of St Anthony of Padua

From the waterfront and old Kastel, Crikvenica rises into residential districts on the hillside.

The Church of St Anthony of Padua stands at 8 Pavla Radića Street slightly above the waterfront centre. A broad outdoor stairway leads to it, while its pale façade and tall bell tower are clearly visible from the surrounding streets and help identify the church during the climb from the centre.

The present church was created in the first half of the twentieth century. Academic sculptor Zvonko Car prepared the concept and architect Viktor Zelinski the architectural design. The foundation stone was laid in 1933; the first Mass was celebrated in the apse in June 1934, and the entire church building was completed by Christmas of the same year.

The exterior is marked by a restrained symmetrical façade, a rose window above the entrance and a strongly defined central axis that continues into the broad nave. A 39-metre bell tower completed in 2009 now forms an important part of the town skyline. The contrast between the older body of the church and the much younger tower is therefore also part of the complex’s gradual development.

This is an active place of worship rather than only an architectural sight, so a visit should respect services and the quiet of the interior. Its position and period of construction make it an interesting counterpart to the older Kastel and the Church of the Assumption beside the mouth of the Dubracina.