Zagreb Cathedral’s spire damaged in major earthquake
The Zagreb Cathedral is among the historic buildings damaged by a 5.3-magnitude earthquake that took place in Croatia on Sunday the 22nd of March. One of the 108m-tall spires of the Gothic-style cathedral—the tallest building in Croatia—fell during the tremor, which struck approximately ten kilometres north of the capital city.
The foundations of the Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to the Hungarian Kings, Saint Stephen and Saint Ladislaus, date back to the 11th century. It was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style following the great earthquake of 1880 that destroyed its tower and nave. It took architects nearly three decades to complete the restoration.
Other churches in the area, as well as buildings in Zagreb’s Old Town, have also been damaged. Croatian authorities have urged the public to refrain from getting too close to the damaged buildings because of strong winds and the threat of more aftershocks.
Fears over the spread of the coronavirus have led them also to ask people to continue to practice social distancing. “We are fighting two enemies at the moment, one is invisible and the other is unpredictable,” Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic told Reuters.
Source: heraldscotland.com
