Sanctuary, Church and Friary of St. John of Capistrano, Slavonia, Croatia
4.0 (3 reviews) Spent Ranking #7 in Vukovar-Syrmia County Religious Sites • Churches & Cathedrals
Arguably the most beautiful place to visit in Ilok
St. John Capistrano (or Kapistrano) was a religious and military leader, who fought the ottoman Turks side-by-side with the Hungarian military leader Janos Hunyadi. He was a Franciscan friar of major influence and is credited with multiple healings in life. He was buried in Ilok, supposedly where the Sanctuary stands today. The Church and the Sanctuary inside, stand next to a Friary, which remains active today. The entire complex is on the land of the Ilok Castle, and historical castle of which only the main palace remains. This palace has been recently refurmished, reconstructed and today it houses the Ilok Historical and Archaelogical museum. The Museum is just a block or two from the church, so make time to visit both. The neo-Gothic church has lovely frescoes, both inside and outside, especially on the frontispice. Guided tours provide the best perspective of the historical significance of the complex. The view from the top of the belltower is spectacular.
Address
Trg. Sv. Ivana Kapistrana, Ilok 32236 Croatia
Mobile
Current local date and time now
Monday, May 13, 2024, 3:46
User Ratings
4.0 based on (3 reviews)
Reviews
-
4William P 5:00 PM Apr 15, 2022
A Throwback to the 15th century
Set on a hillside overlooking the Danube and Serbia on the other bank, this church and friary dates back to before the 15th century. Ivan Kapistrano (John Capistrano) fought the invading Turks and Ottoman forces, roused the townsfolk to fight against the occupiers, and finally succeeded in seeing the Turks leave. We didn't get to see the inside of the church as it was Easter Saturday and they were making preparations for tomorrow morning's Easter service, however, one of the Franciscan friars came out to give us the history of the church and the occupation. Just down the street from the church is the Ilok historical museum which we didn't see either as it was closed when we were there, but I have been told that it houses lots of memorabilia of Ilok and the surrounding area.
