Unknown assailants attack Serbian Orthodox cathedral in Zagreb

A shattered stained-glass window of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Zagreb. Photo: Press Service of the Zagreb-Ljubljana Eparchy

On April 23, 2026, unidentified individuals committed an act of vandalism against the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord of the Zagreb-Ljubljana Metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Zagreb.

According to the Metropolis press service, during the night the attackers hurled chairs and other objects from neighboring cafés at the entrance to the church, the fence, and the churchyard. As a result of the attack, the perpetrators shattered an old stained-glass window of the cathedral and destroyed the entrance lighting, causing material damage.

The desecration of the shrine coincided with the day of prayerful remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and the innocent sufferers of the Jasenovac concentration camp. The Zagreb-Ljubljana Metropolis expressed deep concern and sorrow over the incident. Representatives of the eparchy called on the Croatian authorities to conduct a fair investigation and take measures to curb the language of hatred in the public sphere.

“An attack on a holy place is a blow against the fundamental values of peace, human dignity, and coexistence,” the Church said in its official statement. The Metropolis noted that, with God’s help, the material damage would be repaired, but such actions inflict deep wounds on the trust and reconciliation that have been built over decades.

The clergy called on the faithful not to give in to fear and to continue coming to the cathedral, which remains open to all as a place of prayer and unity.

The Cathedral of the Transfiguration was built in 1866 to a design by architect Franjo Klein and is now a protected cultural monument of Croatia. The cathedral has already endured destruction during years of war and persecution, and is currently undergoing extensive restoration after the powerful 2020 earthquake.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that vandals in France had smashed the altar of a Roman Catholic church with an axe.

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