God-Altered Landscape

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Chained Tree

"The property return enabled the Church to expand its facilities and to annex the large part of a park, which had been used before the collapse of communism by surrounding schools and faculties (...)
After the return the largest part of the playground – now fenced – belongs exclusively to The Seminary and Theological Faculty and is used at the rate of 40 seminarists per 10.000 square meters."
-- Boris Buden, "God is Back in Town"

In post-communist Croatia, the building up of churches has been in full swing in the last two decades. These new buildings meant to be visible signs of changes, a reflection of the rediscovered national identity.

In the city of Split, the Catholic Church together with local authorities and city planners envisioned a project called “Spiritual ring of the city of Split”. It was a challenging task for both planners and architects – to erect 16 new churches at prominent places in existing urban areas as well as in numerous unplanned suburbs. The new churches and also the expansion of other Church facilities have altered the landscape of the city, reflecting the present social landscape.