This chapel is one of the ten built near the church of the Shepherds’ Field, of the Custody of the Holy Land, and assigned to different countries to offer pilgrims an adequate space for prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist. The Croatian Chapel is the first to have been completed.

The ceremony of the Eucharist was celebrated entirely in Croatian by the Archbishop of Sarajevo, Mons. Tomo Vukšić, with him the Archbishop emeritus of Split Mons. Marin Barišić  and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton  were the concelebrant. Many diplomatic and government personalities from Croatia took part, including  Gordan Grlić, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs  and the special envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

Looking towards Bethlehem

The Chapel stands out for its artistic and spiritual value and even before it was completed, the structure aroused great interest among the pilgrims who, after having prayed in the Shepherds’ Field, would stay to visit it.  

The interior consists of a room with a white stone altar placed on the back wall. On the three main walls – central and side ones – there are reliefs in maple wood, by the Croatian artist Ilija Skočibušić, present at the ceremony. The light color of the wood recalls that of the rock of Bethlehem, creating a visual continuity between the sculpture and the wall. 

The particular layout of the space creates a sensation of openness,  ideally inviting the faithful to continue their path towards Bethlehem. The evangelical episode of the announcement of the angel to the shepherds is shown on the left wall, while the Croatian people as pilgrims in the Holy Land are shown on the right-hand wall, with the presence of significant saints, including the Franciscan St Nicholas Tavelić. The whole fives the chapel a sense of movement which orients the faithful’s gaze towards Bethlehem, like an invitation to continue their path.

Holiness which unites

The Chapel is dedicated to the Croatian saints and beatified men and women who over the centuries have borne witness to the faith, strengthening the spiritual bond between Croatia and the Holy Land. During the homily,  Mons. Tomo Vukšić recalled in particular St Nicholas Tavelić, the first Croatian saint, emphasizing how his example was “a gift  that the Croatian people received from the Holy Land. This example, together with that of other saints and beatified men and women, is for us an invitation to holiness and a deep spiritual bond with the whole community of the People of God.”

Pilgrims as a sign of hope

A large group of Croatian pilgrims took part in the ceremony and animated the liturgy with the songs from their religious tradition. Their presence, after a long period of absence of pilgrims from the Holy Land, represents a sign of hope in a time marked by conflict.

At the end of the celebration, the Custos of the Holy Land gave to the diplomatic and religious representatives and to the artist, the medal of  "Grato Animo", made in mother-of-pearl by the craftsmen of Bethlehem’s Christian community. It was a symbolic gesture to emphasize the close bond between the Custody of the Holy Land and the Croatian Church.