Reconstruction of the Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul in Zagreb by Nenad Fabijanić

The reconstruction of the Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul in Zagreb, completed in 2024, offers a compelling example of how architecture can mediate between destruction and renewal. Situated along Frankopanska Street in the city’s Lower Town, the historic complex dates back to 1845 and has long served as both a spiritual anchor and a civic presence. Damaged severely by the 2020 earthquake and subsequent flooding, the ensemble, comprising a church, two convent wings, a dining hall, and auxiliary structures, underwent a process that was neither mere technical repair nor aesthetic restoration. Instead, it was an architectural project of cultural continuity and spatial reinvention.

Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul Technical Information

• Architects^1-4: Nenad Fabijanić and Leila Nanuk
• Location: Frankopanska Street, Zagreb, Croatia
• Gross Area: 9,670 m² | 104,092 Sq. Ft.
• Completion Year: 2024
• Photographs: © Miro Martinić

The task was not to imitate history, but to reveal it; through architecture that respects, questions, and extends what was already there.

– Prof. Nenad Fabijanić

Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul Photographs

Architecture as Continuity: Historical Context and Design Intent

Led by architect Nenad Fabijanić in collaboration with Leila Nanuk, the reconstruction unfolded in close dialogue with conservation experts and the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity. Financed by the European Union Solidarity Fund alongside the Congregation, the project navigated the complex demands of seismic retrofitting, heritage preservation, and contemporary reinterpretation.

The project began by acknowledging that post-disaster reconstruction must confront more than structural loss. It must contend with the erasure of memory, identity, and typological coherence. Fabijanić’s design rejected both nostalgia and iconoclasm. Instead, it proposed a third path, a design methodology grounded in continuity. Historical forms were not replicated, nor were they erased. Instead, they were read, revealed, and critically extended.

The guiding principle was not restoration in the traditional sense, but architectural dialogue. The past was treated as a source of inquiry rather than authority. This stance is evident in how the team preserved the historic spatial order while reinterpreting its material and experiential dimensions. Rather than forcing a rupture or simulating a return, the project frames reconstruction as a mode of architectural research, engaging deeply with questions of time, transformation, and cultural relevance.

Spatial Strategy: Programmatic Coherence and Sacred Atmosphere

The church’s interior underwent a spatial recalibration that enhanced its sacred function while introducing new layers of perception. The articulation of light and volume establishes a renewed sense of verticality and stillness. Interventions were calibrated to preserve the sacred aura of the original space. Still, they also introduced a new atmosphere, one less tied to ornament and more dependent on material resonance and spatial tension.

In the convent areas, the architectural response is programmatic as much as spatial. While the original typology was preserved, the internal layouts were updated to support contemporary worship, education, and care uses. The redesign respects the existing circulatory logic, but layers it with greater adaptability. Similarly, the dining hall and auxiliary buildings were approached not as static relics but as spaces with potential for transformation. The new spatial syntax prioritizes coherence, fluidity, and long-term use, rather than fixed typological replication.

This respect for functional continuity was essential to the project’s success. The convent remains a living institution, and the architecture reflects this by avoiding museum-like preservation in favor of quiet evolution. Public, semi-public, and private domains were carefully delineated to maintain the layered rhythms of monastic life, while also addressing contemporary needs of accessibility and resilience.

Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul Materiality

One of the most critical aspects of the project lies in its treatment of materiality and detail. The reconstruction strategy combined rigorous conservation of key historical elements, such as façades, crafted altars, vaults, and the bell tower, with a restrained insertion of new architectural language. These contemporary elements are not foregrounded, but neither are they hidden. Instead, they operate as subtle inflections, drawing attention to the layered temporality of the site.

The seismic retrofitting was not concealed behind finishes but integrated into the architectural expression. The structural rehabilitation speaks a language of exposure and articulation, allowing users to read the building’s transformation rather than erasing it. New materials were chosen to contrast and complement existing textures: smooth concrete against weathered stone, finely detailed metalwork alongside hand-carved wood, translucent surfaces against heavy mass.

Detailing played a critical role in the project’s atmosphere. Light fixtures, handrails, thresholds, and joinery were treated as opportunities for architectural articulation rather than decorative appendages. This attention to micro-scale design reveals the project’s broader ambition, to use detail as a site of meaning, where past and present can be brought into contact through precision and care.

Cultural Resonance and Architectural Responsibility

The Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul now stand not only as a restored historical complex but also as a renewed civic presence. Its position within the urban fabric of Zagreb’s Lower Town makes it both symbolically and materially important. The reconstruction reinforces its public role while deepening its connection to the community it serves.

This project also timely reflects on architecture’s responsibilities in the face of crisis. Rebuilding is often an urgent logistical task in the wake of natural disasters. But this project suggests that architectural reconstruction can and should engage with broader questions of memory, temporality, and identity. It offers a model for how historic buildings can be made relevant without being neutralized and how cultural heritage can be sustained without being idealized.

Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul Plans

Church and Convent of Saint Vincent de Paul Image Gallery

About Nenad Fabijanić

Nenad Fabijanić is a highly respected Croatian architect and educator born in Zagreb in 1951. He holds a degree (1974) and a PhD from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, where he was a full professor and led the Graduation Commission until becoming professor emeritus in 2019. He is an associate member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. His practice and academic work are noted for integrating cultural memory and urban context, evidenced in projects such as memorials, churches, public spaces, and landscape interventions.

Credits and Additional Notes

1. Lead Architect: Prof. Nenad Fabijanić
2. Co-Author: Leila Nanuk
3. Client / Investor: Congregation of the Sisters of Charity
4. Co-Financing: European Union Solidarity Fund