The parish church of St. Anthony of Padua in Otok, the parish Church of St. Martin in Bošnjaci, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Hope in Šumanovci, testify to the rich spiritual and architectural heritage of the region, offering believers and visitors a place for prayer, peace, and spiritual renewal. Each of these holy places tells a unique story of faith, art and community, connecting history with contemporary religious life.
In the town of Otok there is the parish church of St. Anthony of Padua built from typically Slavonian building materials: brick, wood and concrete. It consists of a ground level nave with the associated rooms, and a crypt under the entire area of the nave. Next to the church, there is the parish library with a reading room, and an archive in which important documents and books are kept. The interior of the church is decorated with local motifs, while a large oak cross dominates the front part of the church.
In front of the sanctuary there is a statue of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of the parish. The stained-glass window on the facade is dominated by the resurrected Christ, the side-stained glass windows show the Ten Commandments, and the complete interior design was outlined by the sculptor Alojzija Ulman. The pews, panelling and confessionals shaped in the form of a Slavonian barn are made of Slavonian oak, while the paintings in a special secco technique were made by the painter Ivana Ulman Curilović.
Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Komletinci
The small wooden church with a wooden bell tower in Komletinci was first mentioned in 1729. When the first parish priest came to Komletinci 60 years later, he and the parishioners laid the foundations of the today’s church. The baroque parish church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was consecrated on April 25, 1812. 31 meters long, 13.5 meters wide, and with a tower 43.25 meters high, it is one of the largest churches in this region. A commemorative plaque was placed above the entrance door in 1925 to mark the thousand years of the Croatian Kingdom, and today it is entered in the Register of Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia.
In the Bošnjaci municipality, the parish church is dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, and is one of the oldest and largest churches in the deanery and its surroundings (it was built from 1792 to 1794). The church is decorated with an altarpiece of the titular saint from the 19th century – a work by the painter Franjo Mücke, which Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer said was “worthy of a cathedral”. The church also keeps the relics of St. Martin the Bishop, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Lawrence the Martyr and others.
St. Martin’s footprint, a small sculpture of great symbolic value, is placed in the yard. It is a symbol of movement, travel and discovery, as well as new meetings and acquaintances. The footsteps of St. Martin mark a cultural and historical route that connects cities and towns with churches, cathedrals and chapels dedicated to St. Martin throughout Europe, and bring together the places devoted to St. Martin, their people and customs in all their diversity.
The foundation stone of the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary was laid in 1816, and the church was completed and consecrated in 1821 on the Feast of the Name of Jesus. In every sense, this church grew from the rich land of Vrbanja. About 200 years ago, the earth for the bricks from which the church was built had been quarried in Vrbanja, and it was baked and shaped by Vrbanja farmers. Today, the parish church in Vrbanja is the largest and most impressive church in the Cvelferija.
The church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Soljani
The history of the church in Soljani dates to 1738, but today’s Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in 1808 on the site of the former wooden church and was consecrated a year later. In addition to the Catholic church, there is also an Evangelical church in Soljani, attended by the Slovak national minority. Their first house of prayer was built in 1911. The church was built in the present location in 1995.
Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Strošinci
In Strošinci, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was built in 1825 and expanded and renovated as early as 1862. The church bells were then cast in Hungary and brought to Strošinci with several ox carts to protect them from damage. Since then, the church has been renovated several times, and the last extensive renovation was in 2012.
Although there are no clear historical data as to why people go to the Šumanovci shrine, the fact is that the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Hope in Šumanovci is the oldest shrine in the Vukovar-Srijem County. The shrine, which dates to the 14th century, is also called the Hidden Lady of Šumanovac by pilgrims. In 1373, on the site of today’s shrine, Pope Gregory XI gave permission for the construction of a Franciscan monastery. The Franciscans also built the church of St. Mary, which is gradually developing into a pilgrimage site.
Although the sanctuary was destroyed in the Ottoman years, after the departure of the Turks Šumanovci once again became a place of pilgrimage. In 1822, a new church was built in Šumanovci, and in this church the statue of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is placed, and the pilgrims of Our Lady of Šumanovci found in it a “sign of reliable hope and consolation”. Even today, it is worshiped in large numbers throughout the year on various occasions, especially on the feasts of the Nativity of Mary and the Assumption of Mary.
Although there are currently no pilgrimage routes in the Tourist Board of the Spačva Forest Area, the richness of the sacred heritage attracts many believers, especially during festivals and holidays. Read the religious speeches of the Tourist Board of Vukovar-Srijem County to find out more about Šumanovci as a source, Bošnjaci as a symbol of rootedness, and Otok as a place of connection.
