Monument to Bishop Strossmayer – Founder and Patron of the Academy

The monument to Josip Juraj Strossmayer—one of the most important sculptural works by Ivan Meštrović—was unveiled in 1926 on what was then Academy Square, just behind the building of the former Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (JAZU).

The bronze seated figure of the bishop is set on a tall granite pedestal. With its distinctive portrait features, monumentality, and recognizable artistic expression, it ranks among the finest works in Meštrović’s oeuvre. Meštrović shaped the sculpture in the Secession style, evident in the elegant lines and harmonious modeling of the figure.

The Idea Behind the Monument

The initiative to erect the monument was launched in the early 1900s by the Committee of Zagreb Ladies for the Strossmayer Monument, shortly after the bishop’s death. The committee also promoted the idea through the publication of the Strossmayer almanac from 1907 to 1910, aiming to preserve the memory of this great patron of Croatian culture and science.

The decision to place the monument on Academy Square (today Strossmayer Square) was made with the approval of the relevant authorities. A competition for the sculpture was announced on June 30, 1914, but it was postponed due to the outbreak of World War I. In 1923, the competition was abandoned entirely, and the commission was entrusted to Ivan Meštrović, who completed the sculpture on June 9, 1925.

Unveiling and Placement

The monument was formally unveiled in 1926, in honor of Bishop Strossmayer—one of the greatest advocates and founders of the then Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (JAZU).

The sculptor himself chose the northern part of the square, directly behind the HAZU palace, wishing the monument to be “in harmony with the façade” and serve as its adornment. Meštrović also proposed redesigning the entire square—paving it in stone and decorating it with busts of other great Croatian figures, Strossmayer’s contemporaries—but the plan was never fully realized.

Since 1928, the square has been named Josip Juraj Strossmayer Square, and with Croatia’s independence, the Academy is no longer Yugoslav but the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.