Franjevački samostan i crkva u Bjelovaru

The Friary of St Anthony of Padua and its church stand on Antuna Mihanovića Street, close to central Bjelovar. The arrival of the Franciscans was championed by parish priest Ivan Göszl and Bjelovar-born Rudolf Wimer, whose donation of 100,000 crowns gave the project important momentum. Land was purchased in 1935 and preparatory work began that October; the first Midnight Mass was celebrated in the still unfinished church on Christmas Eve that year. Both the church and friary are dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, and a Franciscan parish has operated here since 1980. The State Archives in Bjelovar preserve plans for the complex dating from 1935 to 1938, documenting its construction.