1. Jesus Christ Founder of Christianity; for Christians and all who believe in Him, the God-man and the Saviour of mankind. His appearance and teachings became the brightest, greatest and most divine event in human history - and not only to Christians. Without Him, our civilization would fail as incorrigible and dark. He wanted to banish wars, telling to Peter some 1.970 years ago to "return sword in thy sheath". Among the nations, He established solidarity and reciprocity decreasing the fear of an individual from the state and those who held power; He brought kidness among people and the idea of equality, without a desire to exterminate existing cultures; He was against all violence, hatred, indifference, or greed; He held no army or earthly powers; He taught people to build grounds of human responsibility to last their whole life; He was against all indifference; His ways of thinking became our greatest chal-lenge, his education of people the light for future generations; He, the greatest builder of trust and faith in another man showed us before and after them all, that the peace is a mask of truth, father of justice, grandmother of goodness, grandfather of hope, a friend of freedom and the ornament of tolerance.

 

2. Mary Mother of God
She lived in Nazareth; when she was engaged to Joseph, the carpenter, the Angel Gabriel told her that she shall have a child, the Son of God, named Jesus. She gave birth to Jesus in a stable in Betlehem. She received a God's prophecy, that Jesus shall save the world. With her husband Joseph, the carpenter, she raised Jesus; Christians think of her as the mother of the whole world. All over the world we find her shrines. Croatian people of all other Roman Catholics built Mary into their hearts most - calling her Mary the Queen of Peace, the greatest queen of them all -Heavenly Queen of all Croats.

 

3. Peter the Apostle
Most important apostle of Jesus, most often referred to in the Gospels; this most famous of all fishermen in history of mankind, being a man of big heart, had a great privilege; he was the first one Jesus called to become his student and follower, the first one the resurrected Jesus came to; in Jesus he recognized the Mesiah and followed His path; he became the first pope; he came to Rome in the year 42; in the year 64 the infamous Roman emperor Neron had him executed.

4. Paul the Apostle
Most educated student of Jesus, his hatred - as Saul - turned into love as Paul; he is the greatest proof to men, that each man can become good, if he wants it sincerely; his proselytism shows and proves that it's never too late to become good, that each of us is worth as much as he gives out to others and if along the way he does as little evil as possible; he was born in Tarz, considered the greatest promoter of Christianity; if Peter was a rock, Paul was the dove of Christianity, spreading the teachings of Jesus; wherever he travelled - Cyprus, Damascus, Salona, Athens, Corinth, Jerusalem - he left famous preach-ing sermons, that still inspire all people; he was executed by sword in the year 67; his earthly remains rest in Rome's basilica of St.Paul, outside its walls.

5. Michael the Archangel
According to the Bible, he was an angel prince fighting the Satan in hope to save the mankind; following God's orders, he threw out Adam and Eve from the Paradise; he stopped Abraham in killing his son Isaac in the last moment; he parted the Red Sea for the Jews, when they were heading for the Promissed Land; he is guardian angel of judges, soldiers and policemen.

6. Gabriel the Archangel According to the Bible, he was an archangel who - according to the Book of Daniel, the Prophet -clarifies prophecies; he is referred to as the protector of Israeli people and protector of Church; he foretold to Virgin Mary her Holy Conception of Jesus Christ; he is guardian angel of postmen.

7. Raphael the Archangel
Honoured and the most famous guardian angel; often called upon when we ask protection from life perils; he is guardian angel of youth, travellers and physicians.

8. Adam and Eve According to the Bible, the first man and the first woman on Earth; they had lived in the Garden of Eden; they represent the history of Mankind.

9. Abraham
The first God's friend; the first spiritual ancestor to monoteistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam; he was born between 20th and 16th century B.C. in Ur, the city of Chaldees; the first one to make pact with God; according to the Bible, he is called the father of Israeli people; he was the receiver of God's promisses and the first great role model in times before Christ.

10. Jacob
Together with Abraham, he was one of the most famous patriarchs from the Old Testament; he was known for his 12 sons who founded 12 Israeli tribes.

11. Moses
The most popular and most often referred to name from the Old Testament; he was the founder of Jewish religion; he founded the cult of oneægod reverence only and made this a legal requirement that only one god is to be worshipped; before Moses, Jews believed in several gods; on Mount Sinai he made pact with God on behalf of his people; he received stone tablets, with inscriptions of the God's commandments - the Ten Commandments; unfortu-nately, by their behaviour and their lives people broke the commandments Moses brought and mankind is spinning in a vicious circle of its impo-tence now.

12. Amos
He lived in the 8th century B.C.; he was a shep-herd, who criticized the greed of Israeli high society and hypocrisy of his time; his whole life he de-manded from Israelis, that they fullfil their alliance and commitment with God; by promoting truth, justice and fighting for the unable ones, he was banished on charge that he disturbed people.

13. Jeremiah
He lived in the 7th century B.C.; he was a pro-phet from the Old Testament who had an eventful life; he prophesized that Jerusalem would be robbed and destroyed by the Babylonians; he brought consolation to people, prophesizing they would return to their homeland and make peace with God; the was stoned for speaking against hypocrisy and greed.

14. Isaiah
The most educated prophet from the Old Testa-ment, who wrote majority of prophecy epistles; in his words: `And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4). This most popular text of peace from the Old Testament is built into the building of the United Nations in New York, defying all wars and warriors of the world; because of his love for peace and truth, he was submitted to a most cruel death described in the Old Testament - his enemies saw off his body in half; some 7 centries before Christ he foretold His birth, pains and His glory.

15. Daniel
He is one of the great prophets; with his friends he was taken into Babylonian captivity and slavery, where he was - because of his wisdom and erudition - advanced to a post of the adviser to the infamous emperor Nebuchadnezzar. The Persian emperor Darius threw him to lions, who spared Daniel; by this, Daniel defeated the emperor's weaknesses.

16. John the Baptist
He was the predecessor and a prophet of Christ, the first one to link the Old and the New Testament; he is considered the last prophet from the Old Testament, and the first saint of the New Testament; he lived an ascetic life in a desert and is considered the most convincing of all preachers; he baptized all men in the River Jordan; he baptized Jesus as well; eventually he ended up in a jail and was beheaded.

17. Simon the Elder
When he saw little Jesus in a temple, he said he could now die peacefully as he finally saw the Savior of the world; he was a great promoter of Jesus Christ; after all his travels, he settled down in Constantinople, where he died; his earthly remains ended up in Zadar.

18. Joseph
The most famous wood-cutter in history; he taught Jesus to be a carpenter; a symbol of diligence and hard work; the first one to serve by his own example that a man proves himself through his work; he introduced hard work as a way of life among the Christians; he is a protector of workers and the Croatian people.

19. Phillip the Apostle One of the most sincere students of Jesus, who lived with his family in Asia Minor; traditional tales spoke of his using a cross to chase away a big snake, worshipped by local priests as a deity; he was executed for his persistence in promoting the learning of Jesus.

20. Bartholomew
the Apostle He was known as a preacher in Mesopotamia, Arabia and Armenia; after Isaiah, no one else was punished by such a cruel death; in Armenia he was skinned and scalped and finally beheaded.

21. Simon the Apostle Together with Judas Thadaeus he preached of Jesus' learning throughout Persia; he ended up in a tragic death, just like Isaiah: he was sawed off in half.

22. Judas Thaddeus
the Apostle He preached of Jesus' learning throughout Persia; he was clubbed to death; Jesus confessed to him of his sorrows before His pains; he was courageous and brave.

23. Matthew the Apostle
He spread the Gospel throughout Judaea; after the betrayal by Judas, he took over his place; he performed miraculous healings and baptized the Jews; he was stoned and beheaded by axe.

24. Lazarus
After his fourth day of death, Jesus resurrected him; ever since people celebrate Jesus as king; he was a great friend of Jesus; in Marseilles he became the first-ever bishop.

25. Veronica
As Jesus miraculously healed her, she returned the kindness to Him; when Jesus was forced on his Way of the Cross to Calvary, she handed Him a scarf to wipe his bloody face; ever since, the most seriously ill have been miraculously healed by simple touch of this scarf.

26. Stephen the First Martyr
He was a preacher; people considered him a righteous man who spent most of his life in the service of kindness; he helped those, who never received help and for whom no one had time; he performed miracles; he was condemned and stoned to death.

27. Barnabas
A devoted and faithful follower of Jesus, also known as the "Son of Consolation"; he was remark-able for his goodness and oratory skills; he sold his land and brought money to Peter for the first Christian community; he travelled with Paul through-out Asia Minor and Cyprus.

28. Nicholas
One of the most popular Christian saints, not only with children; he lived and worked in Asia Minor in the 4th century as a bishop in the town of Myra; the worship of St. Nicholas from the 6th century onwards spread throughout Christian world; his earthly remains are kept in ltalian city of Bari; the custom of giving presents to children on the 6th of December -on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day - originates from the 13th century.

29. Benedict
One of the greatest people in history of Europe; he was inspired by the work of Basileus the Great, he lit a huge light in the darkness of medieval Europe; the founder of the Benedictine Order; in his Order he made prayers and work as their cornerstone; great peacemaker and protector of Europe.

30. Anthony of Padua
One of the greatest people that Portugal gave to the mankind; he was born in Lisbon in 1195; one of the most popular Christian saints; most of his life he spent in Italy, preaching the Gospel, being very convincing to non-believers as no other preacher; people considered him as a miracle performer; he made prophecies and healed people; he died in 1231 and his earthly remains lie in Padua, Italy

31. Nikola Tavelic
He was born in Sibenik; as a Franciscan, he preached throughout Bosnia; he went to Holy Land, Jerusalem, with three of his friends; by treachery he was captured and killed, not willing to give up his beliefs and the Christianity; Nikola Tavelic is the first Croat who was canonized as a saint; after Saint Joseph, he is the second saint protector of Croatian people.

32. Leopold Mandic
The greatest son of his native Boka Kotorska and Herceg Novi; he was born in 1866; most of his life he spent in Padua; for over 40 years he served as a confessor; he was healing, comforting and reconcil-ing people with God; he died in 1942; he was proclaimed the second Croatian saint.

33. Marko of Krizevci
He was born in 1580 in Krizevci, only 20 km from the location of Biblical garden of Peace; he studied in Graz and Rome; he was a professor and principal of the Roman Catholic Seminary in Slovak town of Trnava; just like Thomas Moore, he did not wish to deny his Catholic faith and was murdered together with his two friends on 7th of September, 1619; he was canonized as a saint in 1995; he is the only saint, born in Zagreb Archdiocese; saint protector of Koprivnica-Krizevci county.