Biography of Petar Trp
Petar Trp was born in the year 1934 in a small village of Turcic on the Island of Krk. His life story is quite typical of the young man at that time, when large number of people emigrated to foreign countries. At the age of 29, Mr. Trp moved to Australia with his wife and two sons in search for a better life. He lived and worked in the area of New South Wales for the next eight years.
He returned briefly to Island of Krk in 1970, only to leave again after three months. This time around his new home became New York. In Astoria, a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of Queens well know for many Croatia immigrants he stayed for the next twelve years.
His definite return to Croatia happened in the year 1982, although his family is still spread all around the world. His two sons as well as his sister live in the United States, while his brother lives in Australia.
The story of Fumak Crucifix and its builder
Fumak Crucifix bears the named of the place where it is actually located. Fumak hill, 61 meters high, is situated on the western side of Island of Krk in Croatia, very close to a small town called Porat. The Crucifix is positioned just 500 meters from the coastline and one of its particularities is a splendid panorama of Island of Cres and Town of Rijeka. Mister Petar Trp is the owner of 19 000 square meters of land in this area from which 700 square meters are currently cultivated.
After his return from United States, Mr. Trp had a great desire to produce something of value for the local community and leave something behind for the future generations. During the last ten years he is completely dedicated to the project of Fumak Crucifix and is investing all of his time, energy and money into it.
He was always attracted to wood, so he contemplated how to utilize it. He knew exactly what he wanted to do after his visit to the Shine of the Mother of God of Bistrica in Hrvatsko Zagorje. There he for the first time encountered the magnificent sculptures made by an academic sculptor named Pavao Hudek. After initial contact and discussions Hudek made a model of the Jesus sculpture which was eventually moulded from bronze in the workshop of Drago Vorner.
In the backyard of his house Mr. Trp had an oak tree timber which he cut down in 1996. The circumference of this timber was 2.8 meters and the vertical balk of the crucifix was at the end made from it. Mr. Trp spent the next three years in search for the timber to use for the horizontal balk and finally found a oak tree with circumference of 3.5 meters. The initial working on the wood was done by Mr. Trp himself only to be finished by the professional, Lucijan Zic from shipyard in Gabonjin.
Parallel to the construction of the cross, Mr. Trp started to cultivate the terrain where the crucifix would be positioned. He also worked on the Stations of the Way of the Cross, all made from stones from Island of Krk. After all of this was done it was time to construct the base of the crucifix. Mr. Trp designed it and GP Krk construction company built it. The same company with its powerful crane put the crucifix, over a tone heavy, in its place.
Fumak Crucifix was blessed just three days before New Year 2000. On 14th of september every year, on the Holy Cross Day a Holy Mass is performed here.
Crucifix specifications
| Height of the cross: 6.6 m |
| Height of the whole monument: 11.5 m |
| Length of the horizontal balk: 3.5 m |
| Mass of the Jesus sculpture: 840 kg |
| Height of the Jesus sculpture: 2.8 m |
| Jesus arm span: 198 cm |