Ivan Cvetko

Ivan Cvetko was born in Delnice, from where he was transferred to Rijeka as a young chaplain to the church of the Assumption of Mary.

At the end of 1836, the City Council of Rijeka decided to establish a parish court on Drenova, which was approved by the Diocese, so on May 1, 1837. Ivan Cvetko, until then parish assistant, elected pastor on Drenova . The following year, he built a parish apartment that still serves the same purpose today. In the parish apartment Ivan Cvetko gathered the more advanced children of Drenova and taught them the first literacy.

Worship was then, for the last 10 years, performed in the chapel of All Saints in today's new cemetery, because the chapel of Our Lady of Carmel, built back in 1628 on the area of the old parish apartment, was in ruins.

By the efforts of Ivan Cvetko in civil and ecclesiastical authorities, the construction of a new church was approved in 1847. In the outer dimensions it was built in only 3 months and Holy Masses began to be held there. It was not consecrated until September 24, 1863 to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.

At the time of Ivan Cvetko's arrival on Drenovo, the children attended elementary school that was in the building of today's Faculty of Pedagogy. Ivan Cvetko advocated and managed to get permission to build an elementary school building on Drenova. Thus, in 1852, the construction of the first, western part was completed the People's School It consisted of a classroom and a teacher's apartment. The school was attended by 40 to 50 students.

When the third cholera epidemic appeared in Rijeka in 1855, Ivan Cvetko had the task of teaching people hygiene habits in the fight against this vicious disease of those times.

As a pastor, Ivan Cvetko remained on the Drena until 1870, when he gave a farewell speech on July 16, in the today's church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which was built on his merits. "Goodbye, folks!" were the last words he said and left.

He lived another 14 years in the river. He was buried in the oldest Drenova cemetery, and by the construction of a university settlement his mortal remains were moved to today's Old Cemetery in Donja Drenova. For all the merits with which Ivan Cvetko indebted them, the people of Drenovci repaid by giving his name to the central town square.