U 16. stoljeću gradu Senju zaprijetila je velika opasnost od turske sile zbog čega će, na prijedlog senjskog kapetana I. Lenkovića, kralj Ferdinanda I. iz obrambenih razloga, a uz suglasnost crkvenih i vojno-političkih vlasti, donijeti odluku o rušenju svih građevina izvan gradskih zidina kako ih neprijatelj ne bi osvojio i ugrozio grad. Njegovu odluku u djelo provodi I. Lenković koji je između ostalih građevina 1540. srušio i franjevačku crkvu sa samostanom u predjelu Sv. Petar, ali uz obvezu da franjevcima sagradi novu crkvu i samostan unutar gradskih zidina. Ta nova crkva unutar gradskih zidina do temelja će biti srušena u Drugom svjetskom ratu 1943. godine.
Od samoga početka crkva sv. Franje je određena da bude posljednje počivalište senjskih odličnika – znamenitih i proslavljenih uskočkih knezova, kapetana, vojvoda i nadvojvoda koji su u crkvi pokapani tijekom 16., 17. i 18. stoljeća.
Ova crkva sa svojom arhitekturom i inventarom postala je dragocjen spomenik kulture grada Senja. Nažalost, crkva je srušena 1943. kada je stradao i veliki dio njezina spomeničkog inventara, unutar kojeg i nadgrobne ploče senjskih uskoka koje su uglavnom razbijene i pretvorene u fragmente koji su pohranjeni na više lokacija u gradu Senju.
Grad Senj i Odbor za zaštitu i obnovu povijesne jezgre grada Senja 1995. godine odlučili su, za moguću buduću namjenu, utvrditi lokacije smještaja i sadržaj te stanje u kojem se nalazi sačuvana spomenička građa – inventar iz crkve sv. Franje. Također je odlučeno da se ta spomenička građa obradi i popiše, odnosno inventarizira. Taj zadatak povjeren je autorici ovog rada.
Nakon inventarizacije obrađeni inventar crkve je spreman za daljnju stručnu obradu konzervatora, restauratora i arhitekata, poslije čega je moguće predložiti i rješenja za revitalizaciju prostora nekadašnje crkve sv. Franje u koji bi bio ukomponiran i prezentiran sačuvan i stručno obrađeni inventar crkve.
Inventarizacijom je utvrđeno da se unutar građe iz crkve sv. Franje nalazio i dio materijala koji ne pripada ovoj crkvi o čemu će također biti riječi u nastavku rada.In the 16th century the town of Senj was under the great threat of Turkish forces, and with the suggestion of Senj’s captain I. Lenković, King Ferdinand I would, for defensive reasons, along with the approval of the church and military-political authorities, adopt the decision about the destruction of all the buildings outside the town’s walls so that enemy could not occupy them and threaten the town. I. Lenković put his decision into action, during which amongst the remaining buildings he also destroyed in 1540 was the Franciscan church with the monastery in the area of St Peters, however with the obligation that he builds the Franciscans a new church and monastery within the town’s walls. This new church within the town’s walls would be razed to the ground in the Second World War in 1943.
From the very beginning the Church of St Francis was specified to be the lasting resting place for Senj’s nobles – famous and renowned Uskok inheritors, captains, dukes and archdukes who were buried in the church during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
This church with its architecture and inventory became a valuable cultural monument for the town of Senj. Unfortunately, the church was destroyed in 1943 when a great part of its monumental inventory was also damaged, inside which were also the tombstones of Senj’s Uskoks, which were largely broken and turned into fragments that are stored in many locations in the town of Senj.
In 1995, the town of Senj and the committee for the protection and restoration of the historical heart of the town of Senj decided, for possible future use, to determine a site for its placement and contents plus the condition in which the preserved monumental material – the inventory of the Church of St Francis, would be situated. It was decided that the monumental material would be processed and catalogued, in other words an inventory would be made. That task was entrusted to the author of this paper.
After the cataloguing the processed inventory of the church was prepared for the further scientific processing of conservators, restorers and architects, after which it would also be possible to propose the revitalisation of the area of the former Church of St Francis in which the preserved and scientifically processed inventory of the church could be placed. With the cataloguing it was established that within the material of the Church of St Francis there was also a part of the material which did not belong to this church, about which will also be discussed in the continuation of the paper
