Status of monument -> National monument
Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH” no. 100/08.
Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 6 to 10 July 2004 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The architectural ensemble of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno, together with movable property, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the church, churchyard and boundary wall, and movable property consisting of:
a) a collection of 51 icons:
1. Crucifixion, Nikola Zafuris, second half of 15th century, tempera on panel, 43 x 35 cm
2. St Antony the Great, unidentified Cretan master, 16th century, tempera on panel, 33.2 x 27 cm
3. Virgin of Tenderness, unidentified Cretan master, second half of 16th century, tempera on panel, 56 x 43 cm
4. Descent into Hell and the Virgin and Christ, unidentified Cretan master, 17th century, tempera on panel, 29.5 x 23 cm
5. Dormition of the Virgin, unidentified Cretan master, 17th century, tempera on panel, 31 x 25 cm
6. Holy Spirit Descending on the Apostles, unidentified Cretan master, late 17th century, tempera on panel, 81 x 104 cm
7. Christ entering Jerusalem, unidentified Serbian master, late 17th or early 18th century, tempera on panel, 41 x 32 cm
8. Virgin, Serbian master, 18th-19th century, tempera on panel, 43 x 34.5 cm
9. Christ Enthroned, unidentified local master, 18th century, tempera on panel, 46 x 31 cm
10. Virgin of Tenderness, unidentified Cretan master, 16th or 17th century, tempera on panel, 51 x 40 cm
11. Apostle Peter, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
12. Apostle Paul, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
13. Apostle Bartholomew, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
14. Unidentified apostle, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
15. Apostle Simon, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
16. Unidentified apostle, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
17. Evangelist Luke, unidentified Greek master, late 18th or early 19th century, tempera on panel, 45.5 x 31 cm
18. St Nicholas, unidentified local master, 19th century, tempera on panel, 42 x 29.5 cm
19. Annunciation, unidentified Russian master, 19th century, tempera on panel, 30.5 x 24.5 cm
20. Holy trinity, unidentified Russian master, 19th century, tempera on panel, 30.5 x 24.5 cm
21. Virgin Hodegetria, unidentified Serbian master, 17th century, canvas laid on panel, 41 x 31.5 cm
22. Presentation in the Temple, unidentified local master, 18th century, canvas laid on panel, 41 x 31.5 cm
23. Virgin and Christ, St Stephen, St Spiridon and St George, unidentified Cretan master, 15th-16th century, tempera on panel, 39.5 x 32.5 cm
24. Virgin Enthroned, unidentified master, 16th-17th century, tempera on panel, 66 x 39 cm
25. Christ Pantocrator, unidentified master, oil on canvas, gilding, embossing, engraving, silver, 34 x 25 cm
26. Baptism of Christ, unidentified master, ? 19th century, oil on metal plaque, 31 x 27 cm
27. Christ Pantocrator, Serbian master, 18th-19th century, tempera on panel, 51 x 42 cm
28. St Spiridon (?), unidentified Greek master, 18th century (?), canvas laid on panel, 31 x 27 cm
29. Virgin Hodegetria, unidentified Russian master, 19th century, canvas laid on panel, 33 x 26.5 cm
30. Virgin Hodegetria, unidentified Cretan artist, 15th o4 16th century, tempera on panel, 45 x 37 cm
31. Virgin of Tenderness, unidentified Cretan artist, 16th-17th century, tempera on panel, 45 x 37 cm
32. St Sava, unidentified local artist, 19th century, tempera on panel, 67.5 x 48 cm
33. SS Cosmas and Damian, unidentified Russian artist, 18th century, tempera on panel, 9.5 x 31.5 cm
34. St Stephen the Martyr, unidentified local artist, 19th century, tempera on panel, 38 x 27.5 cm
35. Nativity of Christ, unidentified local artist, 19th century, tempera on metal affixed to panel, 31 x 26.5 cm
36. St Catherine and Isidore the Great, unidentified Russian artist, 19th century, oil on panel, 54.5 x 40.5 cm
37. Annunciation, unidentified Vojvodina artist, 19th century, oil on panel, 81.2 x 50 cm
38. Baptism of Christ, unidentified Vojvodina artist, 19th century, tempera on panel, 80 x 49.7 cm
39. Raising of Lazarus, unidentified Vojvodina artist, 19th century, tempera on canvas laid on panel, 69 x 56 cm
40. St Elijah, unidentified Greek artist, 19th century, tempera on canvas laid on panel, 69.8 x 50 cm
41. St George slaying the dragon, unidentified Greek artist, 1831, tempera on panel, 42.5 x 59 cm
42. St George, unidentified local artist, 19th century, oil on canvas, 64 x 45.5 cm
43. Coronation of the Virgin and St Spiridon, unidentified Cretan artist, 17th century, tempera on panel, 69.5 x 52.5 cm
44. Virgin and Christ – allegory of Christ's Passion, unidentified Greek master, 18th-19th century, tempera on panel, 34.3 x 49.5 cm
45. Chains of St Peter, unidentified local artist, 19th century, oil on canvas, 64 x 45.5 cm
46. St George slaying the dragon, unidentified Greek artist, 19th century, tempera on panel, 40 x 29 cm
47. St Savo, Ag.Mansfield, 19th century, oil on canvas, 130 x 90 cm
48. Jerusalem, Sarajevo artist R, c. 1790, oil on canvas, 10 x 134 cm
49. Jerusalem, unidentified Macedonian or Greek artist, 19th century, oil on canvas, 140 x 104 cm
50. Jerusalem, unidentified artist, 19th century, oil on canvas, 214.5 x 142 cm
51. Jerusalem, unidentified artist, mid 19th century, oil on canvas, 143 x 196cm
b) Epitaphios, unidentified local artist, 20th century, oil on canvas, 93.5 x 72 cm, painted area 69 x 48 cm
c) collection of metalwork items:
1. Petohlebnica (sacred host tray), Todor Mihić of Sarajevo, 1844; cast, embossed silver; diameter of plinth 28 cm, height of vessels with covers 16cm, height of candlestick 20 cm, diameter of salver 6 cm
2. Liturgical cross, unidentified local artisan, 19th century; cast, embossed, applications, wood, metal alloy, height 66 cm, width of arms 30 cm
3. Cross, Nikola Stoisavljević, goldsmith from Belgrade, 1909; cast, filigree, chased silver-gilt, glass, yew-wood, polished glass; diameter of plinth 16.5 cm, overall height 42 cm, width of arms 22 cm
4. Tabernacle, Nikola Stoisavljević, goldsmith from Belgrade, 1909; cast, embossed and engraved silver-gilt, 17 x 20 x 25 cm.
The National Monument is located on a site consisting of cadastral plot 4/76, title sheet no. 621, cadastral municipality Livno, Livno Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection and rehabilitation measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02 and 6/04) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for ensuring and providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of the National Monument.
The Government of the Federation shall be responsible for providing the resources needed to draw up and implement the necessary technical documentation for the rehabilitation of the National Monument.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following measures are hereby stipulated:
Protection Zone I consists of the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:
- all works are prohibited other than rehabilitation works, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority),
- rehabilitation is taken to mean research works, conservation works, structural repairs and the restoration of the National Monument,
- remedial works must be carried out, with the approval of the Federal ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority, following investigation of the causes of rising damp in the walls and cracks in the stairway of the base of the church tower, and the drawing up of a Study for the said remedial work.
The following urgent measures are hereby stipulated to prevent further deterioration:
- protection of the church tower from adverse external influences
- complete replacement of dilapidated and damaged guttering and downpipes from the roof.
A Buffer Zone is hereby stipulated, consisting of the plots bordering the area defined in Claused 1 para. 3 of this Decision, with the exception of the plots to the south of the National Monument. Within this buffer zone the following protection measures shall apply:
- all works are prohibited other than repairs to the Memorial Ossuary and current maintenance works
- any future new construction shall be permitted only with the approval of the heritage protection authority.
The following protection measures are hereby stipulated for the movable heritage items listed in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage):
The Government of the Federation shall provide appropriate physical and technical conditions for the safe keeping of the movable heritage items, and in particular:
- conservation and restoration works must be carried out on the protected and damaged collection of icons
- interventions to the movable items must be carried out by a qualified expert to a study approved by the relevant federal ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority
- appropriate conditions for the housing, safe keeping and display of the complete collection of icons shall be provided.
The display and other forms of presentation of the movable heritage items within Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be carried out on the basis of conditions stipulated by the Federal ministry responsible for culture.
Oversight of the execution of the measures to protect the movable heritage items shall be conducted by the Federal ministry responsible for culture.
IV
The removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.
By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Clause, the temporary removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina of the movable heritage for the purposes of display or conservation shall be permitted if it is established that conservation works cannot be carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Permission for the temporary removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina under the conditions stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall be issued by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, if it is determined beyond doubt that it will not jeopardize the movable heritage in any way. In granting permission for the temporary removal of the movable heritage, the Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina may take place, the date by which the movable heritage shall be returned to the country, and the responsibility of individual authorities and institutions for ensuring that these conditions are met, and shall notify the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the relevant security service, the customs authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the general public accordingly.
V
All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.
VI
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.
VII
The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to VI of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VIII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba)
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
On the date of adoption of this Decision, the National Monument shall be deleted from the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 79/02, Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH no. 59/02, and Official Gazette of Brčko District BiH no. 4/03), where it featured under serial no.341
X
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik.
No: 06.1-02-122/04-3
7 July 2004
Jajce
Chair of the Commission
Dubravko Lovrenović
E l u c i d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments issued a Decision to add the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Orthodox) in Livno to the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbered as 341.
Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION
In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:
- Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.;
- Inspection of the condition of the property;
- Copy of cadastral plan;
- Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.
The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the site are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God is in the centre of the town of Livno, Livno Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The site on which the church stands lies within the part of the town bordered to the east by Safet Gagić street, to the south-west by Gymnasium street (formerly Mira Popović street), and to the north-west by Queen Katarina street (formerly Ivan Goran Kovačić street). To the left of the Livno gymnasium (high school) building, is the plateau(1) on which the church stands, reached from Queen Katarina street via a steep, paved path(2) which climbs towards the south-east. At the start of the access path to the site of the church, to the left of the path, stands a building housing the parish hall(3), and to the right of the path, about 50 m horizontally from the church, is the unfinished building of the crypt or memorial ossuary.(4)
The detached houses in the contact zone of the National Monument, standing at the top of these streets, are two-storey buildings (ground + upper floor).
Historical information
«In 1845 Fr. Ivan F. Jukić wrote that there were up to 10,000 Catholics (kršćani) in the whole of the Livno plain, and almost as many Orthodox (rišćani), served by 12 priests under the archpriest of Livno.» According to the Roman Catholic schematism for 1855, quoted by the Russian consult A. Giljferding, there were 1,139 Roman Catholic households in the Livno nahija with 9.519 men and women; he adds that there were as many Orthodox.
At that time Livno consisted of the fort and the suburbs or quarters outside the fortifications. The fortications stood on the rocky hill known as Crljenice, and were occupied only by Turks [presumably meaning Muslims: trans.], with up to 200 Turkish households and four mosques. The quarters outside the fortifications had up to 300 Turkish households with eight mosques, but there were also Christians there, 150 Catholic and 100 Orthodox (rišćani) households. Jukić adds that «the latter also had a priest(5) and a school.»(6)
«There were no proper churches in Livno in the old days. Orthodox religious services took places in a timber-built building in Zastinje (Zastijenje). Giljferding writes in his travelogue that in 1857 there was a timber building being used as an Orthodox church «in Prekorečje, in a field behind the town,» adding that «the Orthodox inhabitants also have a primary school, and are now thinking about building a church».(7)
Archpriest Vojislav Šešum also recorded, in the parish chronicles, the folk tradition that this place of worship was timber-built (as Giljferding, who saw the building, wrote) and that it had a thatched roof, and had a high stone retaining wall, the foundations of which are still recognizable. The site of the church is now a meadow owned by the Komljenović family.
The site of Crkvene meadow in Zastinje was far from the centre of the town where wealthy Serb traders lived, and it was difficult to find a suitable plot that was large enough in the town centre. None of the Serbs owned such a large plot. The site on which the present-day church stands was granted to the parish by beg Gagić.
The construction of the church began in 1859. After completion, members of the Orthodox congregation made various gifts to the church: prayer books, icons, vestments and other items, and some brought or ordered icons from Russia, Jerusalem, Hilander and Mt Athos, Venice and the coastal towns. Some parishes and individuals from Sarajevo(8), Mostar and other places in Bosnia and Herzegovina also sent gifts for the church. It was thus that the church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God acquired one of the finest collections of icons in Bosnia.
Much of the cost of building the church was borne by Livno's Orthodox traders under the direction of the priest. At that time Livno was a major trade centre, linking trade from the Adriatic coast, at that time under Austro-Hungarian rule, and trade centres in Bosnia, which were under Turkish rule. Livno's trade was then mainly in the hands of Serb merchants, both wholesalers and retailers, who became wealthy and developed into a major economic factor, which in turn impacted on their political and cultural life. Among these merchant families were the Stanišić's, Kujundžić's, Todorović's, Pavlović's, Samardžić's, Vidović's, Anđić's, Radić's, Marić's, Puškars, Ždero, the Jevtanović's, Besara, Gligić's, Skoble, Jovo Zakonović, Niko Buro, and Mitranić Todo. As the Livno merchant Mirko Samardžić called, the number of Orthodox inhabitants of Livno in the second half of the 19th century was about 700-800.(9)
It is not known with any certain who built the church, but Đoko Mazalić assumes that it could have been Mato Bajo, a native of Livno to whom the parish entrusted the masonry work of the new Serbian school in 1874.(10)
A timber bell tower(11) was built by the church, which remained in use for thirty years, until 1889, when a new one was built of cut stone in front of the church. It bears a stone plaque with the inscription:
THIS CHURCH OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WAS ERECTED BY THE ENTIRE SERBIAN ORTHODOX PEOPLE OF LIVNO MUNICIPALITY IN 1859, AND AFTER 30 YEARS, THANKS TO CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX PEOPLE AND THE SUPPORT OF THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT, THIS BELL TOWER WAS ERECTED IN 1889. BUILDER: I. KONJIK.
The parish chronicle records that the building, Ilija Konjik, was a self-taught craftsman. He went to Mostar to see the bell tower on the new church there and to make a sketch, from which he built this bell tower.(12)
The parish erected tombstones on the graves of two priests buried behind the alter apse. Archpriest Simeon Kojdić (+1867), probably the younger son of archimandrite Serafim, is buried to the north of the apse, while to the south rests archpriest Stojan Kojević-Popović (+1874), whose first surname retains the old family surname and whose second indicates that he belongs to this priestly line, «popović» meaning son of a pop or Orthodox priest.(13)
During World War II(14), the Livno Orthodox church was plundered and somewhat damaged, and the parish hall was bombed. The church registers, archives and library were destroyed.
The building of the old Serb school and the Sundetić Serb choral society, where the parish hall was, was badly damaged and rendered uninhabitable, and an agreement was entered into with Livno Municipality, which repaired the building and adapted it for use as a gymnasium high school, in return building a new parish hall for the Orthodox, which was completed and consecrated on 29 July 1968.
The church tower was renovated in 1979(15).
On 11 August 1991, the bones of more than 1.200 Serb inhabitants of the Livno region killed during World War II were taken from pits and karst valleys in Herzegovina and buried in the memorial ossuary crypt in Livno(16).
In 2000, during works to clad the church tower with boarding and hydroinsulating tape, Simo Ljuboja fell from the tower and was killed(17).
Details of the priests who served in the Livno parish have survived(18): 1835 Simo Kojdić, 1835 Stanko Kojda, 1840-1845 Serafim Konda, archimandrite and parish priest, 1845 Jovan and Simeon Konda, +1867 Simeun Kojdić, archpriest; +1874 Stoja Kojević-Popović, archpriest, Stojan Jovanović-Zečević, archpriest, Stevan Kukrika, archpriest, Maksim Jovanović, archpriest, Kosta Prodanović, archpriest; 1912 Dušan Lapčević, Uroš Jovanović, son of archpriest Stojan; 1914-1918 Milan Bogičević, 1914-1918 Vlado Vuković, 1919-1941 Kosta Stanišić, archpriest, 1945-1950 Kasijan Arnautović, priest-monk, 1950-1969 Vojislav Šešum, archpriest, 1969 Mirko Jamedžija.
2. Description of the property
The church lies with its long axis east (apse) – west (entrance), with a divergence of 19° to the south-east/north-west(19). The church is a single-nave basilica, with an entrance parvis, nave and altar area. The ground plan of the church is rectangular, with exterior dimensions of 18.90 x 11.50 m. The vaulted apse at the east end is elliptical in plan (major semi-axis = 3.75 m, minor semi-axis = 3.15 m). A square bell tower, 4 x 4 m, is built onto the axis of the outside wall of the western facade.
Functionally, the church is divided into the parvis, 3 m deep and 9.50 m wide; the nave, 9.50 m wide and 11.45 m long; the altar area with proscomidion, diaconicon, altar table and apse; and the choir area on a gallery, via which the stairs of the church tower are reached. The church has two entrances, each with a double door: the west portal is reached through the arched passage of the ground floor of the church tower, and the side entrance portal is set in the axis of the north wall of the church.
A double-flight stone stairway set in the north-western part of the parvis leads to the choir, which is of the same depth as the parvis. The stairway has a wooden railing, and the same type of railing, with a height of 70 cm, is also set on the masonry parapet (a wall 38 cm wide and 70 cm high) of the choir railing. From the choir gallery, up three steps set in the niche of the door opening in the centre of the western solid wall of the church, one enters the first storey of the church tower, at a level of approx. +4.45 m.(20) A four-flight stairway made of cylindrical steel section with the treads made of wooden boards, leads to the platform of the third storey of the bell tower at a height of approx. + 11.21 m.(21)
The parvis is separated from the nave by a 38 cm thick wall, with three rounded-arch openings. The side openings are 267 cm wide and 318 cm high, and the central opening measures 190 x 318 cm.
The nave is separated from the altar area by another 38 cm thick wall, 9.50 m long and 4.56 m high, serving as altar partition and iconostasis. Facing the nave, the wall is divided by two moulded string courses and a terminal cornice on the crown of the wall. The wall has three openings terminating in round arches. The side openings are 90 and 94 cm wide and 224 cm high, and the central opening, with the royal doors, measures 105 x 224 cm(22). There are three access landings with steps effecting the change of level between the nave and the altar area, a difference of +45 cm.
Structurally, the single nave ground plan of the church is divided into five bays, emphasized on the walls by pilasters, and on the underside of the vault by the arched reinforcements of the vault structure, between which are, alternately, round and roundish vaults.
It should be pointed out that neither the vaults nor its reinforcing arches are of stone; rather, the ceiling construction of the vault was executed by a facing of wooden slats, reeds and a final layer of plaster, attached via a structure of timber centring to the beams and trusses of the timber roof frame.(23) There are several instances in Bosnia and Herzegovina of the use of this principle for the structure of a vault.(24)
In the interior of the church, the top of the walls, the position of the side openings through which light enters the church, and the transition to the vault, are emphasized by the wide entablature of a moulded cornice(25) set on pilasters(26). There is one round-arched window on either side of the tower admitting light to the parvis, and another such window in the apse wall. There is an oculus at the top of the east gable wall to admit air to the attic area.
The floors of the parvis, congregational and altar area of the ground floor, the floor of the choir and that of the first storey of the bell tower are laid with stone slabs. An Ambon has been laid in the central area of the nave, in the shape of a podium constructed of stepped cylindrical shapes.
The walls of the church are 100 cm thick, made of stone and plastered inside and out. On the walls of the church, only the bonding quoins set at the junctions of the outside walls are made of regular blocks and left unplastered. The church tower is entirely built of regular cut stone blocks.
The facade of the church is divided by a shallow moulded string course with wavy decorations set at the same height as the moulded cornice inside the church. The openings admitting light into the church are semi-circular (diameter approx. 210 cm), and are divided radially by wooden cross-bars into six equal fields. These semi-circular openings are set in the axes of the first, third and fifth bays, so that a reflection of the structural treatment of the vault is maintained in the arrangement and rhythm of the openings admitting light in the north and south facades of the church. The symmetry of the north side is enhanced by the door and portal set in the axis of the central bay. The crowns of the walls end in a more distinctly profiled roof cornice.
Given that the stone tower was built 30 years after the church, it is clear that the builder, Ilija Konjik, intended to erect a tower that was organically and visually in harmony with the church building: the lines of the string cornices on the tower matches those of the string course with wavy moulding and the roof cornice of the church, and the quoins on the tower are also emphasized as they are on the church. Given that the rest of the walls of the church are plastered, Konjik emphasized the junction of the walls of the tower by quoins projecting slightly in relation to the wall surface of the tower.
Functionally, the tower has three storeys, and is divided by five moulded horizontal string courses. The string course at the level of the roof cornice of the church and the roof cornice of the tower are emphasized by deep projections and strong mouldings by comparison with the other string courses and cornice. Three round-arched entrance openings measuring 145 x 390 cm are set in the ground floor walls of the tower. At second-storey level, a stone rosette with an exterior diametre of 165 cm is set in the wall of the west facade of the tower. The rosette consists of an outer and inner stong ring between which eight stylized stone balusters are set radially. At third floor level the tower has an arched opening(27) in each wall, measuring 130 x 308 cm, with a rosette with a diameter of 130 cm above each opening. The ring of the rosette is moulded. Within the rosette itself is a stylized stone cross, with four smaller stone rings in the diagonal fields. The height of the tower from base to the top of the uppermost cornice is 18.44 m. The dome of the tower was of baroque form, and measured approx. 8.50 m high, with the cross adding a further 1.80 m. The bulbous part of the dome of the tower was also baroque in form and was clad with sheet copper on a timber substructure. Within the uppermost floor of the tower, three cast bronze bells hung from a load-bearing structure(28) of cylindrical steel section, set into the walls of the tower. The largest bell weighed approx. 1000 kg, the middle one approx. 700 kg. and the smallest approx. 300 kg.
The large bell bears the following inscriptions:
THIS BELL WAS DONATED TO THE CHURCH OF THE DORMITION OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IN LIJEVNO BY ARNAUT RO? USTIĆ OF GUBER. IT CALLS THE LIVING, MOURNS THE DEAD, AND DISPELS LIGHTNING AND THUNDER.
SALIO KVIRIN LEBIĆ, ZAGREB 1930
The middle-sized bell bears the following inscriptions:
TODE MITRANIĆ, A MERCHANT FROM LIJEVNO, DONATED THIS BELL TO THE CHURCH OF THE DORMITION OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IN LIJEVNO IN 1930.
SALIO KVIRIN LEBIĆ, ZAGREB 1930.
Movable heritage
The rich collection of icons of the Livno church is of major cultural and historical value. It is evidence of the links between this Orthodox Church paris and other Orthodox parishes both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond. Some of these icons were gifted by other parishes or wealthy individuals from Sarajevo, Mostar, the monasteries and towns of Herzegovina, and even Hilandar. The icons had been preserved in these monasteries for centuries, and then handed down to the newly-built church in Livno, as a result of which the collection includes numerous Greek icons of the 15th and 16th centuries. Among the more interesting icons is a cycle of icons figuring the apostles. Đ. Mazalić (Mazalić, 1959, 111) is of the view that this the icons of this cycle belonged to the iconostasis of the old Livno church in Zastinje. The cycle is the work of an unidentified Greek artist of the late 18th or early 19th century. The Livno collection also without doubt includes icons that belonged to individual wealthy merchant families such as Kujundžić's and Stanišić's (D. Kašić, 9-13).
During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina the collection of icons was transferred from the Serbian Orthodox church in Livno to the Franciscan monastery in Gorica, Livno.
On 9 November 2000, a Minute of the Transfer of Religious Artefacts and Works of Art of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno and the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vrbica was drawn up, under the terms of which Fr Tomo Maganjić, parish priest of All Saints' parish in Livno and Damir Tadić, head of the Department of General Administration and Social Affairs of Livno Municipal Council, handed over the religious artefacts and works of art of the Serbian Orthodox church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno and the church of the Holy trinity in Vrbica, as recorded in the inventories forming an integral part of the Minute, to envoys of Bishop Hrizostom of the Bihać-Petrovac eparchy.
The inventory of the surviving religious and artistic property of the Serbian Orthodox church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno consists of 64 icons:
1. St George, 59x42.5x2 cm,
2. Resurrection of Christ, 29.5x25.5x2.5 cm,
3. St Stephen the Archdeacon, 38x27.5x2 cm,
4. Virgin Hodegetria, 44.5x36.5x2.8 cm,
5. St George, 40x29x2 cm,
6. Ascension, 30.3x20.2x1.8 cm,
7. St George, 30x19x1.5 cm (central section of triptych only),
8. Virgin with saints, 28x21x1.5 cm,
9. St Sava, 68x48x2 cm,
10. Virgin Hodegetria (Eleuza), 32x23x2 cm,
11. Holy Trinity, 28x19x3 cm,
12. Virgin Hodegetria, 33.2x26.7x2.6 cm,
13. St Spiridon, 42x34x2 cm,
14. SS Cosmas and Damian, 39.5x31x2 cm,
15. St Spiridon, 29x20.5x2 cm,
16. Annunciation, 30.3x24.8x2 cm,
17. Crucifixion, 43x34.5x2 cm,
18. Virgin with Christ, 51.4x41x2 cm,
19. St George (Christ Pantocrator) 64x45.5 cm (in the revised inventory issued in 1994(29) this icon is listed as Christ Pantocrator, which is clearly an error),
20. SS Catherine and Isidore, 54x40x1.8 cm,
21. St Theodore the Canonized and Zinaida, 52x40.8x2.5 cm,
22. Virgin Hodegetria (Allegory of Jesus’ Passion), 47x34x1.5 cm,
23. Entry to Jerusalem, 41x23x2 cm,
24. Dormition of the Virgin, 38x24.8x2 cm,
25. Virgin, 42.5x33.5x2 cm,
26. St Michael, 43.8x34x2 cm, Russian work,
27. Virgin of Tenderness, 56.5x43x2.5 cm,
28. Virgin of Tenderness, 52.8x40x2 cm,
29. Apostle Peter (Archangel Michael), 61.7x42.3x1.3 cm – double icon,
30. Pentecost, 134.5x80x3 cm,
31. Apostle Bartholonew, 45x31x2 cm,
32. Apostle Peter, 45x31x2 cm,
33. Apostle Simon, 45x31x2 cm,
34. Evangelist Matthew, 45x31x2 cm,
35. Evangelist John (Evangelist Luke), 45x31x2 cm (listed in the revised 1994 inventory under the first heading, though the name Luke is to be seen on the icon),
36. Apostle Paul, 45x31x2 cm,
37. Evangelist Mark, 45x31x2 cm,
38. Apostle Andrew, 45x31x2 cm,
39. Apostle Philip, 45x31x2 cm,
40. Bust of saint (head of monk), 33.5x26.8x1 cm,
41. Crucifixion, 81.3x49.3x1.6 cm,
42. Annunciation, 81.2x50x1.6 cm,
43. Baptism, 80x49.7x2.6 cm,
44. St Spiridon, 31x26.5x1.5,cm
45. Resurrection of Christ, 41x29.5x1.8 cm,
46. St Nicholas, 41x29.5x1.8 cm,
47. Ascension, 41x29.5x2 cm,
48. Transfiguration, 41x29.5x2 cm,
49. St Nicholas, 63x50 cm,
50. Virgin Hypsilotera, 66x38.9x2 cm,
51. Raising of Lazarus, 69x56 cm,
52. Jerusalem I, 134x100 cm,
53. Jerusalem II, 140x104 cm,
54. Jerusalem III, 128x181 cm,
55. Jerusalem IV, 196x126 cm,
56. St Sava oil, 130x90 cm,
57. St Elijah, 69.8x50x2.3 cm,
58. Virgin Hodegetria, 38.5x31x2 cm,
59. Presentation in the temple, 41x31.5x2 cm,
60. No icon found under this inventory no. The 1994 revised inventory states that this was the central section of a triptych with the figure of the Virgin
61. Virgin (central section of triptych only), 29x18x0.6 cm,
62. Virgin Hodegetria, 30.6x24.7x1.8 cm,
63. Virgin with Christ, 34.5x29x2 cm,
64. SS Sava and Simeon 33x25.5 cm,
65. Virgin with Christ, 39.5x31.5x1.5 cm.
I Crucifix (processional) painted on both sides, 120x29x2.5 cm,
II St Stephen king of Decani, 69x55,
III Chains of St Peter, 68.5x55,
IV Dormition (Coronation of the Virgin), 70x52,
V St Demetrius (triptych), 30.5x19x1,
VI Christ, 34x25,
VII Saint (evangelist?), 51.3x42x2.7,
VIII Virgin with Christ, 50x41,
IX Nativity (Three Kings), 30.5x24.5,
X Virgin, 91x39,
XI Christ, 91x39,
XII St Nicholas (gift from Stako Bilbija), 45x40,
XIII St Nicholas (property of Veselin Pavlović), 35.5x29.5x2.5,
XIV St John (gift from Mijo Injac) 25x20,
XV Dormition of the Virgin, 38.5x29x2,
XVI St George, 51.5x38.5,
XVII Triptych, contents unknown, 30x29,
XVIII Virgin with Christ (gift from Simo and Milica Kukrik), 39x31.5x1.5,
XIX unidentified apostle or evangelist, 45x31x2,
XX Three paintings on metal:
a) Baptism of Christ, 31x27x2.6
b) Nativity, 31x27x2.6
c) Holy Trinity, 31x27x2.6
At the time the Decision to designate the collection as a national monument was being drafted, only fifty-one icons were accessible:
1. CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST(30)
Artist: Nikola Zafuris(31)
Date of origin: second half 15th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 43 x 35 cm.
Description: The Byzantine subject of Christ crucified is shown with considerable influence from Italian painting, particularly that of Venice. Adam's skull is shown below the cross, and busts of angels beside the arms of the cross. The Virgin and Mary Magdalene are shown to the right of the Crucifixion, with St John the Divine and the centurion Longinus to the left of the cross. The Virgin is shown with her body twisted in pain and her head turned away from Christ, while pointing to the reason for her suffering. Maria Magdalene is shown in profile beside her. St John the Divine echoes the suffering of the Virgin, also with his head turned away from Christ. He holds his clasped hands in front of him. Beside him, Longinus is pointing to the crucified Christ. Christ's body on the cross is not twisted in the Byzantine manner, but straight, and his feet, following western iconography, are pierced by a single nail. His arms are outstretched. At the top of the cross is an open scroll of paper inscribed in Gothic majuscule initial. The precise attention to detail and the finished quality of line typical of Zafuris' art are particularly marked in Christ's thin loincloth and in the treatment of the skin tones and hair. His manner of painting the drapery of the clothes of the other figures in the scene, creating the impression of heavy, expensive cloth, is also recognizable (Rakić, 1998, 192-193).
2. ST ANTONY THE GREAT(32)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: 15th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 33.2 x 27 cm.
Signature: above, Antonios, in Greek script.
Description: The icons shows the frontal half-length figure of a saint, dressed in monk's robes(33). The saint is holding a scroll with the first words of the text: “He that has humility humbleth demons, he that hath not humility is humbled by demons.” This inscription is rarely encountered with images of St. Antony(34), but is associated with the temptations of the saint, attacked in the desert at the age of 35 by demons wanting to undermine his faith. The saint's face is carefully moulded, with deep-set eyes, prominent cheekbones and red lips contrasting with the drawn hermit's face. Particularly fine is the artistic treatment of the hood covering the saint's head, on which the highlights are executed with long white strokes. The saint's name is inscribed on the gold background, above (Rakić, 1998, 194-195).
3. VIRGIN OF TENDERNESS(35)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: second half 15th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 56 x 43 cm.
Signature: the initials of the Virgin are inscribed in the upper corners. Those of Christ are barely discernable by his head.
Description: The half-length figure of the Virgin with Christ in her arms is shown on the slightly hollowed painted area with gold background. They are featured in the tender relationship of mother and son, cheek to cheek. The Virgin holds Christ in both arms, while he is holding a scroll in his. The skin tones are softly modelled in light olive tones, with faint hatching on the highlights. Part of his himation floats below the Virgin's arms, and his left leg is bare. His chiton is embroidered with gold lily-like applications, and closely hatched with gold. The Virgin's slightly gathered chiton is of muted red decorated with a gold band. Busts of angels are figured in the upper corners, their hands covered in an attitude of worship. The haloes were originally richly adorned with ordinary punched floral spiral designs, but are now damaged (Rakić, 1998, 210).
Note: Some 10% of the painted area (the upper edge and left-hand side of the icon) has been lost so that the wood beneath is visible. The icon is covered with a fine layer of soot and dirt, and is splattered here and there with wax.
4. THE DESCENT INTO HELL AND THE VIRGIN WITH CHRIST(36)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: 17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 29.5 x 23 cm.
Description: Christ's descent into Hell features on the left-hand side of the icon against a rocky background. Christ is holding out his hand to Adam, beside whom Eve is standing. On the right-hand side of the icon, a separate image shows the frontal, standing figure of the Virgin with Christ in her arms.(37) The skin tones are dark, with narrow areas of red ochre on the highlights, typical of late Cretan painting of the 17th century, under western influence. Gold has been used in the traditional manner, and the tops of the rocks have been drawn with rapid strokes that are no longer strictly parallel (Rakić, 1998, 138).
Note: The icon is covered with a fine layer of soot and dirt, and the high damp content has caused the layer of paint to crack.
5. DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN(38)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: 17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 31 x 25 cm.
Description: The centre of the composition is occupied by the altar of the Virgin, around which are St Peter with a censer, the Apostles, priests, women and deacons. The composition is surrounded by a plain architectural background. The upper part of the icon features angels carrying the soul of the Virgin (represented by a baby) to heaven. An arc of sky with gold rays is painted above them(39) (Rakić, 1998, 239).
Note: The icon is covered with a fine layer of soot and dirt, and the high damp content has caused the layer of paint to crack.
6. HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDING ON THE APOSTLES(40)
Artist: unidentified Italo-Cretan master.
Date of origin: late 17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 81 x 104 cm.
Description: The centre of the painting shows the Virgin with six Apostles on either side, forming a circle around her. The Virgin symbolizes the Church, and the Apostles have received the gift of tongues from the Holy Spirit, indicated by their lively gesticulations. This is a typical example of the influence of western iconography on the Byzantine tradition: the subject of the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles does not, in the Byzantine tradition, include the figure of the Virgin, who appears as the central figure of the composition in Byzantine icons and frescoes of this subject only after the influence of western iconography.
Note: The icon is covered with a fine layer of soot and dirt. Vertical strips of the painted layer are missing.
7. CHRIST ENTERING JERUSALEM(41)
Artist: unidentified Serbian master.
Date of origin: late 17th or early 18th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 41 x 32 cm.
Description: The icon shows Christ entering Jerusalem, surrounded by his disciples. The city can be seen in the background. The upper part of the icon is filled with gold leaves.
Signature: upper centre: Christ bearing palm fronds
Note: About 15% of the painted area (the left-hand side of the icon) is missing so that the wood is visible. The rest of the area is full of bubbles below the surface. The icon is covered with a thick layer of soot and dirt.
8. VIRGIN(42)
Artist: Serbian master.
Date of origin: 18th-19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 43 x 34.5 cm.
Description: The icon shows the half-length figure of the Virgin with a large halo around her head. In her left hand she is holding an inscription: "Vl(a)d(i)ko mn%gomilostive G(ospo)di &i(su)se Hr(i)ste s=&ne" “Vl(a)diko mnogomilostive g(ospo)dine Hriste B(o)`e moi primi molitv' vs«kago ~elov+ka slav«$a,” to which she is pointing with her right. This is a figure of the Virgin from a Deisis composition.
Note: One third of the painted area, on the right-hand side, is missing. The rest of the surface is cracked in places. The icon is covered with a layer of dirt. The joint between the two panels has split open.
9. CHRIST ENTHRONED
Artist: unidentified local master.
Date of origin:.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 46 x 31 cm.
Description: The icon is covered with a thick layer of dirt so that the figure of Christ can barely be made out.
10. VIRGIN OF TENDERNESS(43)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: 16th or 17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 51 x 40 cm.
Description: The half-length figure of the Virgin with the infant Christ on her left arm is shown against a blue background. Christ is giving a blessing with His right hand and holding a sphere in His left. There is an inscription in red by their heads, with their names.
Note: The painted area is missing from the left lower section
11. APOSTLE PETER(44)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the left, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head, and he is holding the Gospels open, showing a text in Greek. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles. The frame of the icon is decorated with gilding.
Note: The icon belongs to the cycle of twelve icons of the Apostles that formerly stood on the iconostasis of the old Orthodox timber-built church in Livno (Mazalić, 1959, 111).
12. APOSTLE PAUL(45)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the right, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head, and he is holding the Gospels, closed. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles. The frame of the icon is decorated with gilding.
13. APOSTLE BARTHOLOMEW(46)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the left, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head, and he is holding a staff in his left hand, with his right hand in his lap. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles.
14. UNIDENTIFIED APOSTLE(47)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the right, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head. He is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding a scroll of paper in his left. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles.
Note: The figure of the saint on this icon is hard to discern because of the thick layer of dirt covering the icon.
15. APOSTLE SIMON(48)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, in a frontal position with his head slightly turned to the right, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head. He is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding a sphere in his left. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles.
Note: The icon is split along the middle.
16. UNIDENTIFIED APOSTLE(49)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the left, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head.
17. ST LUKE THE EVANGELIST(50)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: late 18th or early 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45.5 x 31 cm.
Description: The saint is shown seated, facing to the left, in an armchair with a large red cushion. There is a halo around his head, and he is holding the Gospels closed. The top of the armchair is decorated with the figures of angels, and the base is crowned with eagles. The frame of the icon is decorated with gilding.
Note: The icon is covered with a thick layer of dirt and soot. There are cracks running from the top left corner towards the base. The upper right corner of the icon has been broken off.
18. ST NICHOLAS(51)
Artist: unidentified local master.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 42 x 29.5 cm.
Description: The frontal figure of St Nicholas is shown against a blue background, wearing a red habit. There is a white omophorion around his neck, with crosses on the chest. He is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospels in his left. There is a halo around his head.
19. ANNUNCIATION(52)
Artist: unidentified Russian master.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 30.5 x 24.5 cm.
Description: The icon shows the Virgin standing on a red supedaneum, facing the Archangel Gabriel to the right.
Note: The painted area of the icon is missing in places. The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt.
20. HOLY TRINITY
Artist: unidentified Russian master.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 30.5 x 24.5 cm.
Description: Standard representation of the Holy Trinity
21. VIRGIN HODEGETRIA(53)
Artist: unidentified Serbian master.
Date of origin: 17th century.
Technique: canvas laid on panel.
Size: 30.5 x 24.5 cm.
Description: The icon shows the frontal figure of the Virgin with Christ in her arms. She is pointing with her right hand to Christ, who is giving a blessing with His right hand. She is wearing a himation with golden borders, and Christ is in blue with gold details. The background of the icon was gilded, but the gilded layer has been painted over with grey-green.
Note: The icon is covered with a thick layer of dirt, and damp has caused much of the icon to peel off.
22. PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE(54)
Artist: unidentified local master.
Date of origin: 18th century.
Technique: canvas laid on panel.
Size: 41 x 31.5 cm.
Description: The scene of the Presentation in the Temple(55) in Jerusalem, with the Virgin and Joseph presenting the infant Christ to Simeon the Elder, is depicted in the slightly concave painted area. Simeon is portrayed in a gold robe, with a gold crown on his head. Beside him is a priest in red robes, with a white cap on his head. The Prophetess Anna, in a blue dress, is also to be seen in the background. Parts of the painting are gilded.
Note: The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt. The high damp content has caused the layer of paint over the entire icon to crack, and along the left-hand side it has completely fallen away.
23. THE VIRGIN WITH CHRIST, ST STEPHEN, ST SPIRIDON AND ST GEORGE(56)
Artist: unidentified Cretan master.
Date of origin: 15th-16th century
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 39.5 x 32.5 cm.
Description: The background of the icon is gilded. Compositionally, the icon is divided into two by a red horizontal line. A throne with the Virgin holding Christ in her arms is shown in the upper section, on the red band. Christ is giving a blessing with His right hand. Two angels are placing a crown on the head of the Virgin. Two saints are shown in the corners of the lower section of the icon: to the right, St George, and to the left, St Stephen the First Martyr. Between them is St Spiridon in the tomb.
Note: Two cracks can be seen in the middle of the icon, caused by the panels splitting apart.
24. VIRGIN ENTHRONED(57)
Artist: unidentified master.
Date of origin: 16th-17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 66 X 39 cm.
Description: The frontal figure of the Virgin enthroned with Christ in her lap occupies the entire area of the icon. There is a gilded halo around Christ's head, while around hers the traces can be seen of a halo filled with punched designs. To either side, at her head level, are two red cartouches with the initials MP-TY. The background of the icon is gilded.
Note: The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt and soon. Damp has caused the entire painted area of the icon to crack, and the paint has fallen away from the right hand edge and lower area.
25. CHRIST PANTOCRATOR(58)
Artist: unidentified master.
Date of origin: unknown.
Technique: oil on canvas, gilding, embossing, engraving.
Material: silver.
Size: 34 x 25 cm.
Description: The painting shows Christ Pantocrator giving a blessing with His right hand, and holding the Gospels in His left. The painted area is covered with sheet silver. The head of Christ is visible beneath the silver, giving a blessing with His right hand and holding the Gospels in His left. The metal background of the icon is gilded, as are parts of Christ's robes and the Gospel. The halo is gilded in darker tones. It is decorated with embossed parallel ray-like lines, and has a toothed edge. The icon is set in a wooden box with glass lid. The upper side of the box curves sharply outwards, and the figure of a Dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is attached to this part. Rays spread outwards from this figure. The box is painted dark red, but the paint is damaged in places.
26. BAPTISM OF CHRIST(59)
Artist: unidentified master.
Date of origin: unknown (? 19th century).
Technique: oil on sheet metal.
Size: 31 x 27 cm.
Description: Christ is shown in the centre of the icon, kneeling with His arms crossed over His chest. To His left, head bowed towards Christ, stands St John the Baptist, holding a cross in his left hand and raising his right over Christ's head. Two angels hover to the right of Christ. The Holy Spirit is depicted in the upper centre of the icon, in the form of a dove.
27. CHRIST PANTOCRATOR
Artist: Serbian master.
Date of origin: 18th-19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 51 x 42 cm.
Description: The figure of Christ is executed in imitation gilding (foil sheets overlaid with gold lacquer). Christ is giving a blessing with His right hand and holding an open copy of the Gospels in His left. There are two cartouches at His shoulder level, the right-hand one illegible, and the left with the inscription “žitia”.
Note: The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt. Damp has caused the entire painted area of the icon to crack, and the paint has fallen away here and there.
28. ST SPIRIDON (?)(60)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: 18th century (?).
Technique: canvas laid on panel.
Size: 31 x 27 cm.
Description: The icon shows the frontal half-length figure of the saint giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospels in his left. He wears an omophorion around his shoulders with crosses on his chest. He has a cap on his head, with a halo around it filled with parallel wavy lines. The saint's hair, executed in thin grey lines, is visible beneath the cap. The saint's face is painted in ochre and white. His beard is long and forms spiral curls, and his eyes are large, with pronounced eyebrows and circles below the eyes. The hand with which he is giving the blessing is disproportionately small for his body.
Note: The icon is split along the middle and covered with a thick layer of dirt, and in places the entire painted surface has fallen away, for example on the cap.
29. VIRGIN HODEGETRIA(61)
Artist: unidentified Russian master.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: canvas laid on panel.
Size: 33 x 26.5 cm.
Description: The half-length figure of the Virgin, holding the infant Christ on her left arm, is shown on a gilded background. He is giving a blessing with His right hand.
Note: The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt, and the layer of paint at the level of the Virgin's halo has fallen away.
30. VIRGIN HODEGETRIA(62)
Artist: unidentified Cretan artist.
Date of origin: 15th or 16th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45 x 37 cm.
Description: The half-length figure of the Virgin with Christ in her arms is shown on a gold background. Both have halos decorated with floral tendril designs.
Note: The layer of paint is missing from the lower right corner of the icon. The panel is damaged by woodworm.
31. VIRGIN OF TENDERNESS
Artist: unidentified Cretan artist.
Date of origin: 16th-17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 45 x 37 cm.
Description: The half-length figure of the Virgin with Christ in her arms, their heads against each other. Christ is holding a scroll.
Note: The icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt. The painted layer is damaged in places.
32. ST SAVA(63)
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 67.5 x 48 cm.
Signature: top left St. Sava, top right Serbian Enlightener
Description: The saint is shown seated against a blue background, holding the Gospels in his left hand and a staff in his right. There is a crown surrounded by a halo on his head. He has an omophorion over his shoulders, decorated with cross and branchlet designs.
33. SS COSMAS AND DAMIAN(64)
Artist: unidentified Russian artist.
Date of origin: 18th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 39.5 x 31.5 cm.
Description: The saints are shown standing to the left and right of the icon. They have haloes around their heads, and arms raised to chest level. There is a church in the background. A small figure of Christ giving a blessing is shown in the upper centre of the icon. The entire scene is framed in red.
Note: Cracks are visible on the right-hand side of the icon
34. ST STEPHEN THE MARTYR(65)
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 38 x 27.5 cm.
Signature: top left HOLY MARTYR, top right ARCHDEACON STEPHEN
Description: A baroque-style variant of the saint, with long hair and a halo around his head, is shown in frontal position against a blue background. He is wearing a pink robe with gold cuffs. He has a darker pink cloak over his left shoulder, and a dark, narrow omophorion over his left shoulder and under his right arm. He holds an icon lamp in his right hand and the model of a church in his left.
35. NATIVITY(66)
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on sheet metal affixed to panel.
Size: 31 x 26.5 cm.
Description: Christ in the crib is shown in the centre of the icon. To His left are the Virgin and Joseph, and to His right the three wise men, one of them kneeling. The walls of a building are visible in the background.
36. SS CATHERINE AND ISIDORE THE GREAT(67)
Artist: unidentified Russian artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on panel.
Size: 54.5 x 40.5 cm.
Description: The following saints are shown in five medallions on the baroque-style painted area:
- top right corner: Nativity of the Virgin,
- top left corner: Nativity of Christ,
- bottom right corner: Birth of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker,
- bottom left corner: Birth of St John the Baptist,
- central area: SS Catherine the Martyr and Peter Isidore.
Between the medallions are the winged heads of angels.
37. ANNUNCIATION(68)
Artist: unidentified Vojvodina artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on panel.
Size: 81.2 x 50 cm.
Description: The icon shows a scene of the Archangel Gabriel standing in front of Mary, giving her a flower. She is standing, head bowed, wrapped in a red cloak. The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, is shown in the upper half of the icon. The background of the icon is gilded.
Note: The lower edge of the icon has been damaged by damp. The layer of paint has fallen away from some narrow strips along the right- and left-hand edges of the icon. The remainder of the surface of the icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt.
38. BAPTISM OF CHRIST(69)
Artist: unidentified Vojvodina artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 80 x 49.7 cm.
Description: The icon shows the scene of the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan, St John the Baptist standing to His left, holding a staff in his left hand and pouring water over Christ with his right. To the right of Christ are two angels. The Holy Spirit shown in the form of a dove is depicted descending on Christ from a patch of sky at the top of the composition.
39. RAISING OF LAZARUS(70)
Artist: unidentified Vojvodina artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on canvas laid on panel.
Size: 69 x 56 cm.
Description: The icon shows the scene of the raising of Lazarus from the grave. His sister is kneeling in front of him, with Christ beside her. The scene is also attended by a number of other people.
Note: The layer of paint is bubbling and peeling.
40. ST ELIJAH(71)
Artist: unidentified Greek artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on canvas laid on panel.
Size: 69.8 x 50 cm.
Description: The central part of the painting shows St Elijah seated outside a cave, holding a staff in his left hand, and with his right hand extended. Two ravens are bringing him bread in their beaks. The upper part of the painting shows St Elijah in his chariot of fire, handing his cloak to St Elisha, who is shown in the left-hand half of the painting, in the background in relation to the cave.
A black cross with a reed and spear is painted on the reverse.
41. ST GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON(72)
Artist: unidentified Greek artist.
Date of origin: 1831.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 42.5 x 59 cm.
Description: The icon shows the saint on a prancing white horse. He is dressed in the gilded garb of a soldier, holding the reins in his left hand and a raised spear in his right, with which he is spearing the dragon. The dragon is shown in a vertical position. Behind the saint is Leo's son seated on a horse. The background of the painting consists of a landscape with trees and a castle, with a princess below the horse. There are three roundels in the lower part of the painting. The Archangel Michael is shown in the left-hand roundel, and St Mina on horseback in the right-hand roundel. The central roundel bears a text in Greek giving the date, 1831.
Note: The layer of paint is missing along the left-hand edge of the icon, and the entire painted area is darkened by a layer of dirt.
42. ST GEORGE(73)
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 64 x 45.5 cm.
Description: The frontal figure of the saint, dressed in green soldier's garb and wrapped in a red cloak, is shown against a blue background. He is holding a spear in his left hand and a cross in his right. There is a gilded halo around his head.
Note: The frame of the painting is damaged.
43. CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN AND ST SPIRIDON(74)
Artist: unidentified Cretan artist.
Date of origin: 17th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 69.5 x 52.5 cm.
Description: The background of the icon is gilded. The Virgin, kneeling, is shown in the upper half of the icon, on a cloud. To her left is God the Father, and to her right is Christ, both holding a crown which. They are placing on her head. Above her is the Holy Spirit, represented as a dove. There are two angels with the tomb of St Spiridon between them.
Note: The surface of the icon is covered with a thin layer of dirt.
44. VIRGIN WITH CHRIST – ALLEGORY OF CHRIST'S PASSION(75)
Artist: unidentified Greek master.
Date of origin: 18th-19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 34.3 x 46.5 cm.
Description: The painting shows the Virgin with a playful Christ in her lap. Above them, on clouds, are God the Father and angels with the instruments of Christ's Passion. At the bottom of the painting is a Greek text in red lettering, recording that the painting was made in Galata.
45. CHAINS OF ST PETER
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 64 x 45.5 cm.
Description: The painting shows St Peter seated, looking at an angel beside him. To the right-hand side of the picture are another two figures. There is an inscription above the scene, in white lettering, giving the title of the scene.
Note: The frame of the picture is damaged.
46. ST GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON(76)
Artist: unidentified Greek artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: tempera on panel.
Size: 40 x 29 cm.
Description: The icon shows a scene in which St George, on a prancing horse, is slaying the dragon. A princess is standing beside them, and in the background is a beautiful landscape with a castle. The name of the saint is written in Greek in red lettering in the upper half of the icon. The top half of the icon is gilded.
Note: The icon is covered with a thick layer of dirt and soot, and the layer of paint is cracked. Damage has rendered the right-hand side of the icon almost indecipherable.
47. ST SAVO(77)
Artist: Ag. Mansfeld.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 130 x 90 cm.
Description: The saint is shown as an archpriest with a mitre on his head, holding a staff in his left hand and giving a blessing with his right.
Note: The layer of paint below the saint's left hand and the right-hand lower edge of his robe is damaged.
48. JERUSALEM(78)
Artist: Sarajevo artist R.
Date of origin: c. 1790.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 100 x 134 cm.
Description: The centre of the painting shows the city of Jerusalem with the Temple; around it are scenes from the Old and New Testaments, so that the painting consists of 31 smaller compositions with 232 figures. The donor of the painting, as recorded by the inscription, was Hatji-Maksim Petrović of Sarajevo.
Note: As a result of the panels on which the canvas is laid drying out, the painting has cracked in the lower right-hand corner, and the rest of the surface is wrinkled and puckered. The varnish has darkened.
49. JERUSALEM(79)
Artist: unidentified Macedonian or Greek artist.
Date of origin: mid 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 140 x 104 cm.
Description: The centre of the painting shows the city of Jerusalem with the Temple; around it are 49 smaller compositions with 139 figures. Prominent among these is the figure of the Virgin, to the right of Jerusalem, and of Christ, to the left. The compositions are mainly of scenes from their lives, with others from the lives of some of the saints.
Note: The layer of paint is damaged at the edges where the painting is attached to the frame; it has been reinforced with sellotape at these points. The varnish has darkened.
50. JERUSALEM(80)
Artist: unidentified artist.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 214.5 x 142 cm.
Description: The centre of the painting shows the city of Jerusalem with the Temple; around it are 38 smaller compositions, mainly scenes from the Scriptures. To the right of Jerusalem is a larger composition with Christ as archpriest.
Note: The layer of paint is damaged along a number of horizontal lines, as though the painting had been left folded for a long time.
51. JERUSALEM(81)
Artist: unidentified artist.
Date of origin: mid 19th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 143 x 196 cm.
Description: The centre of the painting shows the city of Jerusalem with the Temple. To the right is the Virgin, and to the left, Christ Pantocrator. Scenes of Christ's Passion are shown below Jerusalem. Below the Virgin are scenes of the Dormition of the Virgin and the beheading of St John the Baptist. The upper parts of the painting show scenes from the lives of various saints, and the lower parts various holy warriors.
Note: The varnish has darkened.
EPITAPHIOS
Artist: unidentified local artist.
Date of origin: 20th century.
Technique: oil on canvas.
Size: 93.5 x 72 cm, painted area: 69 x 48.
Description: The painting is attached to red velvet fringed with yellow tassels. The painting shows the body of the dead Christ with five sorrowing figures around Him.
COLLECTION OF METALWORK ITEMS
1. CHURCH PLATE – PETOHLEBNICA
(Vessel used for consecrating premises, wheat, wine and oil, or as communion plate)
Artist: Todor Mihić of Sarajevo.
Date of origin: 1844.
Technique: casting, embossing.
Material: silver.
Size:
- Diameter of base: 28 cm,
- Height of vessels with lids: 16 cm,
- Height of candlestick: 20 cm,
- Diameter of salver: 6 cm.
Signature: inscription in Cyrillic:
THIS PETIAGNICA IS THE DONATION OF RABA BOŽIA MILICA MOTHER OF LAZAR KUJUNDŽIĆ IN LIJEVNO TO THIS TEMPLE OF THE DORMITION OF THE HOLY VIRGIN, THE WORK OF TODOR MIHIĆ IN SARAJEVO 20 SEPTEMBER 1844.
Description: The base of the petohlebnica stands on four feet. To the base are attached three vessels with lids, one salver and a candlestick. The base is decorated with embossed foliar designs and engraving, and the other components with embossed foliar designs.
2. LITURGICAL CROSS
Artist: unidentified local master.
Date of origin: 19th century.
Technique: casting, embossing, application.
Material: wood, metal alloy
Size:
- Height: 66 cm,
- Span of arms: 30 cm.
Description: The lower part of the cross has been designed for insertion into wood. Above it is an orb, with metal-clad wood above it. The metal is decorated with embossed foliar ornamentation. Relief figures are applied to each side, one of Christ crucified, and the other of the Virgin.
3. CROSS
Artist: Nikola Stoisavljević, goldsmith from Belgrade.
Date of origin: c. 1909.
Technique: casting, filigree, chasing, gilding.
Material: silver, glass, yew wood, polished glass.
Size:
- Diameter of base: 16.5 cm,
- Overall height: 42 cm,
- Span of arms: 22 cm.
Signature: on the rim of the base:
DONATED TO THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN LIVNO BY NIKOLA STOISAVLJEVIĆ GOLDSMITH FROM BELGRADE FOR THE GOOD HEALTH OF HIS FAMILY,1909, MAY
Description: The base is decorated with filigree composed of petal-like designs with polished glass between the petals. The fitting is decorated with three small orbs, from which emerges a larger one that merges into the cross. The centre of the cross is glazed, with a smaller yew-wood cross fitted into the glass. This wooden cross is carved with a scene of the baptism on one side and the crucifixion on the other. The rest of the surface of the cross is decorated with polished glass of various colours.
4. CHURCH PLATE – TABERNACLE
Artist: Nikola Stoisavljević, goldsmith from Belgrade.
Date of origin: c. 1909.
Technique: casting, embossing, engraving, gilding.
Material: silver.
Size: 17 x 10 x 26 cm
Description: The tabernacle has been made in the form of a church with a tower on the centre of the roof. The entire surface of the church is decorated by embossing to give it the appearance of tiles, bricks, doors and windows. The base of the church is decorated with a gilded tendril composed of interlinked stylized fleur-de-lis. The same design appears on the edges of the roof and on the central part of the tower. The top of the tower is gilded.
There are considerable differences between the 1996 and the 2000 inventories of the icons. Not all the icons were available for inspection by the Commission nor by the picture conserver. Following conservation and restoration works, additional information will be provided to allow for more accurate dating and attribution of the icons. The list of icons as set out in this Decision will therefore be subject to further revision on completion of the conservation and restoration works and further comparison and identification of the icons constituting the collection.
3. Legal status to date
The building was not listed in the Register of immovable cultural monuments nor was it under any protection regime. It was listed in the inventory of monuments and buildings of townscape value of the town of Livno, drawn up before the 1992 war by the Regional Institute for the Protection of Monuments headquartered in Mostar.
Under the terms of Ruling no. 03-UP I-151-1/69, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina decreed that the 81 icons in the possession of the Serbian Orthodox parish in Livno were of the nature of cultural monuments. The Ruling includes a list of these icons:
1. St George, 59x42.5x2 cm, work of a Greek master,1831,
2. Resurrection of Christ, 29.5x23x2.5 cm, work of a Greek master, 17th century,
3. St George, 58.3x38x1 cm, Greek work, 19th century,
4. St Stephen the Archdeacon, 38x27.5x2 cm, local work, 19th century,
5. Virgin with Christ, 28.5x32x1.5 cm, coastal work, 16th century,
6. Virgin Hodegetria, 44.5x36.5x2.8 cm, local work, 16th century,
7. St George, 29x40x2 cm, local work, 19th century,
8. Assumption, 30.3x22.2x1.8 cm, local work, 18th century,
9. St George, 30x19x1.5 cm, triptych, local work, 18th-19th century,
10. Virgin with saints, triptych, 28x21x1.5 cm, local work, 18th century,
11. Crucifixion at top of iconostasis, local work, 19th century,
12. St Sava, 68x48x2 cm, local work, 19th century,
13. Virgin Eleuza, 23x52x2 cm, local work, 18th-19th century,
14. Holy Trinity, 28x19x3 cm, local work, 18th-19th century,
15. Virgin Hodegetria, 33.2x26.7x2.6 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
16. St Spiridon, 42x34x2 cm, Russian work, 18th century,
17. SS Cosmas and Damian, 39.5x31.3x2 cm, Russian work, 18th century,
18. St Basil, 25.2x18.5x2.7 cm, local work, 19th century,
19. St Spiridon, 29x20.5x2 cm, local work, 17th century,
20. Annunciation, 30.3x24.8x2 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
21. Crucifixion, 34.5x43x1.8 cm, Italo-Greek work, 18th century,
22. St George Kratovac, approx. 40x32 cm, graphic, Greek work, 1840,
23. Virgin with Christ, 51.4x41x2 cm, Russian work, 18th century,
24. Christ Pantocrator, 52x42x2 cm, Russian work, 18th century,
25. SS Catherine and Isidore, 54x40x1.8 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
26. SS Theodore and Zinaida, 40.8x52x2.5 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
27. Virgin Hodegetria, 47x34x1.5 cm, local work, 19th century,
28. Entry into Jerusalem, 41x23x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
29. Dormition of the Virgin, 30x24.8x2 cm, Italo-Cretan work, 17th century,
30. Virgin (without Christ), 42.5x33.5x2 cm, Russian work, 18th century,
31. Allegory of Christ’s Passion, 66.5x34.5x2 cm, work by J. Nikolić, 1843,
32. St Michael, 34x43.8x2 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
33. Virgin of Tenderness, 56.5x43x2.5 cm, Italo-Cretan work, 16th century,
34. Virgin of Tenderness, 52.8x40x2 cm, Italo-Cretan work, 16th century,
35. Apostle Peter, 61.7x42.3x1.3 cm, coastal work, 15. century,
36. Pentecost, 80x134.5x3 cm, Greek work, 19th century,
37. Evangelist Luke, 31.5x33.5x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
38. Apostle Bartholomey, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
39. Apostle Peter, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
40. Apostle Simon, 31x45.5x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
41. Evangelist Matthew, 31x45.5x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
42. Evangelist John, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
43. Apostle Paul, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
44. Evangelist Mark, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
45. Apostle Andrew, 31.5x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
46. Apostle Philip, 31x45x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
47. Bust of saint, 26.8x33.5x1 cm, Italo-Greek work, 17th century,
48. Crucifixion, 49.3x81.3x1.6 cm, Italo-Greek work, 17th century,
49. Annunciation, 50x81.2x1.6 cm, Vojvodina work, 18th century,
50. Baptism, 49.7x80x2.6 cm, Vojvodina work, 18th century,
51. St John the Baptist, triptych, local work, 18th-19th century,
52. St Spiridon, 26.5x31x1.5, Greek work, 17th-18th century,
53. Resurrection of Christ, 41x29.5x1.8 cm, local work, 18th century,
54. St Nicholas, 41x29.5x1.8 cm, local work, 18th-19th century,
55. Assumption, 41x29.6x2 cm, local work, 18th century,
56. Transfiguration, 41x29.5x2 cm, local work, 18th century,
57. Holy Trinity with tomb of St Spiridon, 49.5x69.5x2 cm, Italo-Greek work, 17th century,
58. St Nicholas, 63x50 cm, oil on canvas, Vojvodina work, 19th century,
59. Virgin Hypsilotera, 66x38.9x2 cm, local work, 18th century,
60. Raising of Lazarus, Vojvodina work, 19th century,
61. Jerusalem I, tempera on canvas, 100x134 cm, Macedonian work, 18th century,
62. Jerusalem II, tempera on canvas, 104x140 cm, Macedonian work, 19th century,
63. Jerusalem III, tempera on canvas, 181x128 cm, Macedonian work, 19th century,
64. Jerusalem IV, tempera on canvas, 196x126 cm, Macedonian work, 19th century,
65. St Sava oil, 130x90 cm, Vojvodina work, 19th century,
66. St Elijah, 69.8x50x2.3 cm, Greek work, 19th century,
67. Virgin Hodegetria, 31x38.5x2 cm, local work, 15th century,
68. Presentation at the Temple, 41x31.5x2 cm, local work, 18th century,
69. Dormition, 29x38.5x2 cm, Russian work, 19th century,
70. Virgin, 19.3x28x6 cm, triptych, local work, 18th-19th century,
71. Virgin, 18.8x29x0.6 cm, triptych, local work, 18th-19th century,
72. St Anne with the young Mary, 20x25.5x2 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
73. Virgin Hodegetria, 24.7x30.6x1.8 cm, local work, 17th century,
74. Christ’s Second Coming, copperplate engraving, 70x48 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
75. Christ’s Second Coming II, copperplate engraving, 66x49 cm, Greek work, 18th century,
76. Virgin Hypsilotera with tomb of St Spiridon, 31.8x39.5x1.9 cm, Greek work, 17th century,
77. Virgin with Christ, 29x34.5x2 cm, Italo-Cretan work, 17th century,
78. SS Sava and Simeon with Hilandar, etching, 25.5x33 cm, Mt Athos work, 19th century,
79. Virgin with Christ, 31.5x39.5x1.5 cm, coastal work, 15th-16th century,
80. Virgin with Christ, triptych, 18.8x28.8x1.4 cm, local work, 18th century,
81. Virgin with Christ, triptych, 21.5x31.5x1 cm, local work.
4. Research and conservation and restoration works
Since the building was not listed in the Register of immovable cultural monuments and was not under any protection regime, there are no details of conservation or restoration works other than that provided by the photograph of the church on the booklet Dr Dušan Lj. Kašić entitled Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, published in 1979 in Livno to mark the 120th anniversary of the building of the church, according to which the church tower was renovated in 1979.
In June 1998, under the auspices of the Church Board of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Livno, Huskić Ognjen and Ždero Milivoj drew up a project for the repair of the buildings forming the church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno. The project covered repairs to the dome on the bell tower, the construction for the church bells, the parish hall, crypt and church.
Since the project was drawn up, the following repairs have been carried out on the church building: repairs to and plastering the walls and ceiling, repairs to the stone floor, fitting the walls of the altar area with wooden wainscoting, whitewashing the walls, building a new load-bearing structure of cylindrical steel profile to hang the bells.
Forty icons are currently undergoing restoration work, as follows:
1. inv. no. 1, ST GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON, tempera on panel, 42.3x59x2 cm,
2. inv. no. 2, DESCENT INTO HELL AND VIRGIN WITH CHRIST (RESURRECTION) tempera on panel, 42.3x59x2 cm,
3. inv. no. 3, ST STEPHEN THE ARCHDEACON, tempera on panel, 27x38.2x1.8 cm,
4. inv. no. 4, VIRGIN HODEGETRIA, tempera on panel, 36.5x44.8x2.8 cm,
5. inv. no. 5, ST GEORGE SLAYING THE DRAGON, tempera on panel, 27.5x41.2x2 cm,
6. inv. no. VII, VIRGIN WITH CHRIST, tempera on panel, 20.6x28x1cm,
7. inv. no. 17, CRUCIFIXION, tempera on panel, 34.8x43x1.8 cm,
8. inv. no. 23, CHRIST ENTERING JURUSALEM, tempera on panel, 32x41 cm,
9. inv. no. 24, DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN, tempera on panel, 25x30 cm,
10. inv. no. 25, VIRGIN, tempera on panel, 33.5 x42.7x2 cm,
11. inv. no.26, ST MICHAEL, tempera on panel, 34.7x43x2 cm,
12. inv. no. 27, VIRGIN OF TENDERNESS, tempera on panel, 42x56x2 cm,
13. inv. no. 28, VIRGIN OF TENDERNESS, tempera on panel, 39.8x52x2 cm,
14. inv. no. 40, ST ANTONY THE GREAT, tempera on panel, 26.8x33x1.5 cm,
15. inv. no. 50, VIRGIN ENTHRONED (HYPSILOTERA), tempera on panel, 39x66.5x2 cm,
16. inv. no. 58, VIRGIN HODEGETRIA, tempera on panel, 30.4x38.2x2 cm,
17. inv. no. 63, VIRGIN WITH CHRIST, tempera on panel, 29x34x1.7 cm,
18. inv. no. 65, VIRGIN WITH CHRIST AND ST STEPHEN AND ST SPIRIDON AND ST GEORGE, tempera on panel, 32x39.2x2 cm,
19. inv. no. IV, DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN, tempera on panel, 52.2x68x2 cm,
20. inv. no. VII, CHRIST, tempera on panel, 42x51.3x2.3 cm,
21. inv. no. XVI, ST GEORGE, tempera on panel, 38.3x51x1.5 cm,
22. inv. no. XVIII, VIRGIN WITH CHRIST, tempera on panel, 31.6x39.2x 1.5 cm,
23. inv. no.21, ST THEODORE THE CANONIZED AND ST ZINAIDA, tempera on panel, 41.2x52.3x2.5 cm,
24. inv. no. 32, APOSTLE PETER, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
25. inv. no. 33, APOSTLE SIMON, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
26. inv. no. 34, EVANGELIST MATTHEW, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
27. inv. no. 35, EVANGELIST LUKE, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
28. inv. no. 36, APOSTLE PAUL, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
29. inv. no. 37, EVANGELIST JOHN, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
30. inv. no. 38, APOSTLE ANDREW, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
31. inv. no. 39, APOSTLE PHILIP, tempera on panel, 31x45x2 cm,
32. inv. no. 41, CRUCIFIXION, tempera on panel, 49.3x81.3x1.6 cm,
33. inv. no. 42, ANNUNCIATION, tempera on panel, 50x81.3x1.6 cm,
34. inv. no. 43, BAPTISM, tempera on panel, 49.7x80x2.6 cm,
35. inv. no. 52, JERUSALEM I, tempera on canvas, 134x100 cm,
36. inv. no. 53, JERUSALEM II, tempera on panel, 140x104 cm,
37. inv. no. 54, JERUSALEM III, tempera on panel, 128x181.7 cm,
38. inv. no. 55, JERUSALEM IV, tempera on panel, 196x123cm,
39. inv. no. XV, DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN, tempera on panel, 29x38x1.5cm,
40. inv. no. 29, ARCHANGEL MICHAEL AND ST PETER, tempera on panel, 42.6x61.7x1.5 cm. (82)
5. Current condition of the property
Current condition of the church and tower
In July 1992 the church bell tower was set on fire, the interior of the church vandalized and the memorial ossuary set on fire. The icons and part of the church plate were removed by the Roman Catholic priest in the Parish office, and were thus saved from destruction. The parish hall was looted, demolished and set on fire.
The fire, in July 1992, caused greatest damaged to the church tower: the wooden structure of the tower was burned down, the copper cladding was destroyed, and the wooden structure on which the three cast bronze bells hung was completely destroyed. The electrical equipment with which the bells were controlled was completely destroyed.
Because the bulb of the tower was destroyed, the interior was exposed to the effects of rain, snow and frost, leading to damage to the walls.
The church building is exposed to the serious effects of rising damp, visible on the inside walls of the church by the height to which the damp has risen.
The guttering and down pipes taking precipitation from the roof have been so badly damaged as to be useless, which makes the problem of protecting the building from the effects of water and damp still more complex.
Large cracks about 1.5 – 2 cm deep are visible close to the underpinnings of the woer on the concrete structure of the steps and the facing on the steps.
Current condition of the movable heritage items
The collection of icons from the church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno is in the church, on the walls of the altar area and on the iconostasis. Since the church is very damp, the icons too have been affected – about 90% of them are badly damaged. The damage takes the form of the damp content of the wood or painted canvas, woodworm damage to the wood, and layers of dirt and soot or splatterings of wax. The damp content of the wood has caused the layer of paint to bubble, so that the slightest movement of the icons causes it to peel away. Woodworm holes also lead to the paint peeling.
The section headed Restoration and Conservation Works lists forty icons that have been undergoing conservation and restoration work since 2005. The work is being carried out by qualified picture restorer Dijana Pešikan Egić.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.i. quality of workmanship
C.iii. proportions
C.iv. composition
C.v. value of details
C.vi. value of construction
D. Clarity
D.iv. evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner
D.v. evidence of a typical way of life at a specific period
E. Symbolic value
E.ii. religious value
E.iii. traditional value
E.iv. relation to rituals or ceremonies
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people
G. Authenticity
G.iv. traditions and techniques
G.v. location and setting
G.vi. spirit and feeling
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Copy of cadastral plan;
- Copy of land register entry and proof of title;
- Photodocumentation;
- Drawings.
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the historic building of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:
1959. Đoko Mazalić, “Stare slike pravoslavne crkve u Livnu i predlog za njihovu konzervaciju i prezentaciju” (Old paintings of the Orthodox church in Livno and proposal for their conservation and presentation), Naše starine VI, Sarajevo, 1959, 105-120.
1960-65. Plans from the survey of the current state of the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God in Livno (ground plan, longitudinal section and side facade), National Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Natural Rarities of NR BiH, Sarajevo, Prep. sign.: 1586, 1587 and 1588
1967. Firdus Abas, Livno od najstarijih vremena do 1878. godine (Livno from ancient times to 1878), Sarajevo, 1967, m/s, Gazi Husrev-beg Library, Sarajevo.
1979. Dušan Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu (Serbian Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother og God in Livno), Livno, 1979.
1998. Svjetlana Rakić, Ikone iz Bosne i Hercegovine (16-19. century), 1998.
2000. Mihaljević. Nikola, “Zvona i putovanja” (Bells and travels), Republika, Belgrade, Vol. XII (2000), No. 251, 16-31, December 2000.
2002. Ševo, Ljiljana, Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878. godine (Orthodox churches and monasteries in BiH to 1878), Heritage Series, Banja Luka, 2002.
(1) The steep slope of the ground from Safet Gagić street to Queen Katarina street was the reason for levelling the ground by building a retaining wall.
(2) Paved with prefabricated concrete blocks (see photograph of existing condition).
(3) The masonry building, roofed with ribbed salonite cladding, consisting of ground and upper floor, ground plan dimensions 9 x 12 m, was built in 1965-1966, and wrecked in 1992-1993.
(4) This was a reinforced concrete building measuring 5.50 x 10 m, built in 1989-1990, and wrecked in 1992-1993.
(5) “... I dropped in on the Orthodox archpriest father Kondo. Jovo runs the parish, his brother serves as chaplain, and the father, being elderly, does not meddle in anything. (Serafim-Stanko Kojda, archimandrite and parish priest, and his sons Jovan and Simeon, priest – n. E. Softić.) I was warmly welcomed and served with rum and coffee.” (Ivan Frano Jukić, Putovanje po Bosni).
(6) Dr Dušan Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 3.
(7) from Dr Dušan Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 3-4.
(8) Until the new ecclesiastical constitution entered into force in 1930, the Livno parish belonged to the Dabrobosnian eparchy. In addition to the town of Livno, the following villages formed part of Livno parish: Zastinje, Suhača, Veliki Guber, Komorani, Priluka, Bila, Srđevići, Smrčani, Glavice, Golinjevo, Potok, Prolog and Žabljak. With effect from 1930, Livno, Glamoč, Bosanski Petrovac and Kulen Vakuf were merged with the Dalmatian eparchy (Dr Dušan, Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 22).
(9) (Kašić, 1979, 8).
(10) In the mid 19th century, thanks to Livno’s socio-economic development, it became possible to establish a Serb primary school. In 1856 a fund for the maintenance and needs of the school was established. With growing numbers of pupils, and with the permission of the Turkish Sultan Abdul-Aziz khan and his contribution of 20,000 groschen to complete the building, a new school building was erected in 1874, as recorded by the inscription on the stone plaque set into the school building: “DRAW NIGH, DEAR SERB PEOPLE, AND READ THIS INSCRIPTION HERE. BY THE MERCY OF GOD, WITH THE EFFORTS AND ZEAL OF ALL THE FOUNDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS FROM THIS TOWN, AND WITH THE PERMISSION OF HIS MAJESTY SULTAN ABDUL-AZIZ KHAN, THIS PLACE OF LEARNING WAS ERECTED IN 1874 BY BUILDER MATO BAJO.” (Dr Dušan, Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 14-15)
(11) “It so happened that Easter as reckoned by both calendars fell on the same Sunday, 4 April 1871, which was celebrated by ringing the church bells. It was after that Sunday, at least as recorded by Fr. Grge Martić, that the church bells began to ring out freely in Bosnia. This fact, according to this account, was quite important, for Stanko Kojda, despite attaining the age of 106, did not live to hear the bells of his church – he died in 1856. The church tower was built by his son Simeon, almost twenty years after the church itself was completed. He too did not live to celebrate the church bells – he died in 1867, and his »rišćani« honoured him and expressed their gratitude by interring him outside the wall of the church to the right of the alter, in a sarcophagus type tomb.” (Mihaljević. Nikola, “Zvona i putovanja”, Republika, Belgrade, Vol. XII (2000), no. 251, 16-31 December 2000).
(12) (Kašić, 1979, 8).
(13) (Kašić, 1979, 4)
(14) Archpriest Vojislav Šešum wrote in the chronicle: “Throughout the war services were held in the church only three or four times, when partisan priests came with soldiers who were there to liberate Lijevno. The priests came with the I and II proletarian brigades and the IV Montenegrin brigade. Archpriest Jevstatije Karamatijević, archpriest Jagoš Simonović, priest-monk Jevrem Žižić and others were there. …” (Dr Dušan, Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 27)
(15) from the photograph on the covers of the booklet by Dr Dušan, Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu published in 1979 in Livno to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the erection of the church.
(16) source: http://www.spc.org.yu/Genocid/Bihacko/bihackoe.html
(17) “….He simply asked some people to let him climb the bell tower and cover it with boarding and roofing felt, and to pay him at least ten marks for the work. He had not even laid the first board, to cover the stone wall and protect it from rain and ice, and thus help someone, at some time, if they could and wanted to, to erect a dome and mount Kojdo’s bells, when he swayed and fell, landing on Simeon Kojdo’s sarcophagus and shaking his bones after another hundred and thirty years. He was dead …” (Mihaljević. Nikola, “Zvona i putovanja”, Republika, Belgrade, Vol. XII (2000), no. 251, 16-31 December 2000).
(18) Since the parish records were destroyed during World War II, it was not possible for the oldest priest to determine exactly when he served. For this reason, the year he was mentioned in surviving records, at least, was entered before his name (Dr Dušan, Lj. Kašić, Srpska pravoslavna crkva Uspenija Presvete Bogorodice u Livnu, Livno, 1979, 30).
(19) Taken from the geodetic map of the site, R 1:1000.
(20) measured from the drawing of the existing condition (the ground floor level of the church is taken as reference level 0.00)
(21) ibid
(22) the side openings have swing doors measuring 85 x 125 and 90 x 125 cm, with the door in the central opening measuring 100 x 125 cm.
(23) this can be deduced from a photograph of the existing condition, showing part of the ceiling construction of the vault from which the mortar has fallen away, and on the basis of a geometrical analysis of the vault: the open span of the vault is 9.50 m, and the height to the highest point of the vault is 2.45 m; the vault is not of semi-circular form (in cross-section the structural line of the vault forms the section of a circle); the vault has no structural tie beams; and the thickness of the solid walls of the church is 100 cm.
(24) Despića house and Magribija mosque in Sarajevo, St Procopius’ church in Visoko, etc.
(25) the overall height of the cornice is approx. 90 cm.
(26) the pilasters terminate at a height of +4.50 m.
(27) Judging from drawings dating from 1960-1965, the openings had wooden shutters with movable wooden blinds. The shutters were burned by fire in 1992.
(28) The original wooden structure from which the bells hang was completely destroyed by fire in 1992.
(29) It is not known what document is meant by “revised 1994 inventory”.
(30) Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: Institute), inventory no. 21, transfer inv. no. 17, conservator inv. No. 17
(31) Nikola Zafuris was a famous Cretan artist referred to between 1489 and 1500. He was very familiar with contemporary Italian works of art, such as those of Bellini. M. HatxhdakhV, E. Drakopoulou, Ellhnez zwgrafoi meta thn alwzh (1450-1830), Aqhna, 1997
(32) Transfer inv. No. 40, conservator inv. No.40
(33) The frontal figure of a desert father, full figure or to the waist only, frequently features in 15th and 16th century Cretan icons. Well known examples are an icon by Andreas Pavias, dating from the second half of the 15th century and now in Cephalonia, and another from the second half of the 16th century, also showing St Anthony to the waist, painted by Mihail of Damascus, now in the Byzantine Museum in Athens.
(34) St Anthony spent his life as a hermit in the desert on the shores of the Red Sea. He is regarded as the founder of the monastic life. Justin Popović, Žitija svetih...
(35) Institute inv. no. 33, transfer inv. no. 27, conservator inv.no. 27
(36) Institute inv. no. 3, transfer inv. no. 2, conservator inv.no. 2
(37) The Virgin with Child is shown in exactly this manner on a large number of icons from Sinai dating from the 10th to the 18th century. She is usually shown with the standing figure of one saint or another beside her. Cretan painting adopted this iconographic treatment, in which the only change is the accompanying saint (often, for example, St. Catherine), whereas the figure of the Virgin remains true to type.
(38) Institute inv. no. 29, transfer inv. no. 24, conservator inv.no. 24
(39) The composition of the Dormition of the Virgin, richly painted in the Byzantine tradition, has been given without many of the usual accompanying details, in a variation that is unusual as to both content and iconography, with a mixture of eastern and western features. The major departure from Byzantine scenes of the Dormition is that there is no central figure of Christ beside His mother's catafalque, nor the Jew's cut-off hands. The artist was not consistent with western iconography either, which gives the Dormition of the Virgin without Christ but with angels bearing the Virgin herself and not the personification of her soul in the form of an infant, in the eastern manner.
(40) Institute inv. no. 36, transfer inv. no. 30
(41) Institute inv. no. 28 - ?, transfer inv. no. 23, conservator inv.no. 23
(42) Institute inv. no. 30, transfer inv. no. 25, conservator inv.no. 25
(43) Institute inv. no. 34, transfer inv. no. 28, conservator inv.no. 28
(44) Institute inv. no. 39, transfer inv. no. 32, conservator inv.no. 32
(45) Institute inv. no. 43, transfer inv. no. 36, conservator inv.no. 36
(46) Institute inv. no. 38, transfer inv. no. 31
(47) Transfer inv.no. XIX - ?
(48) Institute inv. no. 40, transfer inv. no. 33, conservator inv.no. 33
(49) Transfer inv.no. XIX - ?
(50) Institute inv. no. 42?, transfer inv. no. 35, conservator inv.no. 35
(51) Institute inv. no. 54, transfer inv. no. 46
(52) Institute inv. no. 20, transfer inv. no. 16
(53) Institute inv. no. 73, transfer inv. no. 62
(54) Institute inv. no. 68, transfer inv. no. 59
(55) When Jesus was forty days old, Mary went with Joseph and Christ to the Temple in Jerusalem and offered two doves to God as a sacrifice. Simeon the Elder, to whom God had made the promise that he would not die until he had seen the Saviour, was in the Temple. He recognized in Jesus the promised Messiah, blessed Him and thanked God for enabling him to see Him. He said to Mary: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Lk 2, 34-35). The Presentation has been celebrated on 15 February since the reign of the Emperor Justinian (541 or 542).
(56) Institute inv. no. 79, transfer inv. no. 65, conservator inv.no. 65
(57) Institute inv. no. 59, transfer inv. no. 50, conservator inv.no. 50
(58) Transfer inv.no.VI
(59) Transfer inv.no.XXa
(60) Institute inv. no. 52, transfer inv. no. 44
(61) Institute inv. no. 15, transfer inv. no. 12
(62) Institute inv. no. 6, transfer inv. no. 4, conservator inv.no. 4
(63) Institute inv. no. 12, transfer inv. no. 9
(64) Institute inv. no. 17, transfer inv. no. 14
(65) Institute inv. no. 4, transfer inv. no. 3, conservator inv.no. 3
(66) Institute inv. no. XXb
(67) Institute inv. no. 25, transfer inv. no. 20
(68) Institute inv. no. 49, transfer inv. no. 42, conservator inv.no. 42
(69) Institute inv. no. 50, transfer inv. no. 43, conservator inv.no. 43
(70) Institute inv. no. 60, transfer inv. no. 51
(71) Institute inv. no. 66, transfer inv. no. 57
(72) Institute inv. no. 1, transfer inv. no. 1, conservator inv.no. 1
(73) Transfer inv.no.19
(74) Institute inv. no. 57, conservator inv.no. IV
(75) Transfer inv.no. 22
(76) Institute inv. no. 7, transfer inv. no. 5, conservator inv.no. 5
(77) Institute inv. no. 65, transfer inv. no. 56
(78) Institute inv. no. 61, transfer inv. no. 52, conservator inv.no. 52
(79) Institute inv. no. 62, transfer inv. no. 53, conservator inv.no. 53
(80) Institute inv. no. 64 - ?, transfer inv. no. 55 - ?, conservator inv.no. 55 - ?
(81) Institute inv. no. 63 - ?, transfer inv. no. 54 - ?, conservator inv.no. 55 - ?
(82) List drawn up by qualified picture conserver Dijana Pešikan Egić.
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