Status of monument -> National monument
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 14 to 20 March 2006 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The Historic building of the Orthodox church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Borci is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2114, cadastral municipality Borci, Land Register entry no. 588/01, c.m. Borci, cadastral district Konjic, Konjic Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection 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 to protect, conserve, display and rehabilitate the National Monument.
The Government of the Federation shall be responsible for providing the resources for drawing up and implementing 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 the basic data on 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 is hereby stipulated.
Protection Zone I consists of the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision. The following protection measures shall apply in this zone:
- all works are prohibited with the exception of research works, conservation and restoration works, structural repair works, and the restoration of the National Monument;
- repair works shall be carried out after investigating the cause of rising damp in the walls and of cracks in the apse wall of the church, and subject to a Repairs project approved by the
- following an investigation of the causes of rising damp in the walls and the appearance of cracks in the apsidal wall of the church, and subject to a Repairs Study approved by the Federation ministry responsible for regional planning and with the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority), the necessary repair works shall be carried out,
- interventions involving the use of cement and the finish of the bell tower should be rectified in line with traditional building techniques.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.
V
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.
VI
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 V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
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
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: 06.1-02-1021/03-1
15 March 2006
Sarajevo
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.
On 30 September 2003 the Commission received a petition from Konjic Municipality. 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.
- The current condition of the property
- Data on the location of the property and evidence of title
- 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 village of Borci, some 20 kilometres to the south-east of Konjic, lies at the foot of the eastern slopes of Mt Borašnica, on the Borac plateau, alongside the road leading from Konjic via Boric to Glavatičevo and beyond, along the Neretva, south-eastwards to Zaborani in the Nevesinje plain. This section of the road was already in use in antiquity. It forks at Borac into the road that bypasses the Borac lake, to the south of which it leads south-westwards, between Prenj and Mt Crna Gora(1), towards Porimo and Mostar, the „Turkish road," as it is known(2). With some alterations and adaptations to the route, roads ran here in mediaeval times and the Ottoman period(3).
The Orthodox church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Borci is located on c.p.no. 2114, c.m. Borci, approx. 36 m to the east of the Konjic-Glavatičevo road.
Some 980 m to the north-west of the church, right by the Konjic-Glavatičevo road, is a necropolis with 121 stećak tombstones, on the site of the Kaursko burial ground. The necropolis is in the northern part of the village of Borci, on a small elevation, from which the land slopes gently to the north and south. To the west, beyond the nearby meadows, is the Borac brook. The necropolis thus lies on a typical site by a road with running water nearby. To the east of the road is a rising slope at the summit of which is a prehistoric hillfort.
Individual residential buildings in the contact zone of the Natioinal Monument are two storeyed with gabled roofs.
Some 55 m to the south-west of the church, west of the Konjic-Glavatičevo road, a complex of industrial buildings was erected in the 1970s(4) (this consists of a group of four two-storey buildings – ground floor and first floor – the first of which has a T-shaped ground plan, measuring approx. 14 x 42 m + 8 x 26 m; the second, abutting onto the south side of the former, measures approx. 20 x 50 m; the third, to the west of the complex, measures approx. 11.30 x 25.50 m; the fourth measures approx. 14 x 30 m).
Historical information
In his Chronicle(5) the priest Prokopije Čokorilo of Mostar provides the first information on the number of Orthodox Christian inhabitants of the Konjic parish during the Ottoman period, as of 1856, according to which the Orthodox population of the Konjic region then belonged to the Mostar(6) church in the Herzegovina-Zahum eparchy. The parish was based in Konjic, and the post of parish priest was held by Prokopije Čokorilo, whose permanent residence was in Mostar. According to his information the Konjic parish also included part of Jablanica municipality, and had a congregation of 568, of whom 460 lived in Konjic municipality itself. Of this total of 460(7) living in the villages of: Čelebići and Dbar (Idbar), Gornja Bijela, Borci, Kula and Čičevo (Donje), 153 lived in Borci(8). From 1856-1860, priest Prokopije Čokorilo spent the period from 1856 to 1860 in Russia, collecting charitable donations, which provided the funds to build churches in Mostar, Bijelo Polje, Duvno, Stara Gabela, Ljubuški, Konjic (Čelebići) and Borci(9).
The next information concerning the number of inhabitants of the Orthodox faith on the left bank of the Neretva dates from 1873, and is taken from a census(10) conducted by Fr. Petar Bakula, who visited the Konjic parish to inventory the number of Catholics and also listed Orthodox Christians where they were living in these villages. According to Fr. Petar Bakula's records, there were 26 houses in Borci, occupied by 136 Orthodox Christians(11).
When Austro-Hungarian rule was introduced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian Orthodox Church had two parishes in the Konjic region:
- Konjic (in the Herzegovina-Zahum eparchy), which included all the settlements of the former Konjic district on the left bank of the Neretva, as well as the part of the town of Konjic on the left bank of the Neretva; and
- Pazarić (in the Dabro-Bosnian eparchy), which consisted of all the settlements of the former Konjic district on the right bank of the Neretva, along with the part of the town of Konjic on the right bank of the Neretva(12).
The river Neretva formed the natural boundary between these parishes. Given its location, therefore, Borci, like all the villages on the left bank of the Neretva, from Bjelimići of the Konjic Župe (Glavatičevo), to the point where the river Rakitnica flows into the Neretva, belonged to the Konjic parish(13).
Two religious buildings were erected between 1878 and 1918 in what now constitutes Konjic municipality: St Basil the Great in Konjic, in 1886, and the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Borci, in 1896.
In early 1880, the inhabitants of the village of Borci applied to the Provincial Government for Bosnia and Herzegovina with a request(14) to grant them permission to build a small church and ancillary buildings in Borci and to provide them with financial assistance. The Provincial Government granted their request, providing them with a building permit and funds of 300 florins, notifying the District Office in Konjic to this effect in a document dated 6 March 1880(15).
There is also a document in the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Mostar District(16), dated 30 August 1880, listing a number of buildings in various places or counties (Borci in the Konjic district, Hrasno in the Počitelj district, Stolac in the Stolac district, Klepci in the Počitelj district, Konjic in the Konjic district, and «Širokibrieg» in the Mostar district) for which the Provincial Government for Bosnia and Herzegovina had approved financial aid. Thus, pursuant to an application dated 12 February 1880, under file no. 1270, the Provincial Government for BiH approved financial aid in the sum of 300 florins.
A meeting of the District Office in Konjic held on 17 March 1880 was attended by Ibrahim Bašagić, district prefect, and Mato Franjić, district clerk, as minute-taker, and by inhabitants of the village of Borci: Vidak Šiniković, Spasoje Sarić and Nikola Simić, village elders, and priest Dimitrije Jovanović, parish priest of the Konjic parish. The purpose of the meeting was to read the order of the «Supreme Provincial Government in Sarajevo of 6 March 1880 no. 2328» and ascertain all the details associated with the future building of the church.
The minutes indicate that the Provincial Government for Bosnia and Herzegovina had imposed certain conditions «on the municipality of Borki of this District» for the building of the church, as quoted in the minutes: «. . . 1) to build . . . the church themselves, to use such labour and to procure the required building materials themselves, 2) to establish a school at their own expense on completion of the church,» with the final condition that the parish priest was to teach the children in line with instructions from the Provincial Government for BiH until the school was built.
The minutes also record the statement by the representatives of the inhabitants of Borci: «1st, We the undersigned, representatives of our people. . . by this our agreement . . . undertake to begin builoding a church and a house beside it, as soon as the Supreme Government has provided the promised aid of 300 f, and 2nd, we are not in a position to establish a school since we cannot maintain a special parish priest. It is our desire to have our own small church since we are now at some distance from our parish of Konjic, so that the elderly and feeble cannot go to church in Konjic, whereas if we were to have our own small church the Konjic parish priest would come to us to hold religious services. We need a small house beside the church so that the parish priest visiting us from Konjic would have somewhere to spend the night and to keep his personal effects and those of the church as is the case in other villages, such as for instance in Čelebići and elsewhere. This was also our wish before this, and we only request that timber building material . . . be granted to us free of charge.3rd This point . . . of our statement in point 2 . . . We request that . . . the government provide us with the promised funds as soon as possible, so that we can begin building the church and house.»
After the signing of the Minutes, a further note was added: «After this, the Đuro brothers and Spasoje Sarić stated that they cede the said plot of land at no cost to their municipality of Borki in the place of Borki for the purpose of building the church and parish house.»
The addendum to the Minutes was entered by the clerk Mato Franić, was signed by the Sarić brothers, and countersigned as witness («in my presence») by the county prefect, Ibrahim Bašagić.
Details of the completion of the building of the church and a detailed description of the entire celebration held when the church in Borci was consecrated, with the officials present, are to be found in the article by priest Dimitrije Jovanović, Konjic parish priest, entitled «Proslava pri osveštenju novosagrađene crkve na Borcima kod Konjica» (Ceremony for the consecration of the newly-built church in Borci near Konjic(17)) , written in Konjic on 12 September 1896, from which the following quotations are taken:
«1 September of this year of 1896 will be inscribed in letters of gold in the history of the karst land of the Herceg of St Sava.Today the new church in Borci was completed, with considerable assistance from the Supreme Provincial Government in Sarajevo, and was consecrated this same day by His High Eminence AE(18) and metropolitan Serafim Perović to the glory and honour of the holy apostles Peter and Paul». . .,
«... 31 August, following morning service, His High Eminence graciously deigned, in the presence of archpriest Jovanović, Risto Krstić, the Pazar parish priest, Nikola Kojo, the Kalinovac parish priest, Stefan Šiniković, the Bijelo polje parish priest, Vaso Medan, the Gabela parish priest, and Stefan Pravica his secretary and deacon, to consecrate the church trappings, vestments, plate, a number of icons and the bell (which came from Triest to Konjic on 29 August of this year).» ...
»... In the evening of Saturday, i.e. 31 August, on Sunday eve, at seven o'clock, the bell was run for evening service (there was also a wake), at which His High Eminence performed the rituals with the priesthood.The church windows, triumphal arches(19), police station, tower and čardak (manor house) of the aristocratic Adžović and Agić families(20), were lit up, and great bonfires were lit on the heights and hills...»
«... On Sunday 1 September, at 9 o'clock in the morning, His High Eminence began to consecrate the church with the five priests referred to and the deacon, which lasted with divine liturgy until 12 o'clock.»
«...At one o'clock in the afternoon His High Eminence removed his archpriest's robes and took his seat at the formal luncheon, which was on the church meadow, under a canopy erected specially for the occasion. Others seated with His High Eminence at the luncheon were all the priests, envoys from the District Office, Mr. Vrdoljek, B. Petrović, head of the Bjelimić branch office Mr Reich, and other gentlemen, 68 persons in all.»
2. Description of the property
The church lies east-west, with the apse at the east end and the entrance at the west end. It is rectangular in ground plan, with exterior dimensions of approx. 7.05 x 11.00 metres(21). The vaulted apse at the east end is semicircular in ground plan (with an exterior radius of approx. 2.95 m and an interior radius of approx. 2.30 m). Structurally, there is a round-arched opening measuring approx. 4.50 m wide x 5.50 m high in the east wall of the church, which links the apse area with the nave of the church, spatially. For structural reasons, a wooden beam was set in this stone arch at a height of approx. + 3,85 m(22), serving to spread the load on the arch and neutralize the horizontal stresses. A second wooden beam is fitted into this beam at the same height, running east-west, with the other end set into the apse wall. The ends of the steel tie beams set in the upper part of the east wall of the church about 60 cm from the eaves can be seen on the facade.
A bell tower with a square ground plan, measuring 2.90 x 2.90 m, was built against the west end in the axis of the outside wall.
The church has a single nave, and functionally is divided into the nave area, with a width of 5.78 m and a length of 9.40 m, the altar space with proscomidion, diaconicon and altar table in the apse, and a gallery, from which the stairway of the church tower is reached.The church has a single entrance at the west end, approached through the arched passageway of the ground floor of the church tower.The floor of this antechamber below the tower is of concrete and is at a level of –0,10 m(23).
A wooden staircase(24) in the north-west corner of the nave leads to the gallery, which is approx. 2.33 m deep.The floor of the gallery is + 2.75 m higher than the floor of the church. A wooden šiše ceiling was laid on the underside of the wooden structure of the gallery, at a level of approx. +2.50 m. The floor of the gallery consists of close-set wooden boards, whereas the floor of the nave is paved with stone slabs measuring from 40 to 55 x 60 to 80 cm. The staircase has 13 steps, measuring approx. 24/19 cm, with the overall width of the flight approx. 75 cm. The wooden stairrail is about 100 cm in height, and that of the gallery is approx. 110 cm high.
An opening some 90 cm wide was later(25) made at the centre of the west wall of the church, leading from the gallery to the first floor of the church tower. In addition to the ground floor, the tower has another three storeys or platforms, linked by steep wooden ladders. The floor level of the first platform is at +2.75 m, the second at +5.90 m, and the topmost at +8.55 m. The tower is supported via four stone arches on the four stone pillars of the ground floor of the tower. The pillars have bases measuring approx. 50 x 50 cm in cross-section; the pillars themselves are approx. 43 x 43 cm in cross-section, and the abacus-shaped faces of the capitals measure approx. 65 x 65 cm.
The corners where the walls of the tower meet are accentuated by quoins that project outwards slightly from the wall surface of the tower.
Functionally, the tower has a ground floor and three upper storeys. The ground floor of the tower has three round-arched entrance openings measuring approx. 200/273 cm. At second-storey level of the tower there is a stone rosette in the wall of the west facade, with outer dimensions of 84 cm. The rosette consists of an outer stone ring (approx. 10 cm wide) and an inner stone ring (diameter approx. 16 cm), between which six stylized stone balusters are set radially. At the topmost level, there is an arched opening(26) on all four sides, measuring 80/160 cm. At the centre of the west wall of the tower there is an arched opening measuring 48/116 cm on both the second and third storeys. The height of the tower from is base to the top of the terminal cornice is approx. 11.65 m. The onion dome of the tower is baroque in form and clad with galvanized iron on a wooden substructure. Within the upper storey of the tower is a load-bearing structure of rolled steel section, set into the walls of the tower, from which the cast bronze bell hangs.
Photographs of the church taken in 1973(27) reveal that the tower was built of tufa and that the walls were unplastered.
It may also be deduced with perfect certainty from the following observations that the bell tower was a later addition to the church: by building the tower against the wall of the west end of the church, the view of the stone rosette on the west (entrance) facade is completely blocked off, though it is beyond doubt an architectural decoration on the church of of the most meticulous workmanship, as can also be said of the stone cross at roof-ridge level atop the west gable wall of the church. In addition, the 1973 photographs of the church show that the tower was unplastered, that it was built of tufa (while the church itself is of limestone), and that a completely different masonry technique and treatment of the joints was used from that of the walls of the church: the church walls are of regular horizontal courses in «block joint», with regular overlaps, all the stones in each course are of the same height and are for the most part laid on the longer side, and the joints between the stones are pointed using the technique known as dersovanje; the masonry of the tower, on the other hand, is different, with the blocks of the stone walls as high as three courses, without the use of regular «block joint», the joints extend over two horizontal courses, and the plaster pointing is omitted.
The nave is divided from the altar area by a wooden iconostasis approx. 5.60 m long and approx. 4.20 m high. On the nave side, the iconostasis is articulated height-wise by two moulded string courses and a terminal cornice at the apex of the iconostasis, which is wavy-edged. The iconostasis has three round-arched openings. The side openings are 80 cm wide and 205 cm high, and the central opening with the royal doors measures 85/205 cm(28).
The apse wall of the altar area contains three niches used for church rituals, serving as proscomidion(29) and diaconicon(30); from north to south, they measure 41/38/25/85(31) cm, 93/130/29/85 cm and 80/148/28/80 cm. The table of oblation(32), which is made of stone, measures 80/90/8/110(33) cm and stands at the centre of the apse. A step some 70 cm wide raises the floor of the altar area above that of the nave by approx. +30 cm. About 85 cm from this step, in the longitudinal axis of the church, is an ambon(34), made in the form of a shallow drum approx. 15 cm high and with a diameter of approx. 90 cm.
On the interior, both the south and north side walls of the church have four structural reinforcements in the shape of pilasters running the full height of the walls. These pilasters measure approx. 8 x 53 cm and are approx. 3 m apart.
The roof above the nave is gabled, with the timber load-bearing structure consisting of a system of transverse wooden trusses in the form of simple hanging trusses; the cladding consists of asbestos cement tiles known as «salonitka.»(35) In the interior, the underview of the ceiling(36) is vault-shaped, with a radius of approx. 5.80 m.(37): The springline of the vault is at a height of approx. +1.77 m measured from the floor of the gallery, or +4.52 m, and the apex of the vault is at a height of approx. +2.53 m measured from the floor of the gallery, or +5.28 m. The ceiling finish now(38) consists of wooden wainscoting set along the long axis of the church. The ceiling substructure of the vault was executed using a facing of wooden boards approx. 10-12 cm wide, attached to wooden centring. The centring consists of king-posts(39) composed of laths and boards, hanging from the rafters and trusses of the roof structure.There are several examples of this treatment of a vault structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina(40).
The walls of the church are approx. 65 cm thick, made of limestone and plastered on the inside. In the interior, the side walls of the church and the apse have wooden wainscoting to a height of approx. 130 cm, and the west wall to a height of approx. 250 cm.
Light enters the nave of the church through three arched windows on each of the south and north walls; the interior masonry dimensions are approx. 75/220 cm and the exterior approx. 40/155, the height of the parapet is approx +2.25 m (measured in the nave). Light enters the altar area through a single arched window in the apse wall at the east end of the church; the interior masonry dimensions are approx. 75/220 cm and the exterior approx. 40/155, the height of the parapet. Approx. +1.20 m (measured in the apse area of the church). All the windows have stone frames consisting of four pieces of miljevina(41) stone (two set vertically, one at the bottom and one at the top). The stones of the frames are cut with great precision, and their outer visible surfaces are worked with a fine toothsaw(42).
A number of icons are mounted on the upper part of the iconostasis partition of the church. Seen from north to south, these icons are as follows:
1. ST GEORGE THE MARTYR
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 65x79 cm
Description:
The saint is shown on a rearing white horse. He is wearing the garb of a Roman soldier with a red cloak. He is piercing the dragon with a long cross. In the background is a castle in which there is a princess.
The name of the saint is inscribed in white Cyrillic lettering on a blue background in the upper part of the picture.
2. MADONNA AND CHRIST
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas, metalwork
Size: 49x56 cm
Description:
The icon is covered with gilded metal, leaving the faces of the Madonna and Christ uncovered.
3. ST NICHOLAS
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 63x85 cm
Description:
The standing figure of the saint is shown on a light background, dressed as a bishop. He is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding a bishop's crozier in his left. There is a mitre on his head. Above this the name of the saint is inscribed in small, pink Cyrillic lettering.
4. SS APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 65x79 cm
Description:
The icon features the two apostles standing on a riverbank. They are wearing long, bluish robes. St Peter has a yellow cloak over his robe. He is holding an open copy of the Gospels under his right arm, and keys in his hand. His left hand is on his chest. He has a halo, and an inscription with his name above his head.
St Paul has a red cloak over his robe. He is holding an open copy of the Gospels in his left hand and a sword in his right. He has a halo, and an inscription with his name above his head.
5. HOLY TRINITY
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 54x66 cm
Description:
The icon shows God the Father and God the Son seated on a cloud, giving blessings with their right hands. They are holding a gilded copy of the Gospels in their left hands. Christ's halo is round, and that of God the Father is triangular. Between them is the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, on the radiating sun.
6. ST NICHOLAS THE MIRACLE-WORKER
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 61x82 cm
Description:
The figure of the saint, dressed in bishop's robes, is standing on the seashore; there is a sailing boat on the sea. The saint is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding an open copy of the Gospels with a page of writing in his left.
7. ST NICHOLAS
Artist: unidentified
Date: early 20th century
Technique: tempera on canvas
Size: 61x75 cm
Description:
The figure of the saint, dressed in bishop's robes, is standing on the shore of stormy seas, on which there is a sailing boat. The saint is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding a bishop's crozier. He is holding a closed copy of the Gospels in his left hand. On his head is a mitre on which his name is inscribed in Cyrillic lettering. To the saint's right is a hill with a church on it.
The lower part of the iconostasis is mounted with more recent icons.
3. Legal status to date
The building was not on the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments and was not subject to a protection regime. On 30 September 2003, Konjic Municipality submitted a petition to designate the Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Borci as a national monument of BiH.
4. Research and conservation and restoration works
Since the building was not on the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments and was not subject to a protection regime, there is no written information or documentation on conservation and restoration works.
According to a local inhabitant of Borci, Simić (Todora) Neđo, the church was originally clad with stone slabs. Later these were replaced by tiles, and in the 1980s by salonit tiles. In 2005 the church was re-clad with «salonitka» tiles, and new galvanized iron guttering and downpipes(43) were installed. In the 1970s, a ditch was dug out around the church, and a concrete dripping edge about 60 cm wide was installed by the apse and the north and south walls.
5. Current condition of the property
As a result of the installation of wainscoting, it is hard to determine whether the excavation around the church resulted, and if so to what extent, in a reduction in the level of rising damp in the fabric of the walls, which was obviously the reason for digging the ditch.
There are visible signs of a structural crack on the apse wall along its full height, and in the area of the apse window; the crack has ben filled with plaster and «newly» pointed, so that without further investigation it is hard to ascertain the width of the crack, its cause, and whether it is still «working». (44)
The wainscoting on the walls and vault of the church diminish the aesthetic value of the property.
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. Aesthetic value
D. Clarity
D. iv. evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner
E. Symbolic value
E.ii. religious value
E.iii. traditional value
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, scale 1:2500, cadastral plot no. 2114, title deed no. 588, c.m. Borci, plan no. Borci-15, issued on 21 January 2004 by the Konjic Municipal Geodetic Authority, Konjic Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Land Register entry no. 588/01, c.m. Borci, c.m. Borci, cadastral district Konjic, Konjic Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Document KKU 588/01 issued on 1 August 2004 by the Office of Geodetics, Property Affairs and Cadastral Real Property of Konjic Municipality
- Photodocumentation:
o two b/w photographs of the church taken in 1973, format 13 x 18 cm, by aret photographer Ćiril Rajić
o photographs of the current condition of the church taken on 2 February 2006 by architect Alisa Marjanović and architect Emir Softić (using Canon PowerShot G3 and Canon PowerShot A60 cameras)
- Drawings: ground plan of the church (survey of current condition in February 2006 by architect Alisa Marjanović and architect Emir Softić, drawn by Emir Softić)
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the historic building of the Orthodox church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Borci as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:
1896. Jovanović, T. Dimitrije: Proslava pri osveštenju novosagrađene crkve na Borcima kod Konjica (Ceremony for the consecration of the newly-built church in Borci near Konjic) Sourcebook for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yr. X, vol. XI, Sarajevo, November 1896, pp. 424-427
1957. Anđelić, Pavao: Turski put od Ivan-planine do Porima (The Turkish route from Ivan-planina to Porimo) Naše starine, IV, Sarajevo, 1957, 169-179
1958. Anđelić, Pavao: Srednjevjekovni gradovi u Neretvi (Mediaeval towns in the Neretva) Jnl of the National Museum in Sarajevo, new series, A, XIII, Sarajevo, 1958, 179-231
1978. Dinić, Mihailo: Srpske zemlje u srednjem veku (Serb lands in the mediaeval period), Belgrade, 1978
1990 Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878.-1918.) (Konjic and environs during Austro-Hungarian rule [1878-1918]), editor-in-chief of monograph Dr Jusuf Mulić, Publ: Konjic Municipal Assembly, 1990
2001. Mulić, Jusuf, Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme osmanske vladavine (1464-1878) (Konjic and environs in the Ottoman period [1464-1878]), Konjic Municipality, Konjic, 2001
2001. Stošić, Ljiljana: Mali rečnik crkvenih pojmova (Brief dictionary of ecclesiastical terms) Ljiljana Stošić. -Belgrade : Ars Libri ; Banjaluka : Besjeda, 2001
(1) In the local language the name of the mountain and that of the country, Montenegro, are the same (op. E. Softić and Trans.)
(2) Anđelić, Pavao: Turski put od Ivan-planine do Porima, Naše starine, IV, Sarajevo, 1957, 169
(3) Anđelić, Pavao: Srednjevjekovni gradovi u Neretvi, Jnl Nat.Mus. in Sarajevo, new series, A, XIII, Sarajevo, 1958, 187
(4) Three of the buildings are in a ruinous state, while the fourth has been partly repaired (re-roofed). None of the four is in use. According to a local man from Borci, Simić (Todora) Neđo, the plant was a filling plant for gas tanks (cylinders) for motor vehicles using natural gas (op. E. Softić).
(5) Čokorilo, Prokopije: Ljetopis pravoslavne crkve mostarske, BHI, III, 1889, 15, 250-251 and Jnl Nat. Mus, XXIV, 1912, 438-441
(6) The Orthodox Church in Mostar was established in 1823; from 1885 on, it maintained registers of births, marriages and deaths. (Mulić, Jusuf: Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme osmanske vladavine 1464-1878, Konjic, 2001, p. 133, fb 31; details from Chronicles of Čokorilo Prokopije)
(7) Including the Orthodox population of Ostrošac (59) and Dobro Gožđo or Dobrigošća (49), now part of Jablanica municipality, the Konjic parish had a congregation of 568 (Mulić, Jusuf: 2001, p. 212, fn 26).
(8) Mulić, Jusuf: 2001, p. 212
(9) Mulić, Jusuf: Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme osmanske vladavine (1464-1878), Konjic, 2001, p. 133
(10) Mulić Jusuf refers to his source as: Bakula, Petar: Schematismus topographico-historicus Apostolici et Custodie Provincialis Franciscano-Missionaire in Hercegovina pro anno domini 1873, Mostarini, 1873, 176. (for 1873).
(11) Mulić, Jusuf: 2001, pp. 212-213
(12) Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878.-1918.), ed. in chief of monograph Dr Jusuf Mulić, publ: Konjic Municipal Assembly, 1990, p. 168
(13) Mulić, Jusuf: Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme osmanske vladavine (1464-1878), Konjic, 2001, p. 133-134
(14) “Unfortunately, this letter has not been found, but one may safely draw this conclusion from the context of the Minutes and the response of the Provincial Government for BiH” (Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878.-1918.), ed. in chief of monograph Dr Jusuf Mulić, publ: Konjic Municipal Assembly, 1990, p. 170, fn 20)
(15) Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878.-1918.), 1990, p. 170
(16) Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, ZVS, 1880, š. 20
(17) Jovanović, T. Dimitrije: Proslava pri osveštenju novosagrađene crkve na Borcima kod Konjica, BiH Sourcebook, Yr. X, vol. XI, Sarajevo, Nov. 1896, p. 424-427 (This issue of the BiH Sourcebook is available in the archives of BiH in Sarajevo)
(18) In this context, the abbreviation “AE” can only mean the person of the archibishop and metropolitan of Herzegovina and Zahum, Serafim Perović. This abbreviation is used several times in the said article (op. E. Softić).
(19) “…Close to the church, two triumphal arches were erected, decorated with greenery, the Serbian tricolour and black and yellow banners, one to the north, from which direction His Supreme Excellence AE and metropolitan Serafim came. This one bore the words “Welcome” in greenery among the tricolours. On the other, to the north-east of the church, the inscription in greeneryread “Welcome dear guests” …” (Jovanović, T. Dimitrije: 1896, p. 424-425)
(20) “….Mehmedbeg Adžović and Zaim beg (Zajko) Agić, showed great courtesy in welcoming this ceremonial occasion. They retained just one room each for their families, making the rest, with all their furnishings and carpets, available to our guests from elsewhere, with an excellent dinner, lunch and coffee, and received no reward for this. Our thanks to them as our blood brothers.” (Jovanović, T. Dimitrije: 1896, p. 426)
(21) All measurements taken on site on 2 February by architect Alisa Marjanović and architect Emir Softić.
(22) Measured from the floor in the apse (op. E. Softić)
(23) The reference level of +/- 0,00 is the floor of the nave of the church (op. E. Softić)
(24) A single-flight staircase with a 90 deg. angle
(25) The present church tower was built onto the church after World War II. The previous wooden church tower was about 15 m to the north-west of the church, and was built “during the time of priest Šešlija” by a craftsman from Vlasenica (according to a local inhabitant of Borci, Simić /Todora/ Neđo; noted by E. Softić).
(26) The openings have shutters with metal Venetian blinds.
(27) Photographed by art photographer Ćiril Rajić
(28) Swing doors measuring approx. 85/160 cm are set in the central opening
(29) Northern section, altar also known as prothesis or proscomidion, where the service of the preparation of bread and wine before the liturgy is carried (Stošić, Ljiljana: Mali rečnik crkvenih pojmova / Ljiljana Stošić. - Beograd : Ars Libri ; Banjaluka : Besjeda, 2001)
(30) Southern section, diaconicon or sacristy, where the church plate and liturgical vestments are kept (Stošić, Ljiljana: Mali rečnik crkvenih pojmova).
(31) These measurements are in centimetres and relate respectively to the width of the niche/height of the niche/ depth of the niche/distance of parapet from floor in the apse (op. E. Softić)
(32) Rectangular table attached to the centre of the altar. The proscomidion (preparation of the bread and wine for transformation into the body and blood of Christ) is carried out on this table. Just as the altar is the most important place in the church, so the table is the main part of the altar. As the throne of Christ Slava, Judge and Lord, it is also known as the holy throne, the table of oblation or holy sacrificial altar. Spiritually, it represents the table at which Christ held the Last Supper; in offering Himself as a sacrifice for the salvation of the world, Christ features in the dual role of archpriest and sacrifice, the one who offers and the one who is offered up (Stošić, Ljiljana: Mali rečnik crkvenih pojmova).
(33) These measurements are in centimetres and relate respectively to the width of the table/length of the table/ thickness of the slab forming the table/distance of parapet from floor in the apse (op. E. Softić)
(34) Raised area in front of the royal doors on which the deacon stands when reading theh Gospel and from which preachers address the congregation. In the view of the Ecumenical Patriarch German, the ambom symbolically represents the stone rolled away from Christ’s grave by the angel whom the Marys, bringing sweet spices, met on the occasion of the Resurrection of Christ (Stošić, Ljiljana: Mali rečnik crkvenih pojmova)
(35) Red salonitka asbestos-cement tiles were used to clad the church (op. E. Softić).
(36) A specialist term used in descriptive geometry; the appearance of what is seen when the eye of the observer is facing upwards towards the ceiling (op. E. Softić).
(37) Calculated and measured after drawing the line of the transverse profile of the vault (op. E. Softić).
(38) Bearing in mind similar solutions applied in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and analyzing the structural treatment of the vault, and particularly bearing in mind the fact that the ceiling substructure is made of boards, it may logically be deduced that the present substructure was designed to take the wait of the ceiling structure and that the ceiling was probably plastered. This is corroborated by a local man from Borci, Simić /Todora/ Neđo, according to whom the centring of the vault was replaced in the 1970s and the wainscoting was installed in the church. The same kind of wainscoting was also laid on the vault of the church (E. Softić).
(39) The use of the term “king post” relates to the structural purpose of the element exposed to tension forces (op. E. Softić)
(40) The Despić house and Magribija mosque in Sarajevo, the church of St. Procopius in Visoko, the Orthodox church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Livno, etc.
(41) Miljevina is a soft, whitish to yellowish stone, very easily worked, which makes it highly suitable for decorative elements. It retains moisture over the long term and is very hard to dry. It has no great strength, is extremely porous, and very hygroscopic, as a result of which it needs protection.
The finish of the windowframes using a fine toothsaw was designed to prepare the stone for the application of a protective coat.
(42) Type of stonemason’s tool
(43) the slope of the guttering collecting rainwater from the gabled roof is from east to west, and at each end is a downpipe with a diameter of 120 mm (op. E. Softić).
(44) No use was made of the procedure of installing glass plates in the cracks to monitor the progress of the cracks and deformation, or even of introducing control points: fixed wedges (the tops of the wedges forming the apex of triangular control points, with these triangles set on the surface, in which the movement of the crack is monitored), so that two sides of the triangle straddle the crack. At regular intervals the distances between the tops of the triangular control points are monitored using a caliper square, with records kept so that the progress of the cracks can be monitored (op. E. Softić).
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