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Decisions on Designation of Properties as National Monuments

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Orthodox Cathedral church (church of the Holy Mother of God) with movable heritage, the historic building

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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 4 to 10 July 2006 the Commission adopted a

 

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

The historic building of the Orthodox Cathedral church (church of the Holy Mother of God) with movable heritage in Sarajevo is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The movable heritage referred to in para. 1 of this Clause consists of a collection of 82 icons (69 of which are an integral part of the iconostasis), 14 items of metalwork, and the tomb of Christ, throne, pulpit and Gospels.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2028 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 71, sect. 68 Mahala XXXVIII - Sarajevo (old survey); cadastral municipality Sarajevo XI; Municipality Stari Grad Sarajevo, 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 to protect, conserve and display 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 protection measures are hereby stipulated, which shall apply to the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision.

  • all works are prohibited other than conservation and restoration works, routine maintenance works, and works designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority),
  • during restoration and conservation works and those designed to display the property, the original appearance of the property shall be preserved, using original materials, original methods of treatment of the materials and original building methods.

Protection zone II consists of cadastral plots nos. 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 (new survey), bordering the plot on which the National Monument is located. In this zone the following protection measures shall apply:

  • conservation and restoration works, routine maintenance works and other interventions necessary to adapt the properties to modern circumstances shall be permitted on the Metropolitan's Palace and the Seminary (Faculty of Economics), located on the cadastral plots bordering the plot on which the National Monument is located, shall be permitted, provided that they do not endanger the National Monument and subject to the approval of the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;
  • all changes to the dimensions, facade decoration, and form of door and window openings are prohibited, as is all new building.

The following protection measures pertaining to the movable heritage are hereby stipulated:

The Government of the Federation shall provide the appropriate physical and technical conditions for housing the movable heritage. Above all:

§         it is vital to carry out conservation and restoration works on the collection of icons and the icons on the iconostasis;

§         it is essential to carry out conservation and restoration works on the items made of wood (the iconostasis partition, the tomb of Christ, the throne and the pulpit);

§         work on the said assets must be carried out by qualified persons to a study approved by the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

-          The display and other forms of presentation of the movable heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be effected pursuant to conditions to be determined by the Federal ministry responsible for culture.

-          Oversight of the implementation of the measures to protect the movable heritage shall be effected by the Federal ministry responsible for culture.

 

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 thereof.

 

VI

 

The removal of the movable heritage specified in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: 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 temporary removal 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 temporary removal, the Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina may take place, the date by which the items 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, the relevant security service, the customs authority of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the general public accordingly.

 

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 V 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) 

 

IX

 

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.

 

X

 

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. 555.

 

XI

 

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:  06.2-2-122/06-5

4 July 2006

Sarajevo

       

Chair of the Commission

Amra Hadžimuhamedović

 

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 Orthodox Cathedral church (church of the Holy Mother of God) in Sarajevo to the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbered as 555.

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 para. 4 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.
  • 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 Orthodox Cathedral church (church of the Holy Mother of God) in Sarajevo is located in the very centre of Sarajevo, in Zelenih beretki street no. 1.

It stands on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2028 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 71, sect. 68 Mahala XXXVIII - Sarajevo (old survey); cadastral municipality Sarajevo XI; Municipality Stari Grad Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

            The Orthodox Cathedral church in Sarajevo, dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the Balkans.  Building work on the church began on the initiative of the Serbian population of Sarajevo. Sultan Abdul Aziz Han granted a permit to build the church, and the site where it was to be built was purchased in 1859. The foundations of the Cathedral church in Sarajevo were laid on 15 June 1863, and the building was completed in 1868. The Cathedral church was built in the very centre of Sarajevo, in what was then the Tašli-han mahala. It was the work of the master-builder Andrija Damjanov(1), a famous 19th century architect-builder, acclaimed for his building Orthodox churches in the Balkans.

He, his brothers and his heirs built more than forty major churches during the 19th century.  These were monumental churches, erected in Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They designed and built them themselves, and in addition painted them with murals and decorated them with their own wood carvings. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, they built the church in Čajniče, the Cathedral church in Sarajevo and the Cathedral church in Mostar (Filipović, 1949, p. 33).

The churches built by the Macedonian architect-builder Andreja Damjanov of Veles (c. 1813-1878) and his associates for the Serbian Orthodox Church, during the period for which his work is best known, 1850 to 1875, were the earliest attempts to create an integral composition in the spirit of the old Serbian monuments. After arriving in Serbia in 1851, equipped with a wealth of experience as a builder acquired on numerous monumental urban churches in Turkey built in the spirit of the post-Byzantine tradition, supplemented by individual stylistic features of western European provenance, Damjanov became the central figure of the early period in the quest for the Serbian style. His work in this field would be noted for the large number of monumental urban churches dominated, as in his earlier opus, by heterogeneous stylistic concepts, but now expressed in a markedly Serbo-Byzantine manner, in a historic framework established on explicit models (Kadijević, 1997, p. 14)

The Sarajevo Orthodox parish engaged Andrija Damjanov and his «taif» (associates) to build a new, monumental church in the very centre of the city.

The building of the Cathedral church in Sarajevo cost 36,000 ducats, a sum which was collected through voluntary contributions(2).

The Government donated the stone used to build the church, which was extracted from the quarry in Kovačići near Sarajevo.

The building works on the church were completed in 1868, and on the bell tower in 1872. The church was consecrated on 2 August 1872, St Elias' day, at a great ceremony attended by the vizier, the military, the diplomatic corps and many officials (Ševo, 2002).

The Cathedral church in Sarajevo was damaged during the 1992-1995 war, but was repaired after the war.

The repair works were carried out in 1998-1999. The investor was the Federation of BiH – Federal Ministry of Education and Culture, and the donor was the Republic of Greece, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

           

2. Description of the property

"Damjanov's church architecture intended for Serbian Orthodox parishes, like everything this multifaceted architect erected in the southern Balkans, is a symbiosis of a number of stylistic and functional options. There are elements of Byzantine and post-Byzantine architecture in them (reflected in the general silhouette of the domes over the naves, the treatment of the ground plan, the use of traditional porticos), Serbo-Byzantine architecture, and elements of Romanesque, Gothic, Levantine Baroque and Islamic architecture, applied to the decorative terminal parts of the elevation and the treatment of string courses and cornices, in the mixed structures and treatment of interiors, whereas elements of western Europea Baroque are expressed, above all, in the forms and details of bell towers." (Kadijević, 1997, p. 23).

In terms of the concept of its layout, the Cathedral church in Sarajevo belongs to the type of triple-aisle church with parvis, nave and altar area.

In the architectural sense, the church was built in the neo-Classicist style, with a rectangular ground base and five neo-Byzantine domes on high drums, a semicircular apse, classical windows on two levels, and a large baroque bell tower.

            "This style, in which elements of the Byzantine tradition and echoes of the European baroque and classicism intermingle harmoniously, isi typical of the builder of Sarajevo's Cathedral church, master-building Andrija Damjanov, the famous 19th century architect-builder of the Balkans.  The eclectic manner, with a mixture of diverse stylistic elements, used in building the Sarajevo church, was – as with the church in Čajniče – an expression of the fashion in our 19th century architecture." (Ševo, 2002 ).

The Orthodox Cathedral church in Sarajevo lies east-west, with the entrance at the west end and the apse at the east end of the building.

The church has a rectangular ground base, measuring approx. 42.0 m in length and approx. 23.0 m in width on the outside. The height of the building from ground level to the roof cornice is approx. 13.5 m.

The structural system consists of solid stone walls, pillars, arches and vaults.

The church has solid stone walls of varying thicknesses. The outer side walls are approx. 1.3 m thick, and the outer west end wall (the main entrance to the building) ranges from 2.0 to 1.2 m thick, while the east wall (in the apse area) ranges from 1.20 to 0.85 m thick. The walls are of stone blocks, plastered inside and out. The inside walls are richly decorated, while the facade is painted in earth colours – brown and yellow ochre.

There are six massive stone columns, circular in cross-section, in the central part of the naos of the church.  These run east-west and stand approx. 8.0 m apart, dividing the naos of the church into three longitudinal aisles, a central aisle and two side aisles.  From north to south, the columns are approx. 8.4 m apart. They are approx. 90 cm in diameter. The columns have bases and elaborately moulded capitals, and are linked by stone arches, with the space between them barrel-vaulted.

Above the central part of the naos is a central dome supported by four pillars. The diameter of the central dome is approx. 8.5 m, and its height to the crown, measured on the outside, is 34.0 m. The height of the drum, which has twelve arched windows, is 16.5 m. Four smaller domes all of the same size, with a diameter of approx. 4.3 m, stand at the corners of the church. The height of these domes to the crown, measured on the outside, is approx. 24.5 m.

The church has a gabled roof with a timber roof frame. The roof ends in a moulded stone cornice with a row of small arcades. All the roofs are clad with sheet copper: the gabled roof, all the domes, the apse, the roof of the bell tower and all the flashings.

In the central part of the roof on the south and north facades, where the roof cornice begins, are frontons, oval masonry forms serving a decorative purpose. Theya re approx. 10.0 m wide and approx. 8.0 m high, and consist of the body of the fronton and two pillars on each side. The body of the frontons terminates in a cross and the pillars in pyramidal obelisks.

The semicircular apse at the east end of the church is approx 5.7 m wide and 3.5 m deep, measured on the inside. The apse is covered by a semi-dome; the height of the apse to the crown, measured on the outside, is approx. 16.5 m. The areas where the diaconicon and proscomidion are housed are on the east wall of the church, to the left and right of the apse. They are semicircular in form, approx. 2.88 m wide and 1.44 m deep.

The parvis is separated from the naos area by massive rectangular pillars set on a east-west axis, with the columns of the church. These rectangular pillars are 1.95 m from the west wall of the building, and measure approx. 1.6 x 0.9 m.  There are semicircular staircases in the right and left hand corners of the parvis, leading to the gallery. The gallery occupies the entire west wall of the church, above the parvis, at a height of approx. 7.0 m above floor level.  It is irregular in shape, with a width of approx. 4.0 m.  A small staircase leads from the gallery to the bell tower.

The south and north facades of the building have simply moulded pilasters along the entire length of the building, extending from the stone socle to the roof cornice. These pilasters project outwards from the wall faces by approx. 25 cm, and are approx. 65 cm wide. They have bases and capitals, which join the arcades on the roof cornice. There are nine pilasters on each of these two facades, dividing the longitudinal facades into eight vertical sections in each of which are two windows. There are two rows of windows, fifteen in all on each facade. They are of wood, and measure approx. 1.2 x 2.8 m, ending in arches.  On the inside the windows are glazed with stained glass, while on the outside they are decorated with wrought iron grids. The windows have stone frames on the exterior, with the jambs in the form of small pillars topped by a cross.

The arched south and north doors are in the third section of the lower part of the longitudinal facades. The caisson doors are of wood, approx. 1.7 m wide and 3.2 m high. They are framed by stone pillars topped by a cross. At the top of the portal is a blind tympanum with a cross. The main portal of the church is at the west end, and measures approx. 1.85 x 3.38 m. The portal is composed of solid wood, round-arched double doors, with elaborately decorated stone pillars and decorations.

The floor of the church consists of stone slabs.

The altar area is about 50 cm – three steps – higher than the rest of the church.

The bell tower is rectangular in ground plan, measuring approx. 7.50 x 4.50 m. It consists of two massive pillars measuring approx. 2.0 x 2.0 m, which stand 2.5 m from the west wall of the church. Above this first part is one window of the same size as those of the church on each of the south and north sides of the bell tower. The bell tower is approx. 45 m in height to the cross. The roof of the bell tower has a timber frame. The roof of the bell tower is elaborately decorated with eight metal round-arched windows with metal louvres, two on each side.

When the building works on the church were completed, work began on its interior furbishment(3).

The walls of the church were not painted with Old and New Testament scenes, but with various floral and geometric ornamentation, in secco technique.  On the lower part of the walls, the painted ornamentation is in imitation of stone masonry, and on the pillars it mimics marble, while the arches, vaults and apse are decorated with various floral and geometric designs.  The vaults in the domes and the soffits of the large arches have a symbolic decoration of blue sky and gold stars(4). The capitals of the pillars in the nave and altar area are gilded with high-carat gold leaf, and the choir and the pilasters in the church are painted in imitation stucco decoration.

The interior furbishment of the church included the installation of stained glass windows, in the following order:

North wall, from east to west:

1.       St Matthew the Apostle (may the soul of Nedeljko Drinčić rest in peace son priest Miroslav)

2.       St Luke the Apostle (may the souls of Milena Madžarević rest in peace husband Dušan)

3.       Nativity (may Miss Adeline Irby rest in peace)

4.       Baptism of Christ (donated by Veselin Naerlović)

5.       St George (donated by Risto and Darinka Jovanović)

6.       St John the Baptist (may the souls of priest Jovan and Gospave Ajvazović rest in peace son protostavrofor Milorad)

7.       Nativity of the Virgin (may the soul of Stako Skender rest in peace)

8.       St Nicholas (donated by Nikola and Kosta Radulović)

9.       St Triphon (donated by Ljubo and Zorka Kuršumdžić)

10.   Archangel Michael (may the souls of Stevo and Jula Prnjatović rest in peace)

11.   St George (may the soul of Miloš Miladinović rest in peace, donated by his wife Draginja)

12.   Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena (charitable association Srpkinja Sarajevo)

13.   StSava (donated by Ranko and Vukosava Despić)

South wall, from east to west:

1.       St John the Apostle (may the soul of d.b. Nektarije rest in peace)

2.       St Mark the Apostle (no inscription)

3.       St Stephen Dečanski (?) or the First-Crowned (?) (donated by Dragan Kalember)

4.       St Sava (donated by Dr Dušan Jeftanović)

5.       St George (may the soul of protostavrofor Atanasija Kosorić rest in peace sons Dušan and Veselin)

6.       St Petka (may the souls of Đorđe and Ljubica Ratković rest in peace son Branko)

7.       Resurrection of Christ (may the soul of Olivera Radović rest in peace son Đorđe and husband proto Slobodan)

8.       St John the Baptist (donated by Arsenije Mihić)

9.       Raising of Lazarus (may the soul of Metropolitan d.b. Petar rest in peace)

10.   St Nicholas (may the soul of Gospava Mihić rest in peace)

11.   St George (in memory of Rajka and Dr Dušan Davidović, donated by their daughters)

12.   Transfiguration of Christ (for the esnaf [guild] of Serb artisans Milan Kerenović)

13.   St Demetrius (Serbian choral society Sloga)

The stained glass windows were ordered from the Stanišić studio in Sombor while the church was being furbished. During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina the stained glass was destroyed. In 1998 and 1999 the same studio reconstructed the destroyed or damaged stained glass, which was remounted in the windows.

The making of the iconostasis (measuring 20 x 15 m) in the Cathedral Church was assisted financially by the Russian Imperial family: «The icons were made in the Sergijev monastery close to Petrograd through the efforts of the archimandrite of the said monastery, Mr. Ignjatija, who collected donations from the Imperial family and other wealthy persons, and sent everything, along with five priests' vestments and two small capes, as a gift to the church in Sarajevo» (Kosanović, 1888, 130).

The iconostasis frame was made in Sarajevo by Russian artisans, who were also entrusted with gilding it.  About 118 m2 of the iconostasis partition was gilded.

The icons mounted in the iconostasis partition were made in 1869 in the Trinity-Sergejev laura, in the same monastery where the famous Andrej Ruboljov made his icons more than four centuries earlier (Ševo, 2002, 266).

The decorative structure of the iconostasis frame is composed of caisson areas framing the icons. The surfaces are decorated with bas relief, moulded slats of various shapes, and small columns. The entire surface of the decorative structure was gilded, using the technique of bright gilding on a red bolus (clay) ground (Zeković, 2000, 19).

The total area of the painted parts of the iconostasis is approx. 70 m2. Sixty-nine icons(5) of various shapes and sizes were mounted on the iconostasis partition. They are attached at the back to a blind frame faced with wooden boards painted grey. The icons were painted in oil on canvas, on a gypsum-chalk base. Several coats of varnish were applied over the paint.

Visually, the iconostasis can be divided into three registers, or horizontally divided units.

First register, from north to south:

1.       St Daria the Martyr

2.       Emperor Constantine

3.       north door – Archangel Gabriel

4.       St Arsenius

5.       St Nicholas

6.       the Virgin and Christ

7.       royal doors – the annunciation

8.       Jesus Christ

9.       St Ignatius the God-Bearer (of Antioch)

10.   St Sava

11.   south door – Archangel Gabriel

12.   St Alexander Nevski

13.   St Eugenius

Second register –  festival icons, from north to south:

1.       Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles

2.       Nativity of Christ

3.       Visitation

4.       Baptism of Christ

5.       Entry into Jerusalem

6.       St John Chrysostom

7.       St James

8.       Last Supper

9.       St Basil the Great

10.   St Gregory the Divine

11.   Nativity of the Virgin

12.   Annunciation

13.   Presentation of the Virgin

14.   Assumption of the Virgin

15.   Erection of the Cross

Third register, from north to south:

1.       St Jeremiah

2.       St Daniel

3.       St Jonah

4.       St Zechariah

5.       St Jude

6.       St James

7.       St Mark

8.       St John

9.       St Thomas

10.   St Paul

11.   Ascension of Christ

12.   Transfiguration of Christ

13.   St Peter

14.   St Andrew

15.   St Matthew

16.   St Simon

17.   St Bartholomew

18.   St Philip

19.   St Elijah

20.   St Hilarion

21.   St Isaiah

22.   St Avacum

23.   St Aleksej, Metropolitan of Moscow

24.   St Eugenia

25.   St Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostok

26.   St George

27.   St Paraskeva

28.   angel

29.   angel

30.   angel

31.   Resurrection of Christ

32.   angel

33.   angel

34.   angel

35.   angel

36.   Mary Magdalene

37.   St Basil – Prince Vladimir

38.   St Metrophanes

39.   St Demetrius

40.   St Alexandra the Martyr

The iconostasis is topped by a cross.

Tomb of Christ

The tomb of Christ is on the north side of the nave of the church, beside the pulpit. It measures approx. 2.60 x 2.00 x 5.00 m.  It was made of wood in or about 1890.  It was donated by the widow of Teodor Petrović of Sarajevo.

On Good Friday a ceremony is performed in which the shroud in which Christ crucified was laid in the tomb is taken from the altar and placed in the tomb, while the members of the congregation kiss it.

The plinth of Christ's tomb is rectangular in plan. The sides are enclosed by wooden boards, painted light green and decorated with moulded gilded laths. At the bottom is the inscription:

«To the glory of Christ the Saviour, this tomb is donated by Konstantina widow of Petrović in perpetual memory of her husband Theodor and son Konstantin in Sarajevo, Good Friday 1890».

A baldaquin on four pillars stands on the plinth, topped by a cross. The baldaquin is also painted light green and gilded.

Pulpit

The pulpit is on the north side of the nave of the church. It was made of wood in or about 1874, and is painted light brown and gilded.  It is about 5 m in height.

It is used for preaching sermons during or after religious service.

The pulpit was made so as to surround a pillar in the church. It is entered from the north side of the pillar by a spiral staircase with a railing on the outside. To the south, below the staircase, is a seat with a baldaquin, raised by a single step above floor level. At the top is the pulpit with a railing and a bookstand.

Throne

The throne is on the south side of the nave of the church, opposite the pulpit, lying north-south. It measures approx. 1,20 x 1.30 x 5 m. It was made of wood in or about 1874.

The Metropolitan is seated on the throne during religious service.

The throne is rectangular in plan. Three sides are enclosed by wooden boards, and the fourth, the entrance to the seat, is open. The wooden surfaces are painted light green and decorated with moulded gilded laths. Four steps lead to the seat. The back of the throne is enclosed by a wooden board to which the backrest of the seat is affixed.

There is a baldaquin on four pillars on the plinth. The baldaquin is topped by a cross, and is also painted light green and gilded.

Collection of icons

1. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

Artist: Cretan master

Date of origin: 16th or 17th century

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 107 x 72 cm

Description: The Holy Mother of God wearing a dark maphorion with a red ribbon around the hems is depicted against a gilded background. She is holding the infant Christ on her left arm.  He is wearing a white shirt over a red one, and giving a blessing with his right hand, while holding a scroll in his left. The saint has a halo. There is an angel in the top left and right corners. At the base of the icon is a two-line inscription in Cyrillic capital letters:

"This icon of the late Risto Radulović is donated at his request by his sister St(k-n)a wife of J. Tascovac in the church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God in Sarajevo 23 January 1877."

2. TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: before 1875

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 81 x 61 cm

Description: Features Christ standing on a cloud with hands uplifted and outspread. Above him are rays of light. To his right is the prophet Moses, and to his left Elijah. Both are looking up at Christ.

At the base of the icon is the following inscription in Cyrillic capital letters:

"Guild of Innkeepers 1875"

3. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

Artist: unidentified Cretan master

Date of origin: 17th or 18th century, and certainly before 1894

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 77 x 59 cm

Description: Depicts the Holy Mother of God with the infant Christ on her right arm. Her halo and Christ's, along with their hands, are covered with silver.

At the base is the following inscription in Cyrillic script:

This icon and silver icon lamp are donated in perpetual memory of his father and mother Risto and Staka by Nikola Mostić, a native of Sarajevo, commissioner former merchant on the ferry in Metkovići in Gabela, to the church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, 1894.

4. RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Artist: Andrei Jaslavcev

Date of origin: c. 1776

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 38.5 x 32.5 x 6 cm

Description: The painted scene of the Resurrection of Christ has been almost entirely covered by the same scene worked in silver. The heads of the saints and a few minor details can be seen below the silver covering.

At the base of the icon is a barely decipherable Cyrillic inscription in Russian:

Staraniem derpskago 2 bataliona gospodna major vasi(li)ja vas(l)jeviča frjazina vesu vnei... zo zakaždom zolonik po23 togo ispozoloto cjeni čekanena.. sankt peterburzie 1776 febraja 22 dna srebrenago djela Andrei Jaslavcev.

The words "Resurrection of Christ" are engraved, also in Russian, on a plaque attached to the frame of the icon.

5. CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

Artist: Paja Jovanović

Date of origin: before 1921

Technique: oil on canvas

Size: approx. 280 x 170 cm

Description: A Roman soldier with a circular shield in his right hand and a spear in his left is standing beside Christ's crucified body. At the base of the painting are the symbols of Christ's passion, a skull and crossbones.

In the lower right-hand corner is an inscription in Cyrillic capital letters:

Legacy

of the Maksa Hajji Despić family

1921.

At the centre left of the painting is an inscription in red Cyrillic capital letters:

Voistinu Božji sin bje sei

Evangelje od Mateja

Gl.zač.rgi.27.113.

Bottom left corner:

Paja Jovanović

6. RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Artist: unidentified Cretan master

Date of origin: 16th century, and certainly before 16 March 1864

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 56 x 43.5 cm

Description: Depicts the scene of the Resurrection of Christ, in which he is rising from the tomb.  There is a white cloth around his loins and a red cloak fluttering over his shoulders.  In front of him, beside the tomb, are a number of soldiers in Roman military garb, and in the background a number of people.

The back of the icon bears an inscription in Cyrillic script:

"Transferred to the church in Sarajevo on 13 June 1864"

7. ST ELIJAH

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: not known

Technique: tempera on board, silver-covered, embossing

Size: 32 x 25.5 cm

Description: Depicts the half-length figure of the saint. Apart from the face of the saint, background of the icon is covered with embossed silver.

8. EMPEROR CONSTANTINE AND EMPRESS HELENA

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: before 1910

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 33.5 x31.7 x 7 cm

Description: Apart from the heads of the saints, the painted surface is covered with embossed silver. The saints are holding a cross between them.

The back of the icon bears the following inscription:

"Milan Radošević pojac srp...srkvi...1910"

9. ST NICHOLAS THE MIRACLE-WORKER

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: not known

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 22 x 18.7 cm

Description: Features the half-length figure of the saint wearing a mitre surrounded by a halo, and bishop's vestments. He is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospels in his left. Top right is the figure of Christ giving a blessing with one hand and holding the Gospels in the other. The top left corner depicts the Virgin holding an omophor in both hands.

10. ST NICHOLAS THE MIRACLE-WORKER

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: not known

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 53.5 x 45 cm

Description: Features the half-length figure of the saint giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospels in his left. Top right is the figure of Christ giving a blessing with one hand and holding the Gospels in the other. The top left corner depicts the Virgin holding an omophor in both hands.

11. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

Artist: unidentified Cretan master

Date of origin: 17th or 18th century

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 31 x 27.5 cm

Description: Depicts the Holy Mother of God with the infant Christ on her left arm. His head is resting on her cheek. The background of the icon is covered with embossed silver.

12. NATIVITY OF THE VIRGIN

Artist: unidentified

Date of origin: before March 1864

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 54 x 42 cm

Description: Scene of the nativity of the Virgin with St Anne lying on a bed in the upper half of the icon, being offered refreshment, and three women occupied with the child in the lower half of the icon, with Joachim seated beside them. There is a water container in front of them.

The title of the icon is in the top right corner, in Cyrillic capital letters. At the bottom, in the middle, is an inscription:

"16 March 1864, this holy icon was donated by the late Riste Trivković to the church of the Mother of God . . in that Jerusalem."

13. CHRIST

Artist: unidentified Cretan master

Date of origin: 16th to 18th century

Technique: tempera on board, silver-mounted, embossing

Size: 56 x 46.5(6) cm

Description: Christ is depicted with a silver mount around his head.

Collection of metal-work articles

1. DISCUS

Date of origin: before January 1873

Materijal: silver, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding, engraving

Size: height 10 cm, diameter 17 cm.

Signature:

-          top: Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

-          underside: S.P. Đurađ for the late Marija 26 Jan. 1873.

Description of the article: A plate or discus with a slightly curved rim bearing the inscription.  At the centre is an embossed angel.  The plate stands on a circular base.

2. CHALICE

Date of origin: before January 1873

Materijal: silver, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding, engraving

Size: height 30 cm, diameter 10 cm.

Signature:

-          base: .P. Đurađ for the late Marija 26 Jan. 1873.

-          along the edge of the cup: Taste the body of Christ receive the fount of immortality

Description of the article: Eight large teardrops are embossed on the circular base.  The spaces between them are filled with small plant motifs.  Above the base is a ring from which the handle of the chalice extends, and then another ring holding the cup.  On the cup are medallions with embossed scenes of the Crucifixion, the Holy Mother of God with Christ, and St John the Baptist.

3. SPOON AND ASTERISK

Date of origin: before January 1873(7)  

Materijal: silver, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding

Size:

-          spoon: 20 cm

-          asterisk: 4 x 7 x 7 cm

Signature: none

Description of the article: The handle of the spoon ends in a cross. The asterisk is in the form of a cross with arms down to a height of approx. 4cm.

4. PLATE

Date of origin: not known

Materijal: silver, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding, engraving

Size: diameter 10 cm.

Signature:

-          along the edge of the plate: Dostojno jest jako voistinu blažititja Bogorodicu prisnoblaženu

-          underside: Pamjat priobratenoje arhimandritom

Description of the article: The plate has a slightly curved rim, bearing the inscription.  The figure of the Holy Mother of God Spanning the Heavens, with Christ, is embossed in the centre.

5. WATER CONTAINER

Date of origin: not known

Materijal: silver, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding, engraving

Size: height 4 cm, diameter 13 cm.

Signature:

-          underside: Sava Konstantinovičem Kassanović

Description of the article: The water container is made of a single piece of silver.  It is circular, with a separate handle embossed with various geometric motifs.

6. WEDDING/CORONATION CROWN

Date of origin: 1931

Materijal: copper, gilding.

Technique: casting, gilding, engraving

Size: height 14 cm, diameter 19.5 cm.

Signature:

-          Inside edge of crown: Donation from tutors Messrs. Radoslav Ćorović, Ljuba Kuršumdžić, Uglješa Cucić and Đorđa Budešić to the Cathedral church in 1931.

Description of the article: Two metal bands are mounted on the rim of the crown so as to intersect at the top. There is a cross at the point where they meet.

7. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before 1873

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 22 cm.

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a donation from the Innkeepers' Guild to the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Sarajevo 1873.

Description of the article: The icon lamp consists of three discs or globes, of which the central is the largest, and the topmost is curved and open to hold the cup. Three handles for the chains of the lamp are attached to the central disc.

8. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before 1873

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 22 cm.

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a donation from the Innkeepers' Guild to the church of the Nativity of the Mother of God in Sarajevo 1873

Description of the article The icon lamp consists of three discs or globes, of which the central is the largest, and the topmost is curved and open to hold the cup. Three handles for the chains of the lamp are attached to the central disc.

9. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before March 1875

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 55 cm, diameter 36 cm

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a commemorative donation to the Sarajevo church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God Aleksa Petrov Šorić furrier March 13 1875.

Description of the article: A ring-handle is affixed to the base of the lamp, from which the central globe of the lamp is separated by three rings. The globe is composed of nine pommels to which are affixed three figures of angels holding the chains of the lamp, with three candle-holders between them. At the top the central globe narrows into a ring about 10 cm in height and then widens again into a similar but smaller globe. The top of this globe also narrows into a ring into which the cup is fitted.

10. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before March 1875

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 45 cm, diameter 26 cm

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a commemorative donation to the Sarajevo church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God Aleksa Petrov Šorić furrier March 13 1875.

Description of the article: A ring-handle is affixed to the base of the lamp, from which the central globe of the lamp is separated by three rings. The globe is composed of nine pommels to which are affixed three figures of angels holding the chains of the lamp, with three candle-holders between them. At the top the central globe narrows into a ring about 10 cm in height and then widens again into a similar but smaller globe. The top of this globe also narrows into a ring into which the cup is fitted.

11. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before March 1875

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 45 cm, diameter 26 cm

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a commemorative donation to the Sarajevo church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God Aleksa Petrov Šorić furrier March 13 1875.

Description of the article: A ring-handle is affixed to the base of the lamp, from which the central globe of the lamp is separated by three rings. The globe is composed of nine pommels to which are affixed three figures of angels holding the chains of the lamp, with three candle-holders between them. At the top the central globe narrows into a ring about 10 cm in height and then widens again into a similar but smaller globe. The top of this globe also narrows into a ring into which the cup is fitted.

12. ICON LAMP

Date of origin: before March 1875

Materijal: silver

Technique: casting, embossing

Size: height 45 cm, diameter 26 cm

Signature:

-          This icon lamp is a commemorative donation to the Sarajevo church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God Aleksa Petrov Šorić furrier March 13 1875.

Description of the article: A ring-handle is affixed to the base of the lamp, from which the central globe of the lamp is separated by three rings. The globe is composed of nine pommels to which are affixed three figures of angels holding the chains of the lamp, with three candle-holders between them.  At the top the central globe narrows into a ring about 10 cm in height and then widens again into a similar but smaller globe. The top of this globe also narrows into a ring into which the cup is fitted.

13. CANDLESTICK

Date of origin: c. 1900

Materijal: copper, gilding

Technique: casting, engraving

Size: height 126 cm, diameter 56 cm

Signature:

-          plinth: Donated by Jovan Mitrović goldsmith Sarajevo 1900. Born in Sarajevo 1839.

Description: The circular plinth stands on three lion's paws. Above it rises the tall, massive stem of the candlestick. At the top is a large circular container in which the candles are lit.

14. CANDLESTICK

Date of origin: c. 1900

Materijal: copper, gilding

Technique: casting, engraving

Size: height 126 cm, diameter 56 cm

Signature:

-          plinth: Donated by Jovan Mitrović goldsmith Sarajevo 1900. Born in Sarajevo 1839.

Description: The circular plinth stands on three lion's paws. Above it rises the tall, massive stem of the candlestick. At the top is a large circular container in which the candles are lit.

Books

1. GOSPELS

Date of origin: 1872

Printed in: Moscow

Size: 23.5 x 17 x 6 cm

Signature:

-          back page of the Gospels: Pomjani Gospodi raba svojega arhimandrita Savu iže prinese Svjato Jevanđelije ot Moskva carstvago grada.

-          end page: Repaired by Mila Ilić Samardžija in 1892. Former clergyman in that year.

Description: The leather covers of the Gospels are mounted in sheet silver.  The corners of the front cover are embossed with four medallions of the four evangelists, and in the centre is an embossed medallion with the figure of Christ.

The churchyard is surrounded by a wrought iron fence on a low stone wall.

 

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

During the 1992-1995 war, the Orthodox Cathedral church in Sarajevo suffered minor damage from shell shrapnel.

The following damage was found:

  1. Roof cladding and underlay
  2. Facade surfaces with parts of mouldings
  3. All glazed areas
  4. Exterior woodwork
  5. Exterior door and window fittings
  6. Bell mechanism
  7. Clock mechanism
  8. Parts of vault structure and sheet metal
  9. Electric wiring
  10. Interior fixtures and fittings
  11. Equipment

Technical documentation is available for the restoration works on the Orthodox Cathedral church in Sarajevo in 1998-1999, received by the Commission from the Cantonal Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Sarajevo.

The investor was the Federation of BiH – Federal Ministry of Education and Culture, and the donor was the Republic of Greece, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The project for the repairs to the Cathedral church in Sarajevo was drawn up by «Arhinvest» civil engineer Sarajevo, Krančevićeva 7, in April 1998. The stage of the project was architecture and construction. The designers were Rosić Nedeljko, grad. eng. archand Jovanović Dušan, grad. eng. arch, , for the architectural elements, and Hadžimusić Emir, grad. eng for the structural elements.

The project including making good the damage to the roof and facades of the building.

The roof was re-clad with new 0.6 mm copper sheet.

The restoration of the facades consisted of restoring the damaged areas: the cornices and string courses, pilasters, moulded arcades and other surfaces.

The restoration of the paint on the facades was carried out using paradiffusion paint (paint that "breathes").

The metal windows and bars on the facades were repaired and painted in the existing appearance [to match the existing appearance? – Trans.]  The windows were glazed with clear glass.

The restoration of the exterior woodwork was carried out by retaining all the existing elements with a stain finish "na tur".

Movable heritage:

In 2000 a study was drawn up for the conservation and restoration of the wall paintings – ornaments, iconostasis, pulpit, tomb of Christ, throne and mouldings on the facade of the church.

The study was compiled by a team of experts headed by Prof. Zvonimir Zeković MA, conservation adviser. The conservation examination of the wall decorations and ornamentation and the project for that part of the works was headed by Radomir Samardžić MSc, conservator restorer, and Nemanja Smičiklas, painter restorer. The conservation and laboratory examination and the drawing up of the project for that part of the works were entrusted to technical engineer Voino Nikolić, conservator technologist, and the conservation examination of the icons and iconostasis and the data processing were entrusted to Stojanka Samardžić, conservator and restorer.

 

5. Current condition of the property

An on site inspection ascertained as follows:

The building is in good structural condition, but the interior needs restoration.

Current condition of the movable heritage

Iconostasis:

The load-bearing wooden beams and solid and stable, but there are quantities of dirt – dust, wax and so on – and many coats of paint on the front and back of the iconostasis partition. Some of the structural elements attaching the icons to the iconostasis have given way through long use. The lower part of the iconostasis partition has suffered mechanical damage. The carving on the upper parts is covered with a coat of soot and impurities which have not been regularly cleaned as a result of the height of the partition. Wormholes can also be seen in these upper parts.

Part of the gilding has tarnished with age, and part has suffered mechanical damage.

Icons:

The protective coat of the icons is covered with a thick layer of soot and dust. The icons in the upper parts of the iconostasis are particularly subject to this. Some of the icons on the iconostasis are splashed with wax. The coat of paint and the base coat on some of the icons have cracked. Some of the icons have also suffered mechanical damage.

Tomb of Christ, pulpit and throne:

The wood and gilding are covered with a layer of dust. The lower parts have suffered mechanical damage as the result of use.

Metalwork items:

The articles are in good condition.

 

6. Specific risks

There are no specific risks to the monument of the Orthodox Cathedral church in Sarajevo.

 

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.ii.      quality of materials

C.iii.     proportions

C.iv.      composition

C. v.     value of details

C.vi.      value of construction

D. Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)

D.i.       material evidence of a lesser known historical era

D.ii.      evidence of historical change

D.iii.     work of a major artist or builder

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.i.       ontological 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

F. Townscape/ Landscape value

F.i.       relation to other elements of the site

F.ii.      meaning in the townscape

G. Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

G.iii.     use and function

G.iv.     traditions and techniques

G.v.      location and setting

G.vi.     spirit and feeling

I. Completeness

I.i.        physical coherence

I.ii.        homogeneity

I.iii.       completeness

I.iv.       undamaged condition

 

            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 Orthodox Cathedral church (church of the Holy Mother of God) as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:

 

1888.    Sava Kosanović, Nova srpskopravoslavna crkva u Sarajevu (The new Serbian Orthodox Church in Sarajevo). Bosanska vila, Sarajevo, 1888, 270

 

1949.    Filipović, M, Andrija Damjanović iz Velesa, zograf i neimar (oko 1813-1878) (Andrija Damjanović of Veles, church mural/icon painter and builder [c. 1813/1878]), Muzeji, 2, 1949, pp. 33-40.

 

1994.    Mileusenić, Slobodan, Duhovni genocid 1991-1993 (Spiritual Genocide 1991-1993), Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Beograd, 1994.

 

1997.    Kadijević, Aleksandar, Jedan vek traženja nacionalnog stila u srpskoj arhitekturi (sredina XIX – sredina XX veka) (A century of the quest for a national style in Serbian architecture [mid 19th to mid 20th century), Građevinska knjiga, Beograd, 1997.

 

1998.    Rakić, Svetlana, Ikone Bosne i Hercegovine (XVI do XIX vijek) (Icons of BiH [16th to 19th century]), Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments, Belgrade, Beograd, 1998.

 

2000.    Zvonimir Zeković, Elaborat konzervacija i restauracija zidnih dekoracija (ornamentike), ikonostasa, ikone, propovedaonice, trona, Hristovog groba (Study for the conservation and restoration of murals (ornamentation), iconostases, icons, pulpits, thrones, and tomb of Christ), Beograd 2000.

 

2002.    Liljana Ševo, Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878 (Orthodox churches and monasteries in BiH to 1878), Banja Luka, 2002.

 

2003.    Predrag Puzović, Srpska pravoslavna eparhija dabrobosanska, šematizam (Schematism of the Serbian Orthodox Dabrobosnian eparchy), Foča 2004.

 

Documentation of the Cantonal Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage, Sarajevo

 

(1) Andrija Damjanović of Veles, architect and fresco painter, lived between 1813 and 1878. Little is known about his life and person. He was a member of a family of prominent Macedonian fresco painters and builders, the Renzovkis (the second of four sons of Damjan Renzovski), which built and decorated churches throughout the Balkans, from Macedonia and Epirus to Bulgaria and Istanbul. A. Damjanov extended his activities to the northern and western Balkans. After acquiring a reputation as an all-round builder of Orthodox churches, during the period for which his work is best-kinown he gained orders from Orthodox parishes throughout the Principality of Serbia and Serb regions under Turkish rule (Kadijević, 1997, p. 15).

“It is not true to say of Andrija Damjanov that he was self-taught, still less that he was unskilled. On the contrary, everything he built reveals him as well-acquainted with construction and styles of building. He was just one of the last known builders of this part of the world who did not attend art school or a polytechnic to learn the rules of design and building, but underwent a long period of apprenticeship, advancing from initial apprenticeship to practice with experienced families of builders” (Jovanović, 1997). He gained considerable knowledge by studying monuments of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine eras, which he had the opportunity to familiarize himself with during his extensive travels. He matured at a time when western elements were not widely used in Macedonian, Epirean and other Orthodox regions under Turkish rule. As a result, his embracing the western tradition, as expressed primarily in decoration and interior design, is evidence of how up-to-date he was in his architecture, how ready to adopt the new trends in church architecture encountered in mid century in Salonika.

Andrija was a contemporary of Theophil Hansen’s, and they knew each other personally, so that the latter’s eclectic architecture had quite an influence on Andrija Damjanović's work.

When Andrija was negotiating with the Orthodox parish of Sarajevo over the construction of a new church in Sarajevo, the parishioners wanted him to show them a plan or drawing. He said he had no plan, but that they should take a look at the churches in Niš and Smederevo – and that he would build a church like those but even finer in Sarajevo. It was much the same in Mostar. He sent representatives of the Mostar parish to look at the church in Sarajevo. Presumably, though, some plans were used in building these churches.

Andrija Damjanov and his brothers mainly built churches and iconostases, but also secular buildings. While the new Orthodox church was being built in Sarajevo, they were also repairing the clock tower and building a large barracks in the city (known as Kršla, this was presumably the barracks where the present-day Bistrik barracks stand. It was demolished during the Austro-Hungarian period and the present barracks building was erected). As well as plans, they also made models. Andrija made a wooden model of the barracks he had built in Sarajevo, and took it to Istanbul.

For building the barracks, Andrija is said to have been decorated by the sultan and given the right to wear a sword. (Filipović, 1949, pp. 33-40).

(2) ..” The main thing was to collect funds for the building. Sultan Aziz first sent 500 ducats, and Simo Sokolović 30,000 groschen, all in altiluks (six groschen pieces). Prince Mihajlo sent 500 ducats from Belgrade.  The Sovjet and Ministry gave fair sums, but the major contribution came from the people of Sarajevo. Manojlo Jeftović alone gave 2000 ducats on several oapprox.sions. Everyone responded according to his means.» (Despić, 1941.)

(3) After World War I, when the church had suffered damage from the elements (the Austro-Hungarian army had removed the lead roof cladding and bell for war purposes, and re-clad the church with sheet metal), in May 1921 work began on its renovation (Puzović, 2004. )

(4) „The stars on the vaults of the church are of genuine gold leaf, as confirmed by laboratory analysis, and are applied to a blue background of some oil-based compound” (Zeković., 2000, 9)

(5) The royal doors consist of two icons; one half depicting the archangel Gabriel, and other the Holy Mother of God.

(6) Size including the frame

(7) Items used with the discus and chalice, and presumably received with them as a gift.



Orthodox Cathedral church Orthodox Cathedral church Orthodox Cathedral and Metropolitan's Palace  Branilaca grada Street with Orthodox Cathedral and Metropolitan's Palace
North facadeBelfry of the churchBelfryPortico
Main entranceAuxiliary entranceCourtyard and south entranceSouth portico
Main prayer space  Interior of the church – central dome and the part of iconostasis  NaveCentral dome
View from the gallery Gallery above the entrancePulpitSmall dome
Stained glass windows   


BiH jezici 
Commision to preserve national monuments © 2003. Design & Dev.: