Published
in the “Official Gazette of BiH”, no. 29/08.
Pursuant
to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve
National Monuments, at a session held from 3 to 9 July 2007 the Commission
adopted a
D E C I S
I O N
I
The
historic building of the Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and
Tuzla with movable heritage in Tuzla 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 36 icons.
The
National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 450/1
(new survey), cadastral municipality Tuzla II, Municipality Tuzla, Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The
single storey outbuilding (garage) built onto the south-west side of the
Bishop's Palace is not subject to the provisions of this Decision as a national
monument.
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, 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 research and 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 and under the expert
supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina,
-
during the course of
restoration and conservation works and those designed to present the property,
it is essential that the original appearance of the property be retained, using
original materials and methods of treating them and original building methods.
The
following protection measures are hereby stipulated for the movable
heritage:
The
display and other forms of presentation in Bosnia and Herzegovina of the
movable heritage referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter:
the movable heritage) shall be carried out subject to conditions to be
stipulated by the Federal ministry of responsible for culture.
Oversight
of the implementation of the measures to protect the movable heritage shall be
exercised 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 and rehabilitation thereof.
VI
The
removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina is
prohibited.
By way of
exception to the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Clause, the temporary
removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina
of the movable heritage for the purposes of display or conservation shall be
permitted if it is established that conservation works cannot be carried out in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Permission
for 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 the temporary removal of the movable heritage, the
Commission shall stipulate all the conditions under which the removal from
Bosnia and Herzegovina may take place, the date by which the 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 of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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 Federal ministry responsible for culture, the Federation heritage
protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning
and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry
out the measures stipulated in Articles II to VI of this Decision, and the
Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration
in the Land Register.
VIII
The
elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this
Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by
accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba)
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
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: 06.1-02-125/07-2
4 July 2007
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.
Following
a petition submitted in June 2007 by Lidija Fekeža, a Sarajevo-based
archaeologist, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments began the
procedure to designate the Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik
and Tuzla with movable heritage in Tuzla as a national
monument of BiH.
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 property are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The
Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla
is located in the central zone of Tuzla, in the quarter of the town known as
Srpska Varoš, in Đorđe Mihajlović
street, east of the City Park.
It is
located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 450/1 (new survey),
cadastral municipality Tuzla II, Municipality Tuzla, and is the property of the
Serbian Orthodox parish of Tuzla.
Historical information
At the
time when the headquarters of the Zvornik kaimakam was transferred from Zvornik
to Tuzla, in 1852, the episcopal see was also transferred from Zvornik to
Tuzla, and the eparchy became known as the eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla(1).
Since
there was no bishop's residence when the see was transferred to Tuzla, Metropolitan
Agatangel (1848-1858) resided in the house of hatji-priest Marko. Land was
purchased from Petra, the mother of Maksim Đukić
(this is the site where the Cathedral
Church now stands), to
build a bishop's residence within which premises would be set aside for
religious worship. Materials, stone and other building materials and slaked
lime, were procured. The works were carried out by a craftsman by the name of
Josip Kozina, of Slimen near Travnik, while parishioners helped as labourers. The
ground floor was built of stone, and the first floor of timber(2), with the building itself
resting on oak pile footings. Once the property was complete, the ground floor
housed a school, and later, from 1854 on, a church; the first floor had six
spacious rooms for the bishop, dean, secretary and guests. After the ground
floor of the bishop's residence was converted into a chapel dedicated to the
Dormition of the Virgin, and an altar was erected there with a consecrated
antimensium, a separate wattle-and-daub cottage was erected east of the church
to house the school, with four rooms, two for the teacher and two classrooms.
During
the time of Metropolitan Pajsije (who moved to Tuzla
from Vidin in
1868), the bricks and 300 loads of slaked lime that had been made ready in 1865
to build the church were used, despite opposition from the church
commissioners, to build a new Metropolitan's palace, in the spring of 1869. After
this was complete a school was also built, with an inscription on the façade:
"Serb National School
1873" (this building later housed the Sokolana).
Agatangel's
konak was demolished before work began on building the new Cathedral Church
in 1874.
During
his travels around Bosnia
in 1879, Pavel Apolonović Rovinski wrote that the Orthodox church was being
built and that religious services were being held in a small school. He also
provided a description of the varoš in Donja (Lower) Tuzla(3).
A letter
from the Metropolitan of Zvornik and Tuzla,
Ilarion, sent to the Provincial Government in Sarajevo on 12 December 1915 (no. 280 x 1915)
appealing for financial assistance to equip the Metropolitan's residence,
reveals that Metropolitan Ilarion moved into his residence on 20 December 1915(4).
It may be
deduced from a transcript of the response (Nr. 216864, 1915) from the
Provincial Government to the Metropolitan that the property had not been not
fully completed by December 1915(5).
A letter
from Metropolitan Ilarion of Zvornik and Tuzla sent on 9 September 1916 to the
Technical Department of the District Authority in Tuzla (no. 216/M. Prez)
concerning a refund of a certain sum, provides a good deal of information on
the furnishings of the Metropolitan's Palace, and on the traders or companies from
whom the furnishings were purchased(6).
There are
several invoices and estimates in German in the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the folder with documentation
no. 248-166 of 1916, pertaining to the construction and furnishing of the
Metropolitan's Palace in Tuzla.
The
extraction of salt deposits in Tuzla
led to subsidence, the impact of which is to be seen in the deformation of
properties (a problem which became most marked after the 1970s). In the spring
of 1987 preparations began for repairs to the Palace and church. On completion
of the repair works the Cathedral
Church and the Bishop's
Palace were consecrated on Sunday 22 July 1990. The liturgy was led by Bishop
Danilo of Buda.
2. Description of the property
There are
some doubts as to the designer of the Metropolitan's Palace in Tuzla. In her work Arhitekt Karlo Pařik (Architect
Karlo Pařik, doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb, 1989, 198-199, Vol. I, and Vol.
II, Illustrations, illus. XXIX a. and XXIX b.) Branka Dimitrijević refers to
drawings of the Tuzla Metropolitan's Palace dating from July 1913, compiled in
the Civil Engineering Department of the Provincial Government, with the
signatures of the head of the Civil Engineering Department, Kušević, and Rudolf
Tennies, as well as Karlo Pařik (on the drawing of the cross section), whereas
other drawings, dated January 1911, found in the holdings of the Archives of
Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, bear the signatures of Josip Pospišil,
left-hand corner, and Karlo Pařik, close to the right-hand corner of the
heading of the drawing (documentation of the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina
in Sarajevo, folder with documentation no. 248-166, 1915).
A
comparison between the drawings for the design of the Metropolitan's Palace in
Mostar, designed by Karl Pařik in 1908, and the designs of the Metropolitan’s
Palace in Tuzla dating from 19111 and 1913, indicates beyond doubt that the
layout of the Tuzla Metropolitan’s Palace, with rooms around a central hall lit
from above by a skylight, was borrowed from the concept of the Mostar
Metropolitan’s Palace.
In her
work Arhitekt Karlo Pařik (Architect Karlo Pařik, doctoral dissertation,
Faculty of Architecture of the University of Zagreb, 1989, 199) Branka
Dimitrijević describes and compares the Tuzla and Mostar Metropolitan’s Palaces
as follows: "The façades of the Metropolitan’s Palace in Tuzla are treated
as a strictly geometric composition, with shallow niches and channels in the
wall face, and sharp shadows accentuating the verticals in the composition. The
original geometricized details were executed with precision, accentuating the
linear nature and cubism of the forms. The striking monumentality and crudely
vertical nature of the main façade of the Metropolitan’s Palace in Mostar are
replaced by a strict composition with its roots in the historicist style, but
with a new treatment of the wall surface giving it a restrained, unemphatic
appearance. Pařik’s Mostar design was the starting-point for this project, but it
cannot be said that he was also responsible for the final solution for the
layout and façades. Tőnnies does not list this design in the overview of his
works, so that there remain doubts concerning the designer of this interesting
work."
The
building has a basement, ground floor and first floor. In
plan it measures approx. 23 x 21.85 metres. It was built of brick, with a
structural system consisting of solid transversal and longitudinal bearing
walls approx. 60 cm thick. The entrance to the building is to the north,
where the design was for a representative triple-flight staircase (the
stairwell area measuring approx. 6.50 x 5.30 m) and a central mirrored area. The
building has another side staircase of four flights (stairwell area measuring
approx. 3.80 x 3.50 m) in the north-west corner. The main staircase leads to
the central hall, measuring 7.60 x 8.75 m, lit by a roof light, made possible
by the design of the technical solution: the central areas of the ceilings
above the ground and first floors are made of glass bricks. The walls around
the hall rise through the roof area to a height of approx. 5.40 metres. The
daylight height of the premises are: basement approx. 5.00 m, ground floor
approx. 5.00 m, first floor approx. 4.20 m. In line with the project design,
the ceilings are of composed of wooden entablements. The building has a
multipaned roof, with a wooden roof frame (using wooden posts in the parts of
the roof surrounding the hall and a simple pent roof above the hall itself).
In terms
of the treatment of the rooms within the building, the ground floor houses the
offices of the Bishop's Council and Board of Administration, and the Eparchy
Museum, with the Bishop's residence on the first floor: a reception room (5.50
x 8.50 m), a conference room (4.50 x 6.50 m), a dining room (5.50 x 7.30 m), a
kitchen and utility rooms, a bedroom, a chapel, the Bishop's bedroom with
dressing room and bathroom, a guest room and a toilet block.
The
basement extends below about 2/3 of the building and contains utility rooms.
According
to the axonometric drawing of the exterior treatment of the plot around the
building, dated January 1911, a landscaped garden with paths, formal
beds, an arbour (open kiosk) and fountain was envisaged to the south-west of
the building, but this was never carried out. In 1925, instead of the terrace
designed to be to the south-west of the building, a garage with a footprint of
approx. 5 x 21.85 m was built(7).
There is
now a parking area behind the Bishop’s Palace, on the north-west part of the
plot.
THE MOVABLE HERITAGE
1. ARCHANGEL
MICHAEL AND ST JOHN
THE BAPTIST (PRECURSOR)
Artist:
unidentified Serbian icon painter
Date: 17th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 43 x
31.4 cm
Description: The
standing figures of the Archangel Michael and St John the Baptist are portrayed
against a gold background. The archangel is in military garb, with a blue,
short-sleeved tunic, gold breastplate and red chlamys. He is holding a sword in
his right hand and an open scroll of paper in his left. St John the Baptist is
wearing a blue camel-hair robe and a dark greenish himation. His right hand is
on his breast, while in his left he is holding a scroll with the inscriptions:
"Repent yet: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3,2) and "And
now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees" (Matthew 3,10).
The
saints are depicted in full frontal poses, with their haloes indicated against
the gold background by double punched circlets. Their names are inscribed in
red above their haloes.
The
border, which is somewhat wider than the central panel, has floral ornaments on
all four sides – twining vines with bold green flowers with red seeds at their
hearts.
The layer
of paint on the icon has worn thin in places.
Judging
from the skin tones, although they are in poor condition, the modelling of the
wide brown shadows, the black lines indicating the strands of hair and beard,
the short white highlights around the eyes, and the small mouths with white
highlights above and below, this is the work of an unidentified late 17th
century Serbian icon painter attempting to imitate his precursor, Georgije
Mitrinović. (Rakić, 1998, 105-106)
2. THE
APOSTLES IN A DEESIS COMPOSITION – PART OF THE TEMPLON OF THE ICONOSTASIS FROM
MAČKOVAC
Artist:
unidentified Serbian icon painter (master from Mačkovac)
Date: 17th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 43 x 94
cm
Description: The
artist who made the iconostasis in Zavala also made the iconostasis for the
church in Mačkovac, of which only two sections of the templon have survived,
with the apostles in a Deesis composition. The central section of the templon,
portraying Christ flanked by the Virgin and John, and the apostles Peter and
Paul, has been lost.
The
right-hand board portrays the apostles Thomas, James, Thaddeus and Luke, and
the left-hand the apostles Mark, Simon, Bartholomew and John. The figures are
set below relief arches, decorated on the underside with astragals, supported
by uprights that are widened at the base. The treatment of the figures of the
apostles in the Deesis composition is the same on this templon and on the one
from Zavala. They are holding white rotuli, except for Luke and Mark who are
holding the Gospels. The background is gold above and two shades of green, dark
and then light, below. The names of the saints are inscribed in cinnabar red
(vermilion). The draperies are for the most part in a combination of red and
blue, draped with broad black pleats, and turned up at the bottom as though
fluttering in the wind. The haloes are indicated by an engraved and punched
circlet. The squarish faces are executed with black lines and shadows around
the eyes.
The
background of the gilded carving is red. At the end of the frieze is a panel
painted red, upon which is painted a white rose with three buds (Rakić,
1998, 126.127).
3. THE
NEVER-SLEEPING EYE WITH APOSTLES AND OLD TESTAMENT KINGS – TYMPANUM OF THE
ROYAL DOORS OF THE ICONOSTASIS FROM PAPRAĆA
Artist: icon
painter Stanoje Popović of Martinci
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 66 x
153.2 cm
Description: The
priest and icon painter Stanoje Popović from the village of Martinci
was among the finest artists of early Baroque icon painting just before it died
out in the mid 18th century. In Bosnia,
he made the iconostasis for the monumental church of the Papraća monastery, of
which only fragments and a few icons have survived, now in Sarajevo, Visoko and Blagaj near Mostar. Stanoje's
art is directly associated with the post-Byzantine tradition of iconography. He
probably gained his basic craft working with an artist trained in the studios
of Salonika: the baroque elements used by icon painter Stanoje resemble much
more closely those of Salonika than of the
Russo-Ukrainian Baroque, which was extremely popular in Serbian icon painting
at that time. He painted for the monasteries of Šišatovac, Kuveždin, Vrdnik,
Privina Glava, and many other churches in Srem. His signature style was fully
developed to the point of precision of line and full maturity of colour
palette.
The
subject of the Never-Sleeping Eye is commonly used for the tympanum of an iconostasis,
above the composition of the Annunciation(8) or, more rarely, the Deesis(9). Complex iconographic subjects such as the Never-Sleeping Eye
entered the decorative repertoire on the altar partitions of Serbian churches
in the early 14th century, under the influence of Serbian theologians from
Hilandar and Salonika-based artists working for King Milutin in St Nikita in
Čučero, where this subject is to be found on the painted decorations of the
partition pillar even before 1316 (Rakić, 1998, 38). In Srem, Banat,
Bačka and Hungary,
where icon painting flourished in the first half of the 18th century, this
religious subject was readily adopted, since it was at that very time, under
the influence of Russian and Ukrainian Baroque literature, that moralistic and
didactic ecclesiastical and lay literature was evolving at that time. This
much-used motif reflected the general spiritual and artistic state of Serbian
early Baroque, which adopted this literary and artistic subject, imbued with
the emotion of a much earlier symbolism – the ever-watchful love of Christ.
The
tympanum with the composition of the Never-Sleeping Eye flanked by the Old
Testament kings David and Solomon, and the right-hand section of the templon
with prophets, are the only surviving parts of the old iconostasis of the
Papraća monastery(10).
The
tympanum with the Never-Sleeping Eye from the church in Neštin, painted by the
icon painter Stanoje in 1741, is housed in the Matica srpska gallery in Novi Sad. Its
iconographic and stylistic treatment reveals all the attributes of the Papraća
artist. Both icons are set in narrow gilded frames(11) carved in bas-relief with the
same spiralling foliage design. The inscriptions recording the names of the
figures portrayed are in lettering of the identical shape. The chequerboard
floor of the interior, running in two directions and narrowing in perspective,
and the simple line of the flowers in the panels, which are not hatched, are
among the typical elements by which the work of the icon painter Stanoje may be
recognized. He borrowed this element from the engravings of the evangelists in
the Russian Bible. The archangels framing the scene on the tympanums in Papraća
and Neštin are depicted in a very distinctive pose, hovering as though they had
leapt in the air on one foot. On the Papraća tympanum, Stanoje painted the Archangel
Gabriel with a vessel containing the instruments of the Passion – the icon
painter taking iconographic liberties(12). He painted the Archangel Michael holding a cloth opposite the
Archangel Gabriel. The Virgin is standing beside him. The central section of
the tympanum portrays the figure of Christ in a blue robe with a gold-bordered
red cloak, one hand bent below his head and the other at his side, and his
right leg crossed over his left. The portrayal of Christ is set in an
ochre-toned oval surrounded by a red line, with red drapery above the oval and
a view of a city below. A rectangular panel beside the Archangel Michael
contains the figure of King David, portrayed as a middle-aged man with grey
beard and hair who is turned slightly to the left towards Christ and the
archangels. He is wearing a crown, and a red cloak decorated with gold panels. He
has a scroll in his left hand with an inscription (the initial red, the other
letters dark), to which he is pointing with his right. Opposite King David, in
a matching rectangular panel, is King Solomon, turned slightly to the right
towards Christ and the archangels. He is wearing a red cloak decorated with
gold panels, and a blue robe. He has a scroll in his right hand with an
inscription (the initial red, the other letters dark), to which he is pointing
with his left.
The
decorative borders of the fabric, the bold floral ornaments woven in gold, the
unusual skin tones, the shape of the hands and feet, the gold haloes surrounded
by red and white lines, and the highly distinctive and daring colour harmony in
a delicate balance of a number of primary colours with no variegation, are
enough to remove all doubt that the priest Stanoje, one of the best icon
painters in the Karlovac metropolitanate, worked in Papraća (Rakić, 1998,
149-151)
4. THE
PROPHETS AARON, JACOB, EZEKIEL, HABAKKUK AND ZECHARIAH – PART OF A TEMPLON
Artist: icon
painter Stanoje Popović of Martinci
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 161 x
44.5 cm
Description: This,
the only surviving piece of the templon of the iconostasis, depicts five
prophets from the Deesis composition, facing the missing central scene of the
Deesis itself. The prophet Aaron is wearing the robes of an Old Testament
priest and holding his flowering rod, Jacob is portrayed with the ladder to
heaven, Ezekiel with double doors, Aaron with a bush, and Zechariah with an
open scroll.
The
nearest parallel to this plaque is the tripartite Deesis composition with the
apostles on the templon of the iconostasis from Banoštor, now in the Matica
srpska gallery in Novi Sad.
The apostles from Banoštor are also set in a bas-relief carved gilded frame of
small pillars with rosettes between and arcades with rope-twist and palm frond
designs, like the Papraća prophets. The icon painter Stanoje portrays the
apostles full-length, but the prophets are shown knee-length, cut off at the
point where the coffered floor begins in the case of the apostles. The
background is the same on both iconostases, blue above and marbled below. The artistic
treatment is the same, and the beardless figures of the apostles Thomas and
Philip are very similar to those of the prophets Avacum and Zechariah, as are
those of the older men beside them; among both the apostles and the prophets
they have long beards and the same facial expression (the apostle Bartholomew
and the prophets Aaron and Jacob) (Rakić, 1998, 151)
5. ST
STEFAN NEMANJA AND ST DEMETRIUS
Artist:
unidentified Serbian baroque icon painter
Date: mid
18th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 24.3 x
21 cm
Description: The
standing figures of St Stefan Nemanja and St Demetrius are portrayed against a
gold background and dark hillock with a small tree on the summit. The Serbian
inscriptions with the names of the saints are in cinnabar red above their heads
(St Stefan Nemanja's inscription is missing). St Stefan Nemanja is portrayed in
a monk's habit, with a monk's cowl on his head and an analabos around his neck,
painted with red crosses on bases (symbol of the cross of Golgotha) and Adam's
skull (symbol of human sin, redeemed by Christ's death on the cross). Christ's
initials were inscribed in cinnabar red around the cross, but only vestiges now
survive. He is holding an open scroll inscribed with the words: "See the
enemy [the devil] has cast his net about the land." He is holding in his
left hand a model of his principal and greatest architectural work – the
Studenica monastery. The model also shows the tower that was erected over the
west entrance to the monastery in the 13th century, and part of the massive
monastery boundary wall.
St
Demetrius is portrayed as a warrior with a spear in his right hand and a palm
branch in his left, the symbol of his martyrdom. He is wearing a gold
breastplate and dark tunic decorated with gold bead borders. He has gold boots,
and over his left shoulder is a gold chlamys with red outlines and folds. The
full-length cloak on his back is damaged and hard to make out. The saints'
haloes were originally larger, but later indicated by a smaller red circlet. At
top centre is a dove with wings outstretched – the Holy Spirit.
The faces
of the saints, with their ruddy cheeks, particularly St Demetrius', where the
flush extends to his neck, ears and eyelids, are already largely marked by the
influence of western Baroque art. SS Simeun and Demetrius have the features of
actual portraits, making them much more realistic than the Byzantine
stylization that was still retained in Serbian 17th icon painting. The artistic
treatment could also possibly indicate a Russian origin for this icon, although
the Serbian inscriptions suggest the hand of a local icon painter (Rakić,
1998, 156-157)
6. THE
VIRGIN OF THE SIGN WITH FIGURES OF SAINTS IN MEDALLIONS
Artist:
unidentified Serbian Baroque icon painter
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 51 x
55.5 cm
Description: There
are many signatures for the Virgin Oranta with a medallion of Christ on her
bosom (several toponyms, as well as hymnal and dogmatic signatures). The
iconographic formula of the mother and son with a medallion features a mother
who is not holding her child but has her arms outstretched to save the world. This
subject came into being as an expression of a profound theological synthesis of
the incarnation of the logos – the wisdom and advocacy of the mother – the
light of a parent.
Dogmatically
speaking, the figure of the Virgin of the Sign pertains to the Virgin Sign of
the Logis, while the poetic term Širšaja – spanning the heavens – is but an
outstanding metaphor for the position of the empress of the world as the
Virgin. In Serbian monumental mural art the Virgin Oranta with a medallion of
Christ on her bosom, Spanning the Heavens, is often to be found in a place of
honour in the conch of the apse or the altar space. In Byzantine art the type
of the Virgin as advocate was quite widespread, and far more popular than any
of her other variants.
The
self-taught local icon painter attempted to make the subject as ceremonial as
possible. The Virgin's large, wide-open eyes and the smile hovering on her lips
were intended to convey the sense of both the passion and the mercy of the
Mother of God. The icon is quite badly damaged, particularly the greater part
of the gilded background. The Virgin's halo had a punched surround with punched
floral decorations within, of which only vestiges are now discernible. The
medallion of Christ was also gold-hatched. The artist modelled the drapery
merely with a thick line, which still manages to convey a sense of volume.
To right
and left are wide borders with medallions in imitation of Baroque cartouches
interlinked by spiralling foliar ornaments and containing the figures of
various saints. At the top are the archangels Michael and Gabriel, the former
holding a sword and orb, the latter holding a sword and giving a blessing. In the
middle, to the left and right of the Virgin, are St Nicholas and St Sava the
Serb, as archpriests, holding the Gospels in one hand and giving a blessing
with the other. At the bottom are military saints on horseback – to the left,
St George killing the dragon, and to the right St Demetrius spearing Kaloyan (Rakić,
1998, 160-162)
7. DEESIS
WITH PROPHETS AND SAINTS
Artist: Todor
Stefanović Valjevac
Date: 1767
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 113 x
91 cm
Description: The
central panel, accentuated by carving and gilded, depicts the usual scene of
the Deesis with Christ on a Baroque-style throne flanked by the Virgin and St
John the Precursor. The lower part of this central panel portrays St Nicholas,
as archpriest on a throne, with to the side the figure of holy warriors on
horseback – St George killing the dragon (left) and St Demetrius with a spear
(right). Christ's Gospels, the haloes, arms and legs of the saints, and St
Demetrius' spear are mounted with embossed silver. Above this central
rectangular panel are the kneeling figures of the archangels Michael and
Gabriel framed in a band, and the bust of God the Father holding a mitre, set
in rays of light. The lower section contains the half-length figures of St
Petka, St Sava, St Simeon Nemanje, St Stefan the First-Crowned and St Anne. It
is not unusual for the figures of the leading Serbian saints to be portrayed,
but it is significant in indicating the spread of their cult to all
Serb-inhabited lands, including those under the Ottomans in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. To left
and right are baroque medallions interlinked by roses and fleur-de-lis, six on
each side, with the figures of prophets. Bottom right is an inscription in
white recording that the painting Molenie raba božiega Tomi and the date
(1767). The artist's signature – Teodor Stefanov pisa – is in the extreme right corner of the
painting.
The work
of this artist reflects a new spiritual climate and changes in the attitude of
the leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church to long-since outmoded models and
proponents of iconography. In the Belgrade
pashaluk, Patriarch Arsenije IV Jovanović's appeal to artists to come to
Sremski Karlovci to study under the experience Russian icon painter, the gifted
Jovo Vasilijevič, met with a response. Among the first artists from Serbia to study under him was Teodor Stefanović
Valjevac or Gologlavac, as he also signed his works, after his birthplace, the village of Golo Glava near Valjevo. Typically,
Stefanović no longer signed his works as an icon painter but as a house
painter; it is also true that his work often took him away from his home to
Srem, Bačka or Bosnia.
His earliest works are in Srem, the iconostasis of the church in Šatrinci and
the iconostasis of the Divša monastery, made in the 1750s. In the 1760s
Stefanović returned home, and then worked for a while in and around Šapac, a
town with strong economic and cultural links with Srem and Sremski Karlovci. A
year before painting this icon of the Deesis, he made the iconostasis in the
Kaoni cave-church monastery, near Koceljevo, in Brankovina, where the princes
of Valjevo were based.
In about
1766-1767 Teodor Stefanović was in Bosnia, where he created a number
of icons. In addition to this Deesis, he also put his name to an icon of the
Virgin with Christ and St John
in Tešanj. The icon dedicated to SS Cosma and Damian, also in the Tešanj
collection, is also ascribed to him.
The
Deesis icon was made in 1767, and falls between the iconography of the first
half of the 18th century and the emergence of the first trained Serbian baroque
artists, belonging wholly neither to the one nor the other style. The drapery
of the figures is still modelled linear-fashion for the most part, without the
restlessness of the Baroque, decorated with a dotted ornament and a network of
gold stylizations on Christ's himation – a direct borrowing from the art of the
icon painter. Christ's somewhat baroque-style throne, the edges accentuated by
white dots, was also seen by Stefanović on the icons of early baroque icon
painters from Srem. The anatomically surprisingly accurate figure of St
George's and St Demetrius' horses and the first signs of a realistic treatment
of the faces of the saints (in the case of Christ, the Virgin and John the
Precursor), however, already hint at the influence of the western Baroque,
which gradually came to dominate Serbian iconography during the second half of
the 18th century as a result of the links between the Karlovac metropolitanate
and the Ukraine and Kiev. This influence is also to be seen in the bouquets of
flowers and the baroque-style cartouches with prophets in the bands surrounding
the icon (Rakić, 1998, 165-167)
8. HOLY
TRINITY WITH THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL, ST SAVA THE SERB AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
(PRECURSOR)
Artist: Risto
Nikolić
Date: 1861
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 117 x
83.5 cm
Description: The
painted area is divided by clouds into two horizontal sections. The top section
depicts the Holy Trinity: God the Son with the cross on which he was crucified,
holding the Gospels, God the Father holding a baroque sceptre, and the Holy
Spirit, as a dove emanating rays of light. Below the feet of Christ and the
Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, is an orb topped by a cross. The Holy Trinity is
surrounded by angels of various ranks and appearance.
The
bottom section depicts the standing figure of the Archangel Michael as a
warrior, holding a sword and scales, St Sava as the first Serbian archbishop,
giving a blessing with one hand and holding his bishop's crosier in the other,
and the Winged St John the Baptist with his severed head in one hand and a long
cross in the other, which is raised in blessing. Between the archangel and St
Sava is the donor's inscription, recording that the icon was the gift of Trifko
Ristić, a merchant and resident of Zvornik, on 9 June 1861; the artist signed
himself Rista Nikolić, icon painter.(13) (Rakić, 1998, 179-181)
9. THE
VIRGIN AND JOHN THE BAPTIST FROM A DEESIS
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: second
half of the 15th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 78.2 x
52 cm
Description: Since
the middle Byzantine period (843-1204), large icons have been mounted above a
marble parapet, between the pillars supporting an architrave. There were
usually four icons, depicting Christ in the middle flanked by the Virgin and St
John the Baptist, together composing the Deesis, calling upon God and the
patron saints of the church. Above this is the templon, which since the 10th
century has been adorned with paintings of the church festivals.
The icons
of the Virgin and St John were brought to Tuzla from the Lomnica
monastery, and are the only surviving pieces of a now lost iconostasis, where
they were probably mounted among the throne icons. The central icon, portraying
Christ the Judge to whom the Virgin and John are appealing for the salvation of
human souls, has been lost. Even on the icon of the Virgin, all that has
survived is the head; the entire lower part of the icon, as well as the topmost
board with the top of the maphorion, are later additions, the crude work of a
local painter. However, the part that has survived reveals the hand of a superb
artist, who worked in Crete, remaining true to
the finest traditions of 14th century Byzantine icon painting. The slight
influence of the Italian Renaissance can be observed in the Virgin's extremely
gentle, lovely face, slightly flushed cheeks and softly achieved volumes, fully
moulded, with none of the linearism of the Byzantine view of spirituality. The
gold tassels and zigzag decoration of the edge of the maphorion reveal a
sensitive feeling for ornament.
John's
thin, elongated face with sunken cheeks is also well moulded, but with a
calligraphic emphasis of the musculature of the face. Pale lines are used to
indicate the main highlights, while the pedantry of the linear approach is
particularly noticeable in the long, wavy, tonally shaded strands of John's
hair. His face, unlike that of the Virgin, is deeply contemplative, full of
anxiety for the unfathomable mysteries of the Last Judgment which the human
soul must face. The artistry of the unidentified Cretan master is particularly
marked in John's hands, with their long, slender fingers. The colour harmony of
the grey-green and light red of John's mantle and robe, underlined by the
gleaming gold background, contributes to the overall harmony of the painting.
The drapery is richly gathered, treated in the strict geometric stylizations of
the Byzantine tradition, which completely conceal the form of John's body and
creating an abstract, disembodied impression.
The Tuzla icons of the Virgin and John from the Deesis belong
among the finest surviving examples of early Cretan icon painting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Rakić, 1998, 189-192)
10. TWO
HERMITS WITH SCENES FROM THEIR LIVES (ANTHONY THE GREAT AND PAUL OF LATROS)
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: 16th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 34.8 x
46 cm
Description: In the
foreground are the standing figures of two famous hermits – St Anthony the
Great, in a monk's cassock, and St Paul of Latros, in goatskins. In the
vertical design of the composition, the background around them consists of a
picturesque landscape with many small figures of monks going about their
business in the desert. This typically Byzantine subject was a favourite at
that time. Busy compositions with many small scenes of the life of a saint in
the desert were often painted on, for example, icons depicting the death of St
Ephraim the Syrian in the desert, painted in Crete
from the 15th century onwards.
This icon
is an example of Cretan painting remaining true in every regard to the pure
Orthodox tradition. Only the small figure of a deer in the bottom left-hand
corner, which is an idyllic motif adopted from Italian art, departs from the
Byzantine style. In the background, the heads of hermits peering from their
caves can be seen, while to the right is the figure of a hermit making some
article or other. At the beginning of his life as a hermit, St Anthony used to
make various articles which he sold to buy bread to feed the hungry. Beside
this cave is the hovel in which St Anthony lived as an anchorite for a time. At
the top of the icon is the monastery that would usually be built at the foot of
an isolated rocky desert outcrop. In these monasteries lived monks who sang,
read, prayed, fasted and worked so that they could distribute alms. On this
icon, there are monks seated on a bench reading, and monks with tools working a
patch of ground planted with flowers. The man who carried St Anthony on his
back is also featured. This man was an acquaintance of his who used to bring
him food; finding him once badly wounded, he thought he was dead and carried
him on his back to the village. There is also a man on horseback, probably one
of the many monks who used to come to St Anthony the Great for advice. A spring
of water bursting from a rock is depicted in the bottom left-hand corner of the
icon, along with the small figure of a monk holding a staff. It was a common
miracle of the desert hermits to create water where there was none, through the
power of prayer; this is ascribed to both Anthony and Paul.
At the
top of the icon, against the gold background, are the vestiges of a Greek
inscription in red, with the names of the saints. The technique reveals an
unusually minute attention to detail, while the composition, despite the mass
of details, constitutes a tightly-knit, harmonious whole (Rakić, 1998,
200-201)
11. THE
VIRGIN HODIGITRIA
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: first
half of the 16th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 52 x
39.5 cm
Description: The
Virgin is portrayed with the infant Christ in the well-known iconographic type
of the Hodigitria, though not given here in the rigidly formal variant of the
erect, frontal figures of the mother and child, lacking any bond of emotion. The
figures are slightly leaning towards and facing each other, and the sense of
tenderness between them is created by the subtle position of the heads – the
Virgin's tilted towards her child's, and Christ's raised towards hers. Christ,
his left foot slightly raised, is portrayed giving a blessing with one hand and
holding a scroll in the other.
The way
in which the draper and skin tones are modelled, and indeed the entire artistic
treatment, is strictly true to the classical Cretan tradition of the late 15th
and early 16th century. The soft shadowing of the faces, and the typical
punched floral ornament of the haloes, adopted from the Venetian Renaissance,
are an integral part of the eclecticism of Cretan art, which nonetheless
remained true in essence to the spirit of Byzantine art of the time of the
Paleologi. Christ's chiton is richly hatched with gold, as is the border of the
Virgin's maphorion and the fringes of the sleeves. This icon is one of the
best-preserved creations of 16th century Cretan art in this part of the world (Rakić,
1998, 201-202)
12. THE
VIRGIN GLYKOPHILOUSA
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: second
half of the 16th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 51.4 x
39.8 cm
Description: The
Virgin is portrayed in the well-known iconographic type of the Glycophilousa,
created in this manner on the icons of Andreas Ritzos in the second half of the
15th century. The haloes, set against the gold background, are quite badly
damaged, but can still be seen to have punched decoration, in the already
familiar manner adopted from Venetian art. Only traces of the Virgin's and
Christ's initials have survived.
The basic
impression is created by the broad highlighted surfaces of the plump-cheeked
faces with cool chestnut-brown shading. This shading gives the Virgin's face a
distinctive expressivity. A profound sense of wistfulness can be seen in her
dark, rather wide-set eyes, still of the almond shape of classical Cretan icon
painting, with long, slightly arched eyebrows. The skill of the artistic
treatment can also be seen in the subtle contrast of the cool shadows and warm,
light pink skin tones. Christ's himation follows the contours of his body,
revealing its roundedness (Rakić, 1998, 217-218)
13. THE
VIRGIN WITH CHRIST AND THE INFANT ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
Artist:
unidentified Italo-Cretan artist
Date: 16th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 92 x
75.2 cm
Description: This
typically Renaissance iconographic motif of the Virgin with the infant Christ
and St John the
Baptist with a lamb, the children communicating with each other, is given here
in a markedly Byzantine interpretation by a Greek artist who has created a
distinctive symbiosis of the Venetian and the Cretan. The lamb, symbol of
Christ's sacrifice, here constitutes a vivid expression of John's saying that
Christ is the Lamb of God, which features in the Latin text on the scroll
around John's long staff topped by a cross (Agnus Dei). In 16th century
Venetian art, this was a common subject, set in a lifelike landscape with the
curly-haired, plump, naked Christ standing in the Virgin's lap. The Virgin is
garbed in magnificent Renaissance draperies with a deep slash at the neck, and
is bare-headed. The treatment of the figures is lifelike, with portrait-like
characteristics. The Greek artist who painted this icon remained within the
framework of the Byzantine artistic tradition and spirituality, adopted only
certain formal elements from the Renaissance milieu in which he lived. He gave
the icon a gold background, and portrayed the Virgin in the manner usual for
the Hodigitria, with Christ on her left arm. Their clothing – the Virgin's
maphorion, covering her head, and high-necked under-robe, and Christ's chiton
and himation, richly hatched with gold – as well as Christ's straight hair, are
entirely true to Greek post-Byzantine art. The border of the Virgin's
maphorion, with gold ornament consisting of twining vines, the white scarf over
her head instead of a Greek cap, and the small gold lily-like decorations on
her robe, are borrowed from Venetian Renaissance art.
The major
influence of the western Renaissance, also indicating that the icon was painted
in Venice, is
to be seen in the treatment of the skin tones, with soft tonal shading lacking
any linear strokes. This modelling gives the faces volume, free of Byzantine
stylization, but is still remote from the western Renaissance style of
true-to-life figures. This icon is an excellent example of the isolation of
Greek art and its resistance to the powerful influences of the Renaissance
environment in which Greek artists lived in Venice (Rakić, 1998, 225-227)
14. PIETÀ
Artist:
Emmanuell Lambardos
Date: early
17th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 28.7 x
22.8 cm
Description: When
painting this western iconographic motif, Lambardos remained true to the
Italian models and to depictions of the Virgin's open maphorion and the white
scarf over her head below the hood of the maphorion. His artistic treatment
reveals a return to the models of 14th century Byzantine art. The artist's
signature is in the lower part of the icon, by the rock on which the Virgin is
seated.
The
Virgin seated on a bare rock, the shape of which seems to be an extension of
the outlines of her maphorion, with the dead Christ laid horizontally in her
lap, is a common subject of 15th century Cretan art. Lambardos' icon reiterates
the treatment of those early Cretan icons (Rakić, 1998, 228-230)
15. THE
VIRGIN WITH CHRIST ENTHRONED (OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS)
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: early
17th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 118 x
80 cm
Description: The top
corners of the icon features the busts of angels, hands concealed under their
draperies, doing honour to the Virgin, who is seated on a wooden,
Byzantine-style throne. Her hands are laid gently on the shoulders of the
infant Christ, who is seated on her left knee. The Virgin's left leg is raised
slightly to accommodate the child. The draping on the icon is executed with
close-set, sharply angled folds. The modelling of the faces is strictly linear,
with thick clusters of parallel white lines and sharp shading. The tendril-like
gold ornament on the backrest of the throne is the only element typical of the
Italian style, and is also the most prominent decoration on the icon (Rakić,
1998, 233-235)
16. THE TOMB
OF ST SPIRIDON
Artist:
unidentified Cretan artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 56.5 x
45 cm
Description: This
depiction of the tomb of St Spiridon has markedly Baroque stylistic features in
the usual 17th century Cretan iconographic formula, which was especially
popular among Cretan artists. On many icons of St Spiridon, the saint from Corfu is celebrated as the patron saint of sailors and
olive trees, depicted in archpriest's vestments in an upright sarcophagus. In
this icon, the saint's relics are on display in a reliquary of western Baroque
architecture, decorated with cherubim and statues. The sides of the tomb are
richly decorated with gold plant stylizations. The balustrade around the tomb,
shown in true perspective, is set on a coffered ground. The top corners of the
icon contain typical Baroque drapes, often featured by 18th century Greek
artists on icons painted by them in Venice.
The tomb is flanked by two angels in flight with palm branches and scrolls in
one hand, holding the glass cover of the tomb in the other. The archangels
Michael and Gabriel are depicted in such paintings above the tomb, not down
beside it. Their scrolls bear Greek texts. The angels' draperies are swirling
and fluttering elaborately, with rounded hems. A Latin inscription on the gold
background of the icon reads: Reliquary of St Spiridon (Rakić, 1998, 263-264)
17. THE
VIRGIN WITH CHRIST
Artist:
unidentified Italo-Cretan artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 30.2 x
30 cm
Description: The
Virgin is portrayed against a gold background in the usual iconographic type of
the Madre di Consolazione, with the child on her right arm. The icon is a
typical example of 18th century Greek art, still true to famous Cretan models. In
a Venetian typological variant, the drapery of the Virgin's maphorion is
treated with sharp geometrically stylized pleats, their conservativeness only
formally imitating the former linear treatment of the post-Byzantine
iconographic tradition. Christ's clothing has also lost the earlier brilliance
and decorative beauty. The treatment of the skin tones, however, reveals the
artist's sensitivity. The faces are treated in the typical manner of Cretan
icons, their softness clashing with the stiff draperies. The Virgin's face is
not devoid of expression, conveying her concerned thoughts. The initials of the
figures are inscribed in the usual manner. The silver haloes, with embossed
decoration, are a later addition to the icon (Rakić, 1998, 264)
18. VARIOUS
SAINTS
Artist:
unidentified Greek artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 33 x 27
cm
Description: This
unusual icon features several saints of the Eastern and Western churches in
various styles, imitating the Byzantine and Western manner. The top section of
the icon, set in panels separated by clouds, contains the figures of St Anthony
of Padua, the
Virgin Hodigitria and St Nicholas, their gold haloes with punched rims. The
light background is discreetly decorated with gold rays radiating out around
the busts of the figures. St Anthony of Padua
is portrayed in the manner usual in Western iconography, wearing a Franciscan
habit and holding the symbols of his sainthood – a lily and the Gospels bound
in gold. The Virgin Hodigitria is portrayed in the manner of Cretan icons of
the strictly Byzantine formula, as is St Nicholas in archbishop's robes with
the Gospels in gold.
The lower
part of the icon has a gold background with the standing figures of saints. To
the left is the Archangel Michael, embracing with one arm a boy praying, and
pointing upwards with the other. His wings are meticulously hatched with gold,
and his tunic is modelled in the baroque manner of Greek artists. St George, in
full warrior's garb, is shown holding a spear and shield, with the dragon at
his feet. Beside him are the relics of St Spiridon and St Catherine, in the
familiar, popular iconographic formula.
There are
several more or less well preserved Green inscriptions with the names of the
saints beside each (Rakić, 1998, 292)
19. JERUSALEM
Artist:
undefined – brought back from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem
Date: 1835
Technique: tempera
on canvas
Size: 114 x
159 cm
Description: The
figures of the Virgin of Loving Kindness (Eleousa) with Christ to the left and
Christ Pantocrator to the right are particularly prominent. In the middle is
the temple with a typical Jerusalem
scene, and beside and slightly above it are scenes of the Descent from the
Cross and the Lamentation of Christ. To the left, below the temple, is the
damaged donor's inscription, where the date survives - 1835 (Rakić, 1998,
298)
20. ST
JOHNTHE BAPTIST
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: second
half of the 17th century
Technique: tempera
on canvas
Size: 31.5 x
27.5 cm
Description: St John the Baptist is
portrayed in the slightly concave painted area, holding a platter containing
not his severed head, as is usual, but the symbol of Christ the Lamb of God,
and a scroll. With his free hand he is pointing to the paten, mutely indicating
the meaning of sacrifice and repentance. The figure of the infant Christ on the
platter as the symbol of the Lamb illustrates a text from the Gospel according
to John: "John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1,29). This verse is
inscribed on John's scroll.
In this
icon, John's halo extends over the frame, as is typical in Russian 18th century
mass-produced icons. His halo and paten are gilded, and the rectangular panels
with initials are decorated with baroque foliar and floral ornament worked in
silver. The baroque line of the spiralling foliar ornament on the paten with
the Lamb and around the panels with the initials is adopted from 17th century
Ukrainian icon painting, where already by the early part of the century Western
influences were making themselves strongly felt. Attempts to treat the figures
of the saints realistically and the gold ornament of the background were the
principal innovations of Russian reformed icon painting. John's face and hands
are plastically modelled, with dark skin tones and strong highlights,
particularly on the hands.
This icon
was brought to Tuzla
from the church in Derventa (Rakić, 1998, 310-312)
21. ST JOHN THE BAPTIST WITH
SCENES FROM HIS LIFE
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 90 x 75
cm
Description: The
Precursor's monumental figure as the angel of the desert, occupying the central
part of the icon with smaller scenes from his life in the background, was a
familiar and popular iconographic variant in Russian icons, especially in the
18th century.
Four
scenes from St John's
life are depicted in the background of the central figure. The top section
contains compositions of the Precursor baptising the people and the First
Finding of the Head of St John the Precursor. The lower section of the icon
depicts the Nativity of John with Elizabeth
lying on a bed and Zacharias seated beside them, writing ("And he asked
for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John" – Luke 1,63),
while a woman is showing him his infant son. Alongside this scene is the
Beheading of St John the Precursor, with Christ looking on.
This
icon, with its basically dark palette broken up by the light ochre areas of the
haloes and the uncovered parts of the bodies of the figures, reveals the sure
hand of a draughtsman who treats form in linear fashion, and skin tones with
sharp shadows (Rakić, 1998, 315)
22. ST
NICHOLAS WITH SCENES FROM HIS LIFE
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 52 x 43
cm
Description: St
Nicholas, the patron saint of Russia,
was the subject of a very widespread cult among Russian artists. In the 17th
and 18th centuries he was often the subject of monumental portraits flanked by
scenes from his life, as in this icon. The saint's hand, giving a blessing, is
disproportionately small in relation to his head, which dominates the entire
icon. The great head is meticulously drawn with white strokes indicating the
strands of the hair and beard, and the stylized lines of the face. The
post-Byzantine linear strokes of the face are by way of resistance to Western
influences at that time and a conservative return to traditional elements of
icon painting. On the other hand, the elaborate silver ornament, executed with
engraved and punched geometric and stylized plant designs on Nicholas' halo and
the bishop's vestments over his shoulders, as well as on parts of the
background, reveal typically Ukrainian baroque decorative art of Western
origin.
Above
Nicholas' shoulders, to left and right, are circular medallions with Christ and
the Virgin bestowing on him the Gospels and an omophorion. The top corners of
the icon contain compositions of the Birth of St Nicholas and the Baptism of St
Nicholas. The bottom section contains four scenes of his miracles: St Nicholas
saving three men from the sword, the Transfer of the Relics of St Nicholas from
Myra to Bari,
St Nicholas and the Carpet Miracle, and the Miracle of St Nicholas and St
Simeon the Holy saving Peter from the Saracen dungeon (Rakić, 1998, 321-323)
23. THE FACE
OF CHRIST "NOT MADE BY HUMAN HANDS"
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 33.9 x
43.2 cm
Description: The
icon depicts the Byzantine type of the divinely-wrought face of Christ, without
the lines of the neck and wearing the crown of thorns. The icon retains the old
iconographic type of the Mandilion, also known as Ubrus in Russian. There are
no signs of suffering on Christ's face, which is of baroque-style beauty,
though modelled in the traditional manner, with the strands of hair and beard
drawn in linear style, as are the highlights and contours of the face. The
folds of the mandilion are formulaic. The halo above him bears Christ's usual
initials, and near the base of the fabric is the inscription: Uncreated Face of
God.
The cloth
is depicted against a silver background, held by two angels standing on clouds,
their figures overlapping the band framing the icon. The faces of the angels
are painted with white strokes, typical of late Russian provincial icon
painting. Their reddish draperies are modelled with broad stylized areas of
silver, forming a striking colour palette. The borders of the drapers and the
angels' wings, the lower part of Christ's cloth, and the edges of the entire
painted surface, are decorated with punched dots. The haloes of the angels bear
the inscription Angels (of the Lord).
The icon
belongs to the group of mass-produced Russian icons very many of which came to
Serbian churches (Rakić, 1998, 324)
24. THE
VIRGIN OF THE SIGN
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 28 x 21
cm
Description: The
icon features the familiar type of the Virgin of the Sign – hands outspread in
prayer, with a medallion seeming to hover over her bosom, containing the figure
of Christ Emmanuel giving a blessing. The border and hood of the Virgin's
maphorion, and the entire surface of her under-robe, are covered with
decorative punched circles. The shoulders of the maphorion bear two bold
symmetrical ornaments in the form of triple palm leaves emerging from Christ's
medallion. This decorative motif was to become particularly popular in 18th
century Russian icons, as was the magnificent decoration of the saints'
draperies in Ukrainian icon painting.
The icon
belongs to the group of mass-produced Russian icons very many of which came to
Serbian churches. The icon belongs to the group of mass-produced Russian icons
very many of which came to Serbian churches.
The icon
came to Tuzla
from the church in Bijeljina (Rakić, 1998, 326)
25. THE
VIRGIN OF SMOLENSK
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 39.7 x
31.5 cm
Description: Russian
icons of the Virgin of Smolensk are known only from the 14th and 15th century,
although legend has it that the original icon of the Virgin Hodigitria was
presented in the Cathedral Church in Smolensk
in the early 12th century. The immediate Greek origin of this type of icon has
not been identified, although another legend has it that the icon was brought
from Byzantium to Russia in the 10th century. The
original icon of the Virgin of Smolensk originated in the southern Slav
regions, and is a combined Greek and Slav type. This iconography probably
derived from depictions of the seated Hodigitria in Byzantium, which themselves were based on
Syrio-Egyptian models.
The lower
band of the icon bears an inscription to the effect that it shows the Virgin of
Smolensk. The icon probably belongs to the same Ukrainian workshop as that of St John the Precursor in Sarajevo, since the basic decorative
impression is achieved by the same means. Everything except the Virgin's and
Christ's faces and hands and narrow area of the draperies painted red, ochre
and blue is covered in silver, which is richly decorated with punched and
engraved geometric and floral ornament. The hood and border of the Virgin's
maphorion and Christ's himation are completely covered with close-set punched
designs, while the bold palm leaves of the lower part of the Virgin's
maphorion, combined with the ochre and red areas, give the entire icon its
basic decorative effect.
The faces
are modelled with soft shading and linear facial strokes with white hatching on
the highlights, and are far remote from the baroque realism of the saints'
figures (Rakić, 1998, 328)
26. CHRIST
PANTOCRATOR
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 71 x 54
cm
Description: Icons
portraying Christ in this manner belong to the Pantocrator or Lord of the
Worlds type. In Russia,
some of them were also given specific titles. Since Christ's eyes look straight
at the observer, this icon was dubbed the Saviour with the Eye of Wrath, a term
also used for other icons of Christ with a similar facial expression.
The icon
depicts Christ as the supernal judge and teacher of humankind, holding the
Gospels open at a text from the Gospel according to Matthew (11, 28-29):
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me." Christ is giving a blessing
with his other hand. The silver, which is covered with yellowish varnish to
imitate gold, is decorated with punched and engraved geometric and floral
ornament.
The icon
is the product of an 18th century Ukrainian baroque artist's workshop.
The icon
was brought to Tuzla
from the church in Bijeljina (Rakić, 1998, 329-331)
27. ST
SPIRIDON THE MIRACLE-WORKER
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 71 x 56
cm
Description: This
icon is very similar in size and stylistic features to the previous one, and
was presumably brought to Tuzla
from the same iconostasis in the church in Bijeljina.
St
Spiridon is portrayed in bishop's vestments with a mitre on his head, giving a
blessing with one hand and holding the Gospels open in the other at the text:
"But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea; and a great
multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, and from Jerusalem, and
from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan, and they about Tyre and Sidon" (Mark
3, 7-8). To the left of the saint is a line engraving of the mandorla with
Christ seated on clouds holding the Gospels and blessing the saints. Above is
the inscription, in abbreviated form: Figure of St Spiridon of Trieste. The silver parts of the icon, with
narrow painted areas, are entirely covered with engraved geometric and stylized
plant ornament (Rakić, 1998, 331-332)
28. THE
VIRGIN
Artist:
unidentified Ukrainian artist
Date: 18th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 37 x 31
cm
Description: A bust
of the Virgin addressing Christ with a text in her hand, as usual with this
type of iconography: O heavenly Lord, receive . . . (the prayers of thy most
loving mother).
The icon
was brought to Tuzla from the church in
Bijeljina and forms a set with the icons of the Virgin of Smolensk,
Christ and St Spiridon, and St John the Baptist
from the church in Sarajevo
(Rakić, 1998, 332-333)
29. THE
ANNUNCIATION
Artist:
unidentified Ukrainian artist
Date: 1791
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 31.7 x
25.5 cm
Description: The
slightly concave painted area of the icon contains a composition of the
Annunciation. In the foreground are the bold, almost frontal figures of the
Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin. The archangel is pointing with raised hand to
a section of the sky with rays, while the Virgin is standing meditatively,
holding a copy of the Gospels bound in gold. Between them, in a circular
section, is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, surrounded by rays
descending upon the Virgin, indicating the conception of Christ. To the top
right is the title of the scene, while the year when the icon was painted is
inscribed in the bottom left corner.
Western
baroque influences can be seen on the icon (Rakić, 1998, 333)
30. THE
ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: late
18th or early 19th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 35.5 x
30 cm
Description:
Christ's entry into Jerusalem
is depicted with just the few essential figures, without the narrative details
that usually abound in this scene. Christ on a donkey, accompanied by three
disciples, is at the gates of Jerusalem,
where three Jews are awaiting him. The dark skin tones accentuate the white
lines of the saints' faces. The surrounding band bears an inscription:
Depiction of the Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem.
The icon was brought to Tuzla
from the church in Bijeljina (Rakić, 1998, 335)
31. RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST WITH FESTIVAL SCENES
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: late
18th or early 19th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 44.7 x
37.2 cm
Description: The
central panel of the icon depicts the resurrection of Christ in two scenes – as
an Angel at the Tomb and the Descent into Hades. The upper part contains scenes
of the Nativity of the Virgin, the Presentation in the Temple, the Annunciation, and the Nativity of
Christ. To the left are compositions of the Visitation and the Entry into Jerusalem and to the
right the Baptism of Christ and the Transfiguration. The lower section depicts
the Ascension, the Hospitality of Abraham, the Death of the Virgin, and the
Raising of the Cross. The titles are inscribed around the scenes. The line of
the basic contours is filled in with yellow, orange or dark blue, with no
attempt at modelling. (Rakić, 1998, 336)
32. DORMITION
OF THE VIRGIN
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: late
18th or early 19th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 38.5 x
31 cm
Description: The
icon depicts the Virgin's catafalque, flanked on either side by six apostles in
a vertical composition. By the catafalque is Christ with an infant, the
Virgin's soul, in his arms. The folds of the draperies are indicated by lines,
while greater attention has been paid to the cloth covering the Virgin's
catafalque. Near the top of the icon is the inscription: Depiction of the
Dormition of the Holy Virgin (Rakić, 1998, 337)
33. VARIOUS
SAINTS
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: late
18th or early 19th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 39 x 33
cm
Description: A
common subject among mass-produced Russian icons was a composition of three
rows of saints. On this icon the top row features the Virgin of Kazansk with
Christ, the Descent into Hell, and St Nicholas. The middle row depicts the
Archangel Michael flanked by three saints on each side. The bottom row portrays
St George on horseback, St Barnabas the Martyr, and St Demetrius.
The icon
was brought to Tuzla
from the church in Bijeljina (Rakić, 1998, 338)
34. CHRIST'S
CRUCIFIXION WITH SAINTS
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: late
18th or early 19th century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 37.3 x
31.4 cm
Description: The
middle of the icon depicts the Crucifixion against a starry sky, with the
Sabaoth or Lord of Hosts at the top and flanked by the Virgin and St John. The top part
depicts the Virgin of Kazansk with Christ and St John, and the bottom the figures on
horseback of the Archangel Michael and St George (Rakić, 1998, 339)
35. VISITATION
OF CHRIST
Artist:
unidentified Russian artist
Date: 19th
century
Technique: tempera
on board
Size: 35.6 x
30 cm
Description: The
visitation of Christ is depicted in the usual manner – with St Simeon the Holy
holding the infant Christ in his arms, the Virgin, the prophetess Anna, and
Joseph. The colour palette, dominated by yellow and blue, and the draperies
with their yellow strokes, regardless of the basic colour, are characteristic
of many Russian icons of this type (Rakić, 1998, 340)
3. Legal status to date
By Ruling
of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, no. UP-I-03-94-2 of 1970, the
Bishops' Palace in Tuzla, property of the
Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla,
was placed under state protection and entered in the Register of Immovable
Cultural Monuments.
4. Research and conservation and
restoration works
The
exploitation of Tuzla's
salt deposits has led to subsidence, and the appearance of cracks in the walls
of the Metropolitan's Palace. The experts' report of 1984 reveals that
repairs to the property were carried out in 1982. The Municipal Buildings
Institute appointed a commission of experts (civil engineers and geologists)
which surveyed the Bishop's Palace and reported as follows in May 1984 (the
following is quoted from the expert team's report):
"Over
the past this property too has suffered some structural damage as a result of
subsidence and deformation of the soil, which, given the limited degree of
damage, was made good by a simple procedure of patching up and walling up doors
and windows in the main bearing walls here and there in order to give the
building additional rigidity in line with the cracks that had appeared.”
"Analyzing
the soil conditions beneath and around the property revealed a very different
situation from that of the church. Although the buildings are relatively close
to one another, the Bishop’s Palace is on levelled ground consisting of the tip
of the ridge on which the church stands, extending east-west.”
"Subsidence
beneath the property has so far been almost even, but with a slight tilt of the
ground, and with it the building, towards the south. This tilt, caused by
subsidence in the direction of the centre of gravity of maximum intensity of
subsidence), has caused horizontal vector shifts in the soil, the differential
extent of which is to be seen on the building in the form of cracks with
maximum values in the foundations of the building, diminishing to nothing on
the upper storeys.”
"Bearing
in mind that the building was repaired two years ago with no major structural
interventions (sealing cracks and walling up openings) and that there were no
signs of new damage at the time of this survey, the Commission was able to identify
only previous damage visible on the façades in the form of vertical and
diagonal cracks, the presence of which is not currently an obstacle to the
normal use of the property.”
"Inside
the building, the Commission observed no visible damage, which may be explained
by the fact that just before the Commission conducted its survey the walls were
patched up and repainted, while the ceilings were covered with prefabricated
tiles and, in places, with wooden panelling.”
"Based
on the state of the building as found and the extent of the damage, it may be
concluded that at this stage the stability of the building is not at risk."
On the
drawings of the façades of the Metropolitan’s Palace as they were in April 1985
(initial project for repairs, Current condition, drawings of façade scale 1:50,
Bishop's Palace Tuzla, drawn up by the Civil Engineering Institute Zagreb,
Zagreb, 30 April 1985), the position of the cracks is indicated, with their
length, width and direction. According to these drawings, the west side had the
most cracks, which were up to as much as 2 metres or so in length and 5 cm in
width, and were located below the ground floor windows and on the window
parapets of the first floor; to the north, the cracks were in the walls only,
to a height of about 1 metre above ground level; on the east façade there were
minor cracks about 50-60 cm long on the ground-floor parapet, and on the south
façade there were racks up to about 100 cm in length below the ground-floor
parapet.
According
to information from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the
Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, in 1988 repair works were carried
out on the Metropolitan's Palace: „In 1988 builders from the Tuzla
company Tehnograda completed an undertaking that was unique in this country –
restoring the Bishop's Palace and Cathedral
Church to the horizontal.
One side of the church and palace had to be raised by 65 cm and then restored
to a horizontal position. That year, too, works were carried out on the
façades, which were partly restored and resprayed in their entirety with
hyrofoam.“(14)
5. Current condition of the
property
During an
on-site inspection conducted on 4 June 2007 the following was
ascertained:
The
property is in good structural condition. No new cracks caused by subsidence
were observed either on the façades or inside the building.
During
the on-site inspection, works were being carried out to refurbish the interior
and to make good the façades. The instructions and drawings of the Study for
Repairs to the façades of the Metropolitan's Palace in Tuzla(15) provide a) a description of the condition of the façades (prior
to the 2007 repair works), b) the treatment of the façades, and c) the colour
palette to be applied:
a) Since
the property is exposed to subsidence and various structural stresses, damage
can be seen to the façades. The surface coat of hyrofoam is falling away, and
the surfaces are crumbling as a result of exposure to the elements. The façade
has fallen away in part and is coming away from the wall in places.
Discoloration of the façade suggests the presence of salt in the wall. There is
also some shrapnel damage.
b) The
ground or base must be firmly bonded to the façade surfaces to be treated, and
be sufficient robust to take the intended final outer coat. This requires
preparation of the surfaces to be treated. The entire surface of the façades
must be stripped and cleaned. All the joints of the brick backing must be
cleaned by removing the mortar to a depth of 1 cm, with the remains of the
mortar cleaned using wire brushes. The finish of the outside walls of the
property is to consist of two coats. The first is to be applied over the areas
being treated (cleaned, their solidity ascertained, and rough enough to ensure
a lasting bond between the base coat and the areas being treated).
c) The
façades of the property are to be painted using paints similar to ROFIX façade
paints (exterior paint based on silicon resin – catalogue SOLE 814-1; 810-3,
708-1) in two colours, in line with the manufacturer's instructions. The choice
of colour and shades to correspond to the drawings.
On
completion of the interior refurbishment, the property will be restored to its
original function as the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla, the Council and
Board of Administration of the Eparchy, the Bishop's residence, and a Museum of
the Eparchy on the ground floor.
Current condition of the movable
heritage
The icons
of the Bishop's Palace in Tuzla
are housed in the Bishop's Palace in Bijeljina.
6. Specific risks
Subsidence.
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:
For the Bishop’s Palace
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.vi. value of construction
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.iii. use and function
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 1:1000, cadastral plot no. 450/1, cadastral municipality Tuzla II, issued
on 2 March 2007 by the Department of Geodetics and Property Affairs,
Municipality Tuzla, Tuzla Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
-
Transcript of proof of
title no. 1265 (for c.p. nos 447, 448, 450/1, 557, 3033), property of the
Serbian Orthodox parish of Tuzla, c.m. Tuzla II, issued on 2 March 2007 by the
Department of Geodetics and Property Affairs, Municipality Tuzla, Tuzla Canton,
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
-
Photodocumentation
-
photographs of the current
condition of the Bishop's Palace in Tuzla taken on 4 June 2007 by ethnologist
Slobodanka Nikolić and architect Emir Softić using digital camera Canon
PowerShot S3IS) and on 4 November 2004 (taken by architect Emir Softić using digital
camera Canon PowerShot G3)
-
Project documentation
-
ground plan of basement
and first floor, cross section, axonometry. Dated January 1911, and signed by
Josip Pospišil, left-hand corner, and Karlo Pařik, close to the right-hand
corner of the heading of the drawing: Holdings of the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, folder with documentation no.
248-166, 1915
-
ground plan of first floor
and cross section, drawings dated July 1913, compiled in the Civil Engineering
Department of the Provincial Government, with the signatures of the head of the
Civil Engineering Department, Kušević, and Rudolf Tennies, as well as Karlo
Pařik (on the drawing of the cross section), from: Dimitrijević, Branka, Arhitekt
Karlo Pařik (Architect Karlo Pařik), dissertation, Faculty of Architecture
of the University of Zagreb, 1989, 198-199, Vol. I, and Vol. II, Illustrations,
illus. XXIX.a. and XXIX.b)
-
initial project for
repairs, Current condition, drawings of façade scale1:50, Bishop's Palace
Tuzla, drawn up by the Civil Engineering Institute Zagreb, Zagreb, 30 April 1985
-
report on investigative
works for repairs to the Orthodox church in Tuzla,
Section 3, Civil Engineering Institute Zagreb, Institute
of Geotechnology, Zagreb, 1986
-
Study: Repairs to the
façades of the Metropolitan’s Palace in Tuzla,
Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture
and Sport, Sarajevo,
November 2006
Bibliography
During
the procedure to designate the Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of
Zvornik and Tuzla with movable heritage in Tuzla as a national
monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina
the following works were consulted:
1915 Documentation from the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
folder with documentation no. 248-166, 1915
1971 Benković, Ambrozije. Tuzlansko područje negda i sada: s
posebnim obzirom na vjerske prilike (opus posthumum) (The Tuzla Area Past
and Present, with particular reference to religious circumstances). Đakovo:
1971
1975 Handžić, Adem. Tuzla i
njena okolina u XVI vijeku (Tuzla
and its Environs in the 16th century). Sarajevo:
Svjetlost, 1975
1977 Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla, Schematism. Tuzla: 1977
1978 Vasić, P. “Zograf Stanoje i njegovo delo” (Icon Painter Stanoje
and his Work), Proceedings for the Fine Arts, no 14. Novi Sad: 1978, 325-337
1980 Šelmić, L. “Novi podaci o
zografu Stanoju Popoviću” (New Information on the Icon Painter Stanoje
Popović), Proceedings of the Museums of Vojvodina, no. 26. Novi Sad: 1980, 175-183
1982 Kašić, Dušan. Saborna crkva Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u
Tuzli (Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Tuzla). Tuzla: 1982
1989 Dimitrijević, Branka. Arhitekt Karlo Pařik (Architect
Karlo Pařik), dissertation. Zagreb: Faculty of
Architecture of the University
of Zagreb, 1989
1998 Hadžibegović, Iljas. Etnička struktura stanovništva Tuzle u
vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878-1918) (Ethnic Structure of the
Population of Tuzla during the Austro-Hungarian Period [1878-1918]), Papers of
the Institute for History XXIII/24. Sarajevo:
1988, 131-147
1998 Rakić, S. Ikone Bosne i Hercegovine (16-19. vijek) (Icons
of BiH [16th-19th century]). Belgrade:
1998
2005 Mutevelić, Šefkija. Tuzlanske historijske minijature:
historijski zapisi o Tuzli i okolini od prahistorije do kraja osmanske
vladavine (Historical Miniatures of Tuzla: Historical Records of Tuzla and
its Environs from Prehistoric Times to the End of Ottoman Rule), Archives of
Tuzla Canton. Tuzla:
2005
Documentation
from the Archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Tuzla
(1) The genesis of
the original Zvornik eparchy has been described as follows: “During the Turkish
occupation, when the Metropolitanate of Srebrenica ceased to be, the part that
fell to the Turks probably belongs to the Ariljan Metropolitan, and the part
remaining under Hungarian rule became part of the Srem eparchy. When this too
fell to the Turks in the late 15th and early decades of the 16th century, it
became part of north-eastern Bosnia
and Mačva in a new eparchy, the Zvornik eparchy, which coincided territorially
with the Zvornik sanjak and was based in Zvornik, as the centre of the sanjak.
The regions between the rivers Bosna, Sava and Spreča and Mt. Majevica belonged
to this eparchy, with the whole of the Drina valley on the right bank of the
Drina and the Brvenik kadiluk, as well as Mačva with effect from 1528-1533”
(source: Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla, Schematism,
Tuzla: 1977, 19; B. Nilević, Srpska pravoslavna crkva u Bosni i Hercegovini
do obnove Pećke patrijaršije, Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, Cultural Heritage
Series, 1990).
(2) Šeper među
direke – half-timbered.
(3) “The varoš
is to the north-east of the fortress. Its main street is 90 fathoms long and
leads towards the čaršija, and thence down the valley. Parallel with the high
street are another three intersected by shorter side streets. One of these is
called Kolobara, since it runs alongside the bara (marsh). Another side street
is called Pavkuša, after the brook that runs through it. The other streets have
no names. The only differentiation is between the Lower and Upper varoš. The
Upper varoš is at the foot of a hill, and the Lower is much built-up, with
house against house and fence against fence. All that remains are two widish
areas of marshy ground that never dries out. The Orthodox church, with
Metropolitan's palace and a school, is located at the end of the Lower varoš,
beside the marsh.” (From Pavel Apolonović Rovinski, Zapažanja za vrijeme
putovanja po Bosni 1879. godina (Notes on Travels in Bosnia in 1879), St
Petersburg: 1880).
(4) “Since the
undersigned will be moving into the New Palace, specifically the first floor
thereof, in a few days' time, namely on 20 December of this year, and since he
requires furniture for that purpose for at least a few rooms, he takes the
liberty of requesting that he be allocated the sum of 20,000 crowns, held here
in Tuzla by the district authority, to purchase at least the essential
furnishings for the following rooms:
1) the Metropolitanate office
2) a reception room
3) four rooms for the domestic staff
(manservant, cook, coachman, maid)
4) linen and bed linen for the domestic
staff, plus tablecloths, table napkins etc. for the dining room, and
5) kitchen fittings.
The undersigned kindly begs the eminent Provincial Government to
be so good as to issue approval and order the technical department of the
District Authority here to procure the above-mentioned items.”
(5) “In the
response to the letter of 12 December 1915 Your Eminence was notified as
follows: the Provincial Government, prompted by the wish that the residence in
Tuzla be well furbished for representation as to both the exterior and the
interior, finds that the time is not right for the purchase of furniture, since
given the difficulties of transport the furniture would have to be ordered from
local manufacturers, and thus without regard to the established system that
would be appropriate to the style of the building.”
“It is therefore recommended that while Your Eminence is using
only part of the premises while the building is still unfinished, these be
furnished with the existing furniture being used by you. This would also avoid
the new furniture being needlessly damaged or soiled, which is to be feared,
since the completion of the outstanding works on the building will raise dust,
and the furniture would therefore have to be moved frequently.”
“New furniture in line with the order of 1914, appropriate to the
style of the building, may safely be introduced as soon as the building is
fully completed. By that time the contractor would be in a position to honour
in full all his obligations set forth in the contract.”
(6) “To a verbal
enquiry by Mr. Schiffner, senior engineer of the District Authority in Tuzla,
as to what items I would still like to be ordered for the new Palace, I hereby
state:
Since the Provincial Government has still,
after 9 months, not refunded:
650 crowns – account of Frank David,
completion of paint works
260 crowns – account of I. R. Jovanović's
company, carpets
182.80 crowns – account of Friedman,
courtyard wall
166 crowns – account of Klouda, for house
telephone
1,170 crowns – account of Ilarion Radonić,
for bedroom
Total 2428.80 crowns.
I therefore request first of all that this
sum be paid to me immediately, for it is not right that such an amount of my
personal funds be held interest-free in another's building. I also note that I
have been obliged in addition to pay a further 100 crowns in interest to a
local tradesman, Jozef Vajs, since he has not yet received the sum for
purchases from Štiglic ordered for the new Palace and for items delivered four
or five months ago (linen and [articles] for the dining room). I have a further
loss there of 100 crowns through no fault of my own and quite needlessly.
Only when all the above be carried out by
the Provincial Government and the above sum paid to me may the following be
ordered for the palace:
1 carpet for the drawing room
1 carpet for the dining room
1 carpet for the Metropolitan's bedroom
2 carpets for the two guest rooms
stair carpet for the staircase, as
required
a full washstand set for the
Metropolitan's office
roller blinds in the larder (upper and
lower) and the closet. Also in the Great Hall for the doors and windows
short carpets in the toilets, and
carpet runners in the corridor leading to
the kitchen.
If the Provincial Government were to pay
the sum owing to me and was of a mind at the same time to procure the other
articles, I express my warmest thanks.”
(7) Data from a
copy of the Study entitled Repairs to the façades of the Metropolitan’s palace
in Tuzla, Institute for the Protection of
Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and sport, Sarajevo, November 2006
(8) The
Never-Sleeping Eye is to be found above the composition of the Annunciation in
Longin's iconostasis tympanum in Lomnica, Radul's on a fragment from the
treasury of the old Orthodox church in Sarajevo,
and Tujković's above the diaconicon of the old Orthodox church in Sarajevo (Rakić, 1998,
38). For the development of the theme of the Never-Sleeping Eye and its
iconography, with a list of older reference works, see B. Todić,
"Anapeson, Iconographie et signification du thème," Byzantion LXIV,
Bruxelles: 1994, 134-165
(9) Tujković's
tympanum on the central tympanum of the old Orthodox church in Sarajevo. (Rakić, 1998, 38)
(10) From the mid
18th century on, the modest old churches were demolished in the Karlovac
metropolitanate, to be replaced by new Baroque ones. They were fitted with
magnificent iconostases with paintings by the first Serbian Baroque artists to
receive artistic training, the power and directness of whose artistic
expression often cannot be compared with the dismantled iconostases (Rakić,
1998, 150)
(11) The few
surviving 18th century iconostasis fragments display only modest wood carving,
to which little or no attention is paid.
At that time it usually consisted of simple bas-relief designs (Rakić, 1998,
54)
(12) On the
Neštin tympanum the usual iconography is maintained, with the Archangel Michael
portrayed here (Rakić, 1998, 150)
(13) During the
second and third decades of the 19th century, two local icon painters worked in
the Rudnik and Čačko region, with their workshop in Brusnica: Dimitrije Moler
Prusnicki and Risto Moler Nikolić. Icons by them have been discovered in a
number of other churches – in Gorobilje, Jarmenovci, Šatornja and Šopić. They
reveal a close link with the late Byzantine icon-painting tradition and its
schematic iconongraphic and compositional treatments. In 1837 Risto Nikolić
signed his name on an icon of Christ from the church in Ostružnica, and also
left numerous icons in Ripanj, Vraćešnica, Šatornja, Topčider, the Slanci
monastery and other churches in Serbia.
He is regarded as one of the best icon painters in the Principality of Serbia
of Miloš's reign (1815 to 1848). He came from a good icon-painting workshop in
which the best works of the icon-painter's art emerged at that time. Some say he was already living in Belgrade in 1838. The
icon of the Holy Trinity was brought to Tuzla
from Zvornik (Rakić, 1998, 179-181)
(14) Study: Repairs
to the façades of the Metropolitan’s Palace in Tuzla,
Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture
and Sport, Sarajevo,
November 2006
(15) Compiled by the
Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture
and Sport, Sarajevo,
in November 2006