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 Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin with movable heritage in Tuzla is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The movable property referred to in para. 1 of this clause consists of a collection of 21 icons forming an integral part of the iconostasis, Christ's tomb, a large crucifix and two thrones.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 557 (new survey), cadastral municipality Tuzla II, Municipality Tuzla, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The outbuilding in the north-east corner of plot no. 557 and the building housing the Serbian Orthodox parish of Tuzla, also on plot no. 557, to the north of the church, are not subject to the provisions of this Decision as a national monument.

The provisions relating to protection and rehabilitation measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02 and 6/04) shall apply to the National Monument.

II

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.

The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.

III

To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following 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 referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage):

-       the display and other forms of presentation of the movable heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be carried out subject to conditions to be stipulated by the ministry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina responsible for culture,

-       oversight of the implementation of the measures to protect the movable heritage shall be exercised by the ministry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 items referred to in Clause 1 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage) from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

By way of exception to the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Clause, the temporary removal from Bosnia and Herzegovina of the movable heritage for the purposes of display or conservation shall be permitted if it is established that conservation works cannot be carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Permission for temporary removal under the conditions stipulated in the preceding paragraph shall be issued by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, if it is determined beyond doubt that it will not jeopardize the movable heritage in any way.

In granting permission for 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 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 I 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: 06.1-02-28/06-6

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.

On 14 February 2006 the Serbian Orthodox parish of Tuzla submitted a petition to the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to designate the Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin 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 Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin is located in the central urban area 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. 557 (new survey), cadastral municipality Tuzla II, Municipality Tuzla, and is the property of the Serbian Orthodox parish of Tuzla.

Historical information

In his work entitled Tuzla i njena okolina u XVI vijeku (Tuzla and its Environs in the 16th century, Sarajevo, 1975, 194, 199, 200), with reference to information from the 1548 Census of the Zvornik Sanjak, Adem Handžić writes that in the first half of the 16th century seven mahalas took shape in Gornja (Upper) Tuzla, five of which were Muslim: the Mahala of the Hajji Iskender Friday mosque, the Mahala of the mosque of Hajrudin, emin, the Mahala of the mosque of Alija, amaldar, the Mahala of the mosque of Hasan, son of Alija, the Drakčin mahala, and two were Christian: Mahala Varoš and Mahala Dvorište.

In his work entitled “O poreklu stanovništva tuzlanske oblasti” (On the Origins of the Population of the Tuzla District, Jnl. of the Geographical Society, VII-VIII, Belgrade, 1922), Risto Jeremić observes that the fall of Turkish rule in Hungary and Serbia, the years of famine and resettlement in Polimlje, Montenegro, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, and Central and Western Bosnia, drove people into the uninhabited Tuzla district. In the 18th century, not only Muslims and Croats but also many Serbs moved into north-eastern Bosnia and the region of the Tuzla captaincy. It was then that the Serb families of Trifković, Đuranović, Jovanović, Ristić, Todić, Crnogorčević, Jakšić and others settled in Serbia. These Serb families and the Tzintzars brought trade to Tuzla and gave it a boost.

In the first half of the 18th century Serb artisans and merchants began to purchase land from the pasha of Tuzla and to build houses below Trnovac and Kolobara. For 50 to 100 groschen the pasha gave them a written tapija (title deed) conferring on them title to land with the right to built a house. The wealthier merchants (the Kaljalović, Mihajlović, Crnogorčević, Jovanović and other families) built their houses close to the town. The first to receive a permit to build a two-storey house was the merchant Jovan Jovanović.

The Serbian varoš is referred to in Borko Ristić's notes (Sjećanja na staru Tuzlu, prema zapisima Borke Ristića sredio Jovan Vujatović [Memories of Old Tuzla, from notes by Borko Ristić, ed. Jovan Vujatović; m/s, Archives of Tuzla)(1).

In the 1860s, there were few Catholic houses in the varoš, as noted by Živko Crnogorčević in his Memoirs(2).

The reforms carried out in the Ottoman Empire in the mid 19th century made it easier for Tuzla's Orthodox Christians to obtain imperial firmans to build churches (the 1839 Hatt-i Şerif of Gülhane granting equality and freedom of all religious confessions in Turkey, and the 1856 Hatt-i Hümayun, a new constitutional law for the Bosnian vilayet, which among other provisions granted the Orthodox Christian church in Turkey the protection of international law). Before the new Cathedral church was built in Tuzla, the Serb school and the so-called ćelija (chapel) beside it were used for religious worship. Evidence that the Serb school in Tuzla was already in existence prior to 1831 is to be found in the records of the perpetual sarandars in the old Orthodox church in Sarajevo, noting that in 1831 a former teacher from Tuzla, Avram Simić, was enrolled.

At the same time as the headquarters of the Zvornik kaimakam(3) 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(4).

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 was half-timbered, 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 facade: "Serb National School 1873" (this building later housed the Sokolana).

It took eight years to build the Cathedral Church, from 1874 to 1882. The parish of Tuzla raised funds for several years to build the new church: in 1878, when church the commissioners were Jovan Jovanović, Niko Petrić-Mihailović, Lazo Kaljalo-Đokić, Risto Jovanović-Horoščić, Živko Crnogorčević and Manojlo Blagojević, it had 4,000 gold ducats at its disposal, and in spring 1874 it had 6,000 gold ducats as well as the building materials. Funds in the sum of 15,000 groschen from the imperial coffers were received from the Sultan. The plan for the new church was drawn by engineer Anton Linardović (a native of Sinj), who was employed by the District Authority (the Zvornik sanjak) and was engaged mainly in road building. He was paid 15 ćesarian ducats in gold for his plans. As well as the Cathedral Church in Tuzla, Linardović also drew the plans for the Catholic church in Trnovac. The construction of the church was entrusted to Tasa Naumović of Šabac (who built the church in Brčko), who brought in craftsmen headed by a builder named Risto Nedeljković, a native of Ohrid, who acted as works foreman. A total of 300,000 bricks and 250 loads of slaked lime had been procured. In addition, the church commissioners gave the works contractor, Tasa Naumović, 6,000 gold ducats (paid in twelve instalments of 500 ducats each), the stone from the old church (Agatangel's konak or residence), and any other usable material. The old church was demolished before work began on the new Cathedral Church. It was then agreed to make a temporary iconostasis "of basic carpentry." The building contract was notarized in the Šabac court, with the brothers Đoko and Stevo Topuzović acting as guarantors for Tasa Naumović.

The ceremony of dedication of the foundations of the new church was held on 6 May 1874 by Metropolitan Dionisije II, in the presence of the mutesarif, Mustafa pasha, and other officials(5).

In the autumn of 1875, before the mason Risto had managed to complete the masonry of the great dome and work had to be suspended because of the onset of winter, the dome collapsed.

In 1875, work on the church had to be suspended because of the insurrection in Herzegovina.

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(6).

Following the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Church Commission entered into an agreement with Risto Nedeljković to continue the building works at a daily wage of 10 florins. His assistant, with a daily wage of 5 florins, was the Italian Leopold Zafani. The works were supervised by military engineers. The Emperor Franz Joseph I gave 600 florins for the building works. In August 1882, the church was completed and dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, with a chapel beside the altar dedicated to St Sava. The consecration was conducted by Metropolitan Dionisije Ilijević.

The first renovation of the Cathedral Church was carried out in 1909/1910(7). The consecration of the new iconostasis took place in May 1910. Before the liturgy, the church was consecrated by Metropolitan Evgenije Letica of Dabar Bosnia, who during the liturgy, with the assistance of Metropolitan Petar Zimonjić of Zahum and Herzegovina and Metropolitan Vasilije Popović of Banja Luka, then installed Ilarion Radonić as Metropolitan of Zvornik and Tuzla.

The next renovation of the church was carried out in 1925. The church was then consecrated on the Feast of the Dormition, 15 August 1925, by Patriarch Dimitrije Pavlović. The next renovations were in 1968 and in the 1990s.

2. Description of the property

In terms of layout, the Cathedral Church in Tuzla belongs to the type of single-nave church with parvis, nave and altar area.

Architecturally, it is in the neo-classical style, with a rectangular ground plan and five neo-Byzantine domes on drums (four at the corners and one central dome above the nave), a semicircular apse, a single row of windows and a bell tower over the entrance to the church.

The church lies east-west, with a deviation of approx. 20 degrees, with the main entrance at the west end and the apse at the east end.

The former side entrances midway along the north and south walls were converted to different use after round-arched niches were added (after 1988) to hold candles. A door was fitted in the round-arched wall of the candle-burning niche in the north wall, just before its junction with the north side wall of the church; this door leads into the nave. There is no door in the wall of the south candle-burning apse.

Given that the ground plans of the blueprints dating from 1966 and 1985 (see list of projects) show a door to the south of the apse, which no longer exists (2007), it was presumably walled up after 1988. Instead of this door, a new door was added in the wall to the north of the main apse, leading directly from the outside into the altar area.

The building measures approx. 28.64 m long and 13.55 m wide on the outside. Its height, measured from ground level, is as follows:

-       to top of roof cornice or eaves of the roof above the nave, approx. 12 m,

-       to the tops of the four side domes, approx. 20.50 m,

-       to the top of the central dome above the nave, approx. 28.00 m

-       to the top of the dome of the bell tower, approx. 34.50 m.

Each dome is topped by a gilded metal cross on an orb.

The structural system of the building consists of solid walls, piers, arches and vaults. The material used was solid brick.

            The outside side walls are about 1.30 m thick, while the outside west wall (the entrance wall), the apse wall, and the ground floor walls of the tower are about 0.95 m thick. The walls of the drum of the main dome are approx. 70 cm thick. The walls are plastered inside and out.

Above the central part of the nave is the central dome supported by four arches, two transverse and two longitudinal (this reduces the lateral "daylight" span of the nave from approx. 10 m to 8.10 m. The height from floor level to the apex of the rebated arch is approx. 11.25 m). The inside diameter of the central dome is approx. 8.10 m. The drum is 4.30 m in height and had 16 round-arched windows 1.00 m wide and 2.70 m high. On the outside, the drum of the central dome is regularly sixteen-sided, whereas the drums of the four smaller corner domes are octagonal on the outside. The drums of the corner domes each have eight round-arched windows, 0.60 m wide x 2.10 m high.

The church has a multi-paned pitched roof, with all the roof planes, all the domes, the apse, the roof of the bell tower and all the flashings clad with sheet copper. The roof frame is timber. Between the flanking corners of the church the side walls terminate in a moulded roof cornice with a row of arcades.

The semicircular apse at the east end of the building is approx. 4.90 m wide and 3.40 deep on the inside. It has a semidome roof, and measures approx. 16.50 m in height on the outside, to the apex of the dome.

The parvis is divided from the nave by a colonnade of massive octagonal pillars. A double-flight 21-step staircase in the northern part of the parvis leads to the choir gallery. This occupies the entire west end of the church, above the parvis, at a height of approx. 5.70 m above floor level. It is of irregular shape, with a width of approx. 5.50 m. A door in the axis of the west side wall of the church leads via a wooden staircase into the bell tower.

The corners of the facades are accentuated by simply moulded pilasters running the entire height of the building from the socle to the roof cornice. The pilasters project outwards from the wall face by approx. 10 cm, and are approx. 85 cm wide. The windows are set in a single row, and are made of wood. They are round-arched, and measure approx. 1.10 x 3.50 m. They are fitted on the outside with decorative wrought-iron grilles.

The main portal is at the west end of the church. It measures approx. 1.40 x 3.90 m and is fitted with solid oak, round-arched double doors. The frame of the portal is simply moulded. To the left and right of the bell tower at the west (entrance) end of the church are half-apses with quarter-calottes.

The floor of the church is of polished terrazzo.

The bell tower is square in plan, measuring approx. 4.22 x 4.22 m. The walls of the bell tower are approx. 95 cm thick, and the interior, containing a wooden staircase, measures approx. 2.15 x 2.15 m. The bell tower is topped by a timber-frame roof. The drum of the bell tower is a regular octagon in plan, and is approx. 4.20 m in height, with a round-arched window on each side, measuring approx. 0.80 x 2.20 m. The gallery where the bell is mounted is square in plan, with on each side a round-arched opening measuring approx. 1.10 x 3.10 m.

The walls of the church are decorated with various floral and geometric ornaments in secco technique. The latest interior refurbishment, when the church acquired its present appearance, was carried out in or about 1968. The lower part of the walls are clad with wooden panelling fitted with seats. The remainder of the walls in the nave and apse are decorated with various floral and geometric ornaments. The vault of the dome is painted with a symbolic design of the azure heavens with gold stars, and the pendentives are decorated with figures of the evangelists with their symbols. The dome in the apse is painted with the figure of Christ Pantocrator.

The iconostasis in the church was made between 1909 and 1910. The wood carving on the iconostasis partition and the gilding on the carved wood was the work of "one Vuković, a Serb from Pest" (Kašić, 1982, 31). The icons on the iconostasis partition are the work of the painter Marko Gregović of Mostar.

The iconostasis features twenty icons and the Royal Doors with a scene of the Annunciation.

The icons are mounted in a massive wooden frame separating the altar partition from the nave of the church. The frame is decorated with shallow arcades painted gold and blue on the inside. The frames of the icons, which are in oils on canvas, are also painted gold.

Compositionally, the iconostasis can be divided into three horizontal tiers.

-       The lower tier, from north to south, contains icons with figures of the following saints and scenes:

1. St. Nicholas the Miracleworker

2. St. Stephen

3. The Holy Virgin

4. Royal Doors with the scene of the Annunciation

5. Christ Pantocrator

6. The Archangel Michael

7. St John the Baptist (the Precursor)

-       The second tier, from north to south, contains icons with the following scenes:

1. The Transfiguration

2. The Dormition of the Virgin

3. The Nativity of the Virgin

4. The Last Supper

5. The Nativity of Christ

6. The Ascension of Christ

7. The Baptism of Christ

-       The third tier, from north to south, contains icons with the following scenes:

1. Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena

2. The Apostles Peter and Paul

3. The Evangelists Matthew and Mark

4. The Ascension of Christ

5. The Evangelists Luke and John

6. SS. Demetrius and George

7. SS. Cyril and Methodius

Christ's Tomb

The catafalque representing the Tomb of Christ is located in the north-west corner of the church. It measures approx. 165 x 169 cm wide and 375 cm in height. It is made of wood.

The plinth is rectangular, with solid wooden sides painted in a light tone with richly gilded moulded beading. The scene of the Deposition in the Tomb is painted on the front of the Tomb.

A baldaquin supported by four pillars stands on the plinth. The baldaquin is also painted in a light tone and gilded. The baldaquin was formerly topped by a crucifix, which is now on the altar table in the altar area of the church. The crucifix measures 116 x 77 cm and is of gilded wood. The figures of the evangelists are painted at the ends of the arms, and below the cross are the figures of the Virgin and St. John. The crucifix bears the crucified body of Christ with a plaque bearing his initials above his head and a skull at his feet.

The Great Friday (Good Friday) ritual consists of taking from the altar the epitaphios (winding sheet) depicting Christ after being removed from the cross and prepared for being laid in the tomb, and placing it onthe catafalque, where the congregation venerate it.

Throne with the figure of St. Sava the Serb

The throne stands on the south side of the nave of the church, and lies south-north. It measures approx. 183 x 73 cm, with the arms at a height of 115 cm. It is made of wood, with a painting in oils on canvas of St. Sava the Serb as Archbishop mounted on the backrest. The painting measures 103 x 53 cm and is the work of Marko Gregović of Mostar, dating from 1909 to 1910, while the wooden part of the throne was probably made by the same Vuković as is referred to above. The saint is depicted standing, wearing his bishop's robes and mitre. He is holding a cross in his right hand and the open Gospel in his left.

During religious services, the Metropolitan is seated on the throne.

The throne is rectangular, with three sides enclosed by wood and the fourth, the entrance to the seat, left open. The wooden surfaces are painted reddish-brown and decorated with moulded gilded beading. A single step leads to the seat, which has a round-arched backrest topped by a crown.

Throne with the figure of St. Lazar the Serb

The throne stands on the north side of the nave of the church, and lies south- north. It measures approx. 183 x 73 cm, with the arms at a height of 115 cm. It is made of wood, with a painting in oils on canvas of St. Lazar the Serb as Archbishop mounted on the backrest. The painting measures 103 x 53 cm and is the work of Marko Gregović of Mostar, dating from 1909 to 1910, while the wooden part of the throne was probably made by the same Vuković as is referred to above. The saint is depicted standing, wearing the long robe of the ruling classes with a red, fur-edged cloak over it. He has a crown on his head, and is holding a cross in his right hand and an orb in his left.

During religious services, the Metropolitan is seated on the throne.

The throne is rectangular, with three sides enclosed by wood and the fourth, the entrance to the seat, left open. The wooden surfaces are painted reddish-brown and decorated with moulded gilded beading. A single step leads to the seat, which has a round-arched backrest topped by a crown.

3. Research and conservation and restoration works

The exploitation of Tuzla's salt deposits has led to subsidence, and the first cracks on the church appeared in 1956. By 1964 they had already reached alarming proportions.

In 1966 the Directorate for Subsidence Affairs in Tuzla invested in drawing up a repair project for the Orthodox church in Tuzla, which was designed to slow down the process of subsidence. The proposed solution was expected to provide the property with interim stability for a period of some 10 to 15 years. The project was drawn up by the Institute for Architecture and Town Planning in Sarajevo, with civil engineer Dr. Vjekoslav Marendić as chief designer. According to the technical report of this project, subsidence in Tuzla had caused the church to become deformed, as evidenced by the cracks in the building and by the tower becoming detached from the church. The deformation had become a serious threat to the stability of the building. The repair project laid the emphasis on the problem of establishing the church as a spatial monolith in the face of external influences, and the solution proposed was to reinforce the building spatially using high-valency steel, using the patent of engineer Branka Žeželj, the then head of the Federal Institute for Materials and Construction in Belgrade. The reinforcements were laid transversally and longitudinally, but since the church had no transverse masonry stiffener, in order to achieve balance in the reinforcements, collar beams were introduced to take the tension stresses. At level 3, collar beams consisting of double welded 2U 20 steel profiles were used, while at floor level, reinforced concrete beams were used. The process of reinforcement also required the walls to be drilled; after installing the ties the drill holes were sealed off. From the bottom upwards, the reinforcements were installed at seven levels: 1) at ground-floor floor level; 2) level with the floor of the choir gallery; 3) level with the foot of the arches in the nave; 4) level with the supports of the semicalotte above the apse; 5) level with the base of the drum; 6) midway up the drum; and 7) level with the topmost cornice of the drum (on which the dome rests). In all, about 7,736 kg of steel were introduced. According to the designer’s bill of costs and bill of quantities, the repair works cost 11,176,185.00 old dinars.

After completion of these repair works, no tendency of the cracks to widen or increased deformation were observed on the church until 1982. Permanent markers were installed, and their coordinates were measured each year to monitor any shifts. By 1982, serious damage and deformation were again beginning to appear, and the Municipal Buildings Institute appointed a commission of experts (civil engineers and geologists) which surveyed the church and reported as follows in May 1984 (the following is quoted from the expert team's report):

-       "cracks can be seen in the entrance area of the building at the junction between the tower and the ground floor side annexes

-       a major crack was observed in the floor of the main church nave, extending the full width of the building and accompanied by lifting of the soil. This crack also partly extends into the side bearing walls of the building

-       a vertical crack was observed at the junction between the main church nave and the altar area

-       cracks were observed in the vaults and arches of the round-arched niches to the sides of the altar

-       a crack was observed in the church choir at the junction between the main body of the church and the tower

-       in addition to the above damage which, given the size of the cracks (from 1.0 to 10 mm), may be regarded as major cracks, there are numerous cracks ranging from 0-1.0 mm which may be regarded as insignificant by comparison with the more obvious ones

-       in the light of the condition, extent and nature of the damage, the Commission is of the view that the building is not at present at risk as regards its stability and functionality."

The Institute of Geotechnical Engineering of the Civil Engineering Institute of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb was hired in June 1985 to carry out a geomechanical study the purpose of which was to identify the nature and depth of the foundations and the composition of the soil beneath the foundations, using the parameters obtained to determine the method of repairing the building. A probe some 2 metres deep was dug along the south wall of the church on the outside, and one test drilling was carried out to determine the composition of the soil.

The probe provided details of the foundations of the property:

"The depth and nature of the foundations of the building were identified in the probe. The wall of the church ends at a depth of 0.64 m where stone slabs some 10 cm thick appear, found down to a depth of 1.9 m. The width of the stone slab footings indicated in the drawing of the test trench is an estimate, since no excavations were carried out inside the church. Below the stone slabs a buffer layer of gravel 15 cm thick was found.”

"During excavations, small wooden pilots driven in alongside the foundations were found. A description of the foundations of the church was found in the church documentation, reading: ‘and then proceeded to dig out the foundations for the new church to a depth of half a man’s height. Before the pilots were driven in, unslaked lime and sandy gravel were strewn over the foundations to a depth of 20 centimetres, with 20 cm oak beams over it, two longitudinally, and pieces over them of the same thickness, which were nailed together, and then again covered with lime and gravel thick enough to level the foundations and dry the beams.’ Although this description differs from what was found on excavating the test trench, the foundations were not dug out, since repairs will require them to be removed completely.”

The details of the soil composition were as follows:

“The terrain is horizontal on the site in question. The surface layer, to a depth of 1.40 m, is a fill of stone, clay and gravel. From 1.40 m to a depth of 3.30 m, a layer of clay was found of medium to low plasticity, of average compressibility consistency. Below this layer was a layer of clayey gravel, of average compactness, from 3.30 to 4.60. From a depth of 4.60 to the depth of the drill, marl was found. The level of the water table at the time of the drilling (March 1985) was at a depth of 1.80 m.”

In 1985, the fund for repairs to damage caused by and alleviating the causes of subsidence in the city of Tuzla as a result of the exploitation of the salt deposits financed a study report on investigative works for the repair of the Orthodox church in Tuzla, compiled by the Civil Engineering Institute of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb. The chief designer was civil engineer Dr. Dražen Aničić. The technical description in Section 4 of the initial repair project provides certain observations on the effects of the previous repair works in 1966-1967 and guidelines for further repairs:

“The Orthodox church in Tuzla was last repaired in 1967-68. The repairs were carried out after the effects of subsidence caused by the exploitation of the salt deposit were observed on the building. The technical documentation from the time of these repairs could not be found. On the basis of the visible structural elements and repairs and information gained from those involved in repairs to other buildings at that time, it was established that the property had been reinforced in both orthogonal directions using pre-tensioned IMS 7 Ø 5 mm cables that were reinforced to a force of 100 kN. The sockets of these cables were then sealed with plaster on the facades, as can still be seen, while inside the church they were sealed off with plastic tubes. During investigative works in 1985 it was found that the anti-corrosion treatment of the wires had been carried out by injection a cement suspension, but that the work had not been carried out properly, so that the corrosion-proofing was inadequate. One cable by the main entrance to the church on the outside was completely corroded (the plastic tube had ruptured), while the cable that was accessible from the choir was incompletely injected. To prevent the masonry shifting as a result of the reinforcement cables, horizontal ties of steel U profile (two each) had been fitted in the church, joined by splices and the joints welded. The ties are in good condition. There are apparently also cables under the church floor. These repairs proved satisfactory in that the church suffered no further major damage between 1968 and 1984, despite significant horizontal shifting.

The repairs envisaged by this project should provide the church with lasting protection from the effects of subsidence by compensating for any differential subsidence that may occur and keeping the church in a vertical position. As a result, it is proposed that the repairs be carried out in four stages:

Stage 1 – adding to the existing system of reinforcements in the church by adding new steel reinforcements and replacing any dilapidated ones

Stage 2 – introducing double foundations below the church to make it possible to rectify the position of the church by means of hydraulic pressures

Stage 3 – levelling the church and filling in spaces that have opened up in the foundations

Stage 4 – repairs to the interior, injection of cracks and finishing works. Interim adjustment of the level of the building, depending on the soil deformation beneath it.”

“This initial project covers the design of the foundation structure and system for compensating for the differential subsidence of the building. The system consisting of hydraulic presses is designed to bring the foundations to a horizontal position. The extraction of salt over a long period has resulted in subsidence, which poses a threat to superstructures. From the measurements taken to date, the maximum differential subsidence of the Orthodox church is approx 25 cm longitudinally and 5 cm transversally. The building is in a zone where the absolute settlement between 1956 and 1978 amounted to about 1.0 m. The extent of subsidence from 1996 is projected to be 2 to 3 m, which means that differential settlement of the building of about 30 cm can be expected.”

The solutions proposed in this project to repair the building provided for a period of levelling the building by compensation of the differential subsidences, while allowing for absolute subsidence to ensure that the building retained the same position in relation to the surrounding soil.

Investigative works revealed that the foundations of the building consisted of banded footings consisting of stone slabs. The level of the base of the footings was at a depth of about 2.0 m, and the height of the foundation structure was about 1.4 m. The original foundations had to be removed in their entirety as part of the repairs. After reinforcing the building, work began on removing the old foundations and building new ones.

The new foundations consisted of two reinforced concrete beams with openings into which presses were inserted.

In stage 1, the upper foundation beam was poured. The excavation and concreting was carried out by bedding. The excavation of the communication channels was carried out in line with the pouring of the foundation beam, so that not all the communication channels were dug out at the same time.

On completion of the first stage, work began on deepening the communication channels and digging out the beddings for the second foundation beam. These beddings were longer than the previous ones, and were dictated by the bearing quality of the upper foundation beam. It was necessary to insulate the foundation beams.

On completion of the lower foundation beam and finishing the communication channels the presses were installed.

The system for communicating differential subsidences consisted of 724 presses each with a capacity of 1000 kN.

In regard to the weight of the various parts of the building and the extent of differential subsidences, the groups of presses were linked into separate systems. The building was levelled in two stages.

In the first stage the transverse profiles were adjusted to a horizontal position. The differential subsidence in this direction ranged from 0.7 cm in the area of the bell tower to 5.8 cm in the wall area.

The gradual compensation for the differential subsidence had to be carried out simultaneously for the entire building. During the gradual raising of the building, metal underpinnings (plates) had constantly to be inserted in the space so created between the beams.

In the next stage, the longitudinal profiles were adjusted to a horizontal position. The maximum differential subsidence in this direction was 23.2 cm.

During levelling of the building, geodetic measurements were constantly taken and the above-ground and foundation structure was kept under observation in line with the monitoring programme. The findings of these observations dictated all the activities associated with levelling the building.

Once the building was levelled, the space between the foundation beams was filled with concrete.

4. Current condition of the property

During an on-site inspection, the following was ascertained:

The property is in good structural condition as a result of complex repair works to stabilize and manage the process of differential subsidence of the foundations.

Horizontal cracks were observed during the on-site inspection in the parapet footings of the south apse extension.

The roof cladding of sheet copper was damage in parts during the 1992-1995 war.

The plaster has fallen away from the exterior facades in several places.

5. Current condition of the movable heritage

Iconostasis

The bearing wooden beams are sound and stable, but show signs of considerable soiling from dust and wax. Some of the structural elements holding the icons on the iconostasis have given way from use.

Icons

The protective coating of the icons is covered with a thick layer of soot and dust, particularly those on the upper tiers.

Christ's tomb, the large crucifix and the two thrones

These are in good condition.

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 church

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.iv.     traditions and techniques

G.v.      location and setting

G.vi.     spirit and feeling

I.          Completeness

I.i.         physical coherence

I.ii.        homogeneity

I.iii.       completeness

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-       Copy of cadastral plan, scale 1:1000, cadastral plot no. 557, 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 former condition of the Cathedral Church in Tuzla from books listed in the bibliography

-         photographs of the church taken in 1910, from the archives of Faruk lbrahimović

-         photographs of the current condition of the Cathedral Church in Tuzla taken on 4 June 2007 by ethnologist Slobodanka Nikolić and architect Emir Softić using Canon PowerShot S3IS

-       Project documentation (from the Archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Tuzla)

-         project to refurbish the Orthodox church in Tuzla, Institute for Architecture and Town Planning Sarajevo, 1966

-         current condition, Section 1, Institute for Cadastral and Geodetics Affairs of the City of Zagreb, Dept. of Photogrammetry, Zagreb, 1985

-         initial design for apse extensions, Civil Engineering Institute, Zagreb, Zagreb, 1985

-         report on investigative works for repairs to the Orthodox church in Tuzla, Section 3, Civil Engineering Institute, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zagreb, 1986

-         initial repair project (foundation structure), Section 1, Civil Engineering Institute, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zagreb, 1986

-         main repair project, structure above the foundations and architectural component, Section 5, Civil Engineering Institute, Zagreb, 1986

-         study of pace of work of the hydraulic system for raising-levelling the property, Civil Engineering Institute, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zagreb, 1987

-         working design, apse extension, floor of church, Civil Engineering Institute, Zagreb, 1988

-         study of pace of work of the hydraulic system for raising-levelling the property, Civil Engineering Institute, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zagreb, 1988

-         report on survey of property and additional works, Civil Engineering Institute, Institute of Geotechnical Engineering, Zagreb, 1988

-         report on content of moisture in north and south façade walls of the Orthodox church, Institute of Mining Research, Tuzla, 1989.

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin with movable heritage in Tuzla as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:

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

1982     Kašić, Dušan. Saborna crkva Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Tuzli (Cathedral Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Tuzla). Tuzla: 1982

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

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). Tuzla: Archives of Tuzla Canton, 2005

Documentation from the Archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Tuzla