Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH” no. 86/08.
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 20 to 27 November 2007 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The architectural ensemble of the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko, Municipality Kupres is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the church and churchyard.
The National Monument is located on cadastral plot no. 2836, Land Register entry no. 79, cadastral municipality Donje Vukovsko, Municipality Kupres, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) 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, restoration, 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 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.
- research and conservation and restoration works, repair works, and works designed to display the monument, shall be permitted subject to 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,
- prior to the start of repair works a structural examination of the south outer wall of the church must be carried out,
- on the plots adjacent to the site of the National Monument, the construction of buildings with a maximum height of two storeys (ground and first floor), to 6.50 m in height to the base of the roof frame, and a maximum footprint of 10 x 10 m shall be permitted, provided that they are not detrimental to the National Monument in character, size, appearance or other manner.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.
V
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.
VI
The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba)
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik.
No. 02-2-143/07-4
21 November 2007
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Ljiljana Ševo
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 1 August 2007 the Kupres Municipal Council submitted a proposal to the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to designate the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko 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.;
- Documentation on the location of the property;
- Documentation on the current owner and user of the property;
- 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 building stands on a site known as Crkvine, in the village of Kudilji(1) - Donje Vukovsko, which is 12 km from Kupres, with which it is linked by a macadam road.
The church in Donje Vukovsko is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2836, cadastral municipality Donje Vukovsko, Land Register entry no. 79, Kupres Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical information
The earliest reference to the toponyms Donje Vukovsko, along with Ravno and Vukovsko (two nearby plains linked by the Ravanjska vrata gorge) appears in 1516, in a census conducted in the Kupres region during the Ottoman period.(2) They feature again in a 1574 census, where the toponym Dugo Polje is also mentioned in association with Donje Vukovsko.(3)
However, the settlements must be of much earlier date, as evidenced by the many necropolises with stećak tombstones in the vicinity.
In the early years of the 16th century, an Orthodox population settled on the Kupres plain, and with them came priests. The number of Orthodox residents increased steadily to 1851, when there were 4,000 Orthodox Christian inhabitants.(4) There is news of organized Orthodox communities in Vukovsko, Novo selo, Ravno and Šemanovci, but nothing concerning the building of churches at that time.
Building began on the first Orthodox churches in the second half of the 19th century: the church of the Holy Trinity in Blagaj near Kupres(5), the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko(6) – built in 1862 – and the church of St Nicholas in Ravno, built in 1911(7). The churches in Donje Vukovsko and Blagaj are of the same shape and size(8).
The church in Donje Vukovsko is also known as the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin, and was either built or restored in 1864, the same year the Orthodox church of St Nicholas in Duvno was built(9). History records that in 1895 the parish priest in Donje Vukovsko was one Djordje Popović, while from 1907 a certain Ilija Popović was priest there.(10) The church formerly had an outstanding iconostasis worked in walnut. It is recorded that this iconostasis was on display in 1927 at an exhibition held by the Serbian Orthodox patriarchate. The iconostasis, archives and parish residence went up in flames on 5 May 1942 when Italian troops and Ustasha set fire to the church.(11)
The church was restored in the second half of the 20th century(12), and consecrated on 9 August 1964. A marble plaque with the names of those who had donated funds for the renovation was mounted inside the restored church at this time.
During the restorations, from 1962 to 1964, the entire Kupres region was served by Father Lavrentije Trivunović, and after him by the Bugojno priest, Jovan Popović(13).
The church was again damaged in 1994, during the war in BiH(14), when it was broken into and damaged, and the icons and other articles were stolen(15).
The church is not currently being used. It is the only surviving Orthodox church in Kupres Municipality(16).
2. Description of the property
The Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin belongs to the type of single-nave church with bell tower, built of stone blocks. It is of the same size and shape as the Orthodox church of the Holy Trinity in Blagaj.(17)
The church is rectangular in ground plan, measuring 17.70 x 10.10 m. The bell tower, which measures 2.30 x 3.10 m, stands in line with the long, east-west axis of the church, at the west end, making the church 20.00 m in length overall including the bell tower. The overall height of the church to the roof ridge is 10.00 m (on the north side). The floor of the church is sunken below the level of the north entrance facade by approx. 60 cm, making the height from floor to roof ridge 10.60 m. The height from ground level to the eaves on the north side is approx. 6.72 m, and from floor level to the eaves on the south side is 7.32 m.
The entrance to the church is in the west face of the bell tower, and is accentuated by a round-arched stone portal, 1.60 m wide and 2.20 m high. The door jambs are 20 cm wide and project slightly outwards from the wall face, so that the entrance itself, not counting the stone door jambs, measures 1.20 x 2.00 m. There is a stone plaque over the portal, about 40 cm in high, forming an equal-sided trapezoid. This plaque also projects outwards slightly from the wall face, and has a prominent stone cross. The double doors are metal, painted black. This entrance is currently not in use.
The interior of the church is rectangular in plan, measuring approx. 16.10 x 8.50 m overall, and consisting of the parvis, nave and altar space. Above the parvis is a gallery, at a height of 2.95 m above floor level.
The parvis is rectangular in plan, measuring approx. 4.20 x 8.50 m. On the east side of the parvis are two stone columns, 30 cm in diameter, supporting the gallery and dividing parvis to the east into three equal sections. The height of the parvis to the ceiling below the gallery is approx. 2.75 m. A staircase 1.00 in width leads from the parvis to the gallery. The western flight of this staircase is separated from the parvis by a 20 cm thick wall, and the northern flight is supported by a square 20 x 20 cm pillar. A stone plaque measuring approx. 80 x 120 cm is mounted on the south wall of the parvis. This white marble plaque is incised with the names of those who provided funds for the restoration of the church between 1962 and 1964, and a photograph of the major donor at that time is inset into the top left corner in an elliptical frame(18). The plaque has now been overpainted in white, as have the interior walls.
The gallery or choir occupies the space above the parvis. In plan, the choir is of the same rectangular shape and size, approx. 4.20 x 8.50 m, as the parvis. The east end of the gallery has a solid stone parapet approx. 80 cm high, along the front of which, over the full length of 8.50 m, is a step with a width of approx. 20 cm. The height from the gallery floor to the highest central point of the wooden ceiling is 4.50 m, and from the gallery floor to the lowest point at the sides of the wooden gallery is approx. 2.20 m.
The nave measures 8.00 x 8.50 m. There is a side entrance, rectangular in form measuring 103 x 200 cm, in the north wall of the church. This entrance is surrounded by rectangular stone slabs, and is fitted with a black-painted metal door with an impressed white-painted cross in the middle. This door leads into the church via three stone steps. At the east end of the nave, towards the altar, is a double-stepped circular ambon (pulpit). The wider bottom stone step is 90 cm in diameter and the narrower is 58 cm.
The central area of the nave has windows to the north and south, the sills of which are at a height of 2.95, measured from the lower slanting edge on the inside. The bishop's throne is located in the south-east corner of the nave, beside the step leading to the altar. The bishop's throne is of wood, painted blue.
The altar space measures 3.85 x 8.50 m and is connected to the nave by two steps, 8.50 m in width, with a central rounded section projecting forward into the nave by 1.50 m. The difference in height between the altar space and the nave is 50 cm.
The wooden iconostasis has two tiers. The lower central section containing the arched Royal Doors, with an overall height of approx. 1.20 m, which are flanked on either side by two arched passageways approx. 1.00 m wide, with the alternate passageways open. The top tier of the iconostasis, above the Royal Doors, contains a wooden panel surrounding an arched opening approx. 1.30 m wide and 2.20 m high, topped by a wooden cross set centrally. To each side are six arched openings, also surrounded by wooden panelling. These upper arched openings are so placed that two of the smaller arched openings correspond to one such opening in the bottom tier. These openings are approx. 1.70m in height. In the middle of the altar space is a rectangular plinth measuring 1.40 x 1.00 m.(19) The proscomidion, which is rectangular in shape topped by an acute-angled triangle, 60 cm in overall height, is set in the north altar wall and the diaconicon, which is rectangular in shape, is in the south altar wall.
The west end of the altar space, towards the nave, has windows to the north and south, in line with the steps running across the full width of the church between the nave and the altar. The sills of these windows are at a height of 2.45 m as measured from the altar floor to the lower slanting edge on the inside face of the wall. There is another such window in the axis of the church at the east end of the altar space, above the upper throne. Above this central window is a mural of the Blessed Virgin with Christ.
The floors of the nave and the parvis to the west are identical, consisting of paving stones measuring 30 x 30 cm, finished chromatically to create a distinct geometric design. The floor of the altar space consists of rammed concrete, as does that of the gallery.
The ceiling of the church throughout consists of dark brown wooden panelling, with noticeable damage above the gallery, where the wooden trusses of the gabled roof can be seen through the panelling in places, as can the roof cladding of galvanized iron. The height from floor level in the nave to the highest point of the wooden ceiling is approx. 3.45 m.
All the windows in the church are rectangular, measuring 75 x 200 cm, with a slight splay towards the interior of the building. The lintels are in the form of round arches. The windows are metal, painted black, and glazed with plain or stained glass.
As regards the building materials used, the entire church was built of regular cut stone blocks of varying sizes. The solid outer walls are 80 cm thick. The wooden trusses of the gabled roof of the church rest on the solid side walls. Both the gabled roof and the roof of the bell tower are clad with galvanized iron.
The facade has not been rendered, thus leaving the solid dressed stone blocks exposed. The north facade forms a rectangular face measuring approx. 17.70 x 6.12 m, with the north pane of the gabled roof resting upon it. The distance between the top edge of the north facade and the top edge of the north side of the gabled roof is approx. 3.28 cm. There are three windows in the north facade, with their sills 2.95 m above ground level. These windows have stone slab frames and are splayed towards the interior of the church. The side entrance already described is in the western half of the north facade, between the central and west windows.
The south facade also forms a rectangular face, slightly larger than the north facade at approx. 17.70 x 6.52 m; the difference is caused by the north-south slope of the site. The south pane of the gabled roof rests on this facade. The distance between the top edge of the south facade and the top edge of the south side of the gabled roof is approx. 3.28 cm. There are three round-arched windows in the south facade, with their sills 3.35 m above ground level.
The west facade is the main facade of the building. It is almost symmetrical, with an overall length of 10.10 m, but different heights at the north and south ends, on account of the sloping site – at the northern end the height to the eaves of the gabled roof is approx. 6.10 m while at the southern end it is approx. 6.50 m. The west end has two side windows, one at each end of the facade, of the same size and shape as the windows in the north facade.
The bell tower is set centrally at the west end. In ground plan it is a rectangle measuring 3.10 x 2.30 m. The height of the bell tower at midpoint is 15.80 m, not counting the sheet metal clad section, which is approx. 3.10 m high, giving an overall height of approx. 18.90 m. The sheet metal cladding of the bell tower is topped by a damaged, misshapen metal cross. The entrance to the church is through double arched metal doors in the middle of the bell tower. The bell tower consists of four stages of differing heights, separated by simply moulded string courses. The ground floor of the bell tower contains the main double doors to the church, and is approx. 5.35 m in height. Above the first string course, at a height of approx. 4.00 m, is a stone plaque measuring approx. 80 x 50 cm, with an incomplete inscription: „THIS TEMPLE FROM/WITH BLAG“(20). The second stage of the bell tower is roughly the same height as the ground floor, and contains a central opening identical to those in the south and north side walls, measuring approx. 75 x 200 cm. The third stage of the bell tower is approx. 3.40 m in height and has an opening identical to the one on the second stage, differing only in that it is closed by a metal concertina blind that opens and closes vertically. This metal blind is not working properly and currently closes off only the top one-third of the arched window on the third stage. The fourth stage of the bell tower is approx. 1.80 m in height and has a circular opening with a diameter of approx. 60 cm, completely closed off by a metal concertina blind. The frame of this circular opening is similar to the other windows of the west end, consisting of circular stone slabs projecting outwards slightly from the wall face of the bell tower. This fourth stage merges direct into the roof of the bell tower, which is approx. 3.10 m in height. The west face of the third and fourth stages of the bell tower is higher than, and thus stand clear of, the ridge of the gabled roof of the church. The openings on the west face of the third and fourth stages are repeated on all four sides of the bell tower.
The east facade of the church is 10.10 m in length overall, but of different heights at the north and south ends, on account of the sloping site – at the northern end the height to the eaves of the gabled roof is approx. 6.10 m while at the southern end it is approx. 6.50 m. The east end has a central arched window at the same height as the north and south facades, with a circular window approx. 75 cm in diameter directly above it, at a height of approx. 7.60 m. This window is framed by circular stone slabs projecting slightly outwards from the wall face of the east end of the church and is fitted with a circular metal window glazed with clear glass.
The entire complex of the Orthodox church in Donje Vukovsko is surrounded by a masonry wall of stone laid in courses, approx 1.30 m high and 40 cm wide. To the north this wall is horizontal, but to the west and east it is stepped, following the fall of the site to the south. The north, south and east sections of the wall are badly damaged.
The entrance to the churchyard is at the western end of the north section of the boundary wall. This entrance is 192 cm wide, with a damaged square stone pillar on either side, 21 x 21 cm in section, with a height of approx. 180 cm. These stone pillars are each fitted with a rusty metal protuberance originally designed to hold the metal gate. Flanking these pillars is the massive arched stone portal, measuring approx 32 x 40 cm with a height of approx. 220 cm. The stone arch projects outwards, resting on brackets, and is topped at midpoint by a stone cross.
There are two graves inside the churchyard, marked by stone crosses, one of which is about 1.50 m from the extreme western edge of the north facade and marks the grave of priest Simo Popović. The other cross is in line with the first, and about 7.60 m to the west, not far from the western stone boundary of the churchyard of the Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin.
3. Legal status to date
The property has not been subject to protection.
4. Research and conservation and restoration works
There is no surviving information or particular documentation on any research or conservation and restoration works conducted to date on the Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko. All that is known is that the church was restored from 1962 to 1964, after being burned down in 1942.
When the church was burned down, the valuable walnut wood iconostasis was completely destroyed and the church records were burned.
The walls of laid stone of the Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin, like the bell tower, which was built in the same manner, were not destroyed and are undoubtedly original.
The gabled roof of the church was restored from 1962 to 1964. A completely new wooden roof truss was installed to replace the one burned down in 1942, and was clad with galvanized iron, which is still in place. The same material was used to clad the bell tower. The interior of the church was then fitted with a ceiling of wooden panelling, the walls were painted white, and a mural of the Blessed Virgin with Christ was painted on the inside at the east end, above the upper throne. New metal exterior windows glazed with clear or stained glass were fitted. A new bishop's throne was installed in the nave and a new iconostasis fitted to the west of the altar.
At this time too the steps leading to the gallery were restored and the square concrete pillar supporting the north-eastern flight of the staircase was installed. Judging from the precision of workmanship of the concrete table for the host in the middle of the altar space, this was also probably restored at this time.
In 1964, on completion of the restoration works, a stone plaque was mounted inside the parvis with the names of those who provided funds for the restoration.
After 1964, Father Lovrenije Trivunović, who was serving the parish at that time, mounted a stone plaque on the west facade of the bell tower, above the entrance, with an incomplete inscription incised in Cyrillic.
5. Current condition of the property
The Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin was damaged during the recent war in BiH, since when it has not been used.
The damage is not such as to pose a risk to the structure of the building, which was neither destroyed nor set on fire.
The exterior bearing walls, made of stone blocks, are in excellent structural condition for the most part, and show the dark patina typical of old stone-built properties. The exception is the south longitudinal wall, the west end of which is bulging outwards slightly in the middle, as can be seen from the outside. The outer courses of stone blocks have fallen away here as a result of the distortion.
Despite this damage, the south wall is still structurally functional, but a structural statics inspection should be made and repairs carried out if required.
The galvanized iron roof cladding was not damaged during the recent war in BiH, but no routine maintenance has been carried out on the roof for many years. This has resulted in deterioration and corrosion of parts of the roof cladding, both of the gabled roof and the bell tower roof. The bell tower is topped by a damaged and misshapen metal cross.
The damage to the cladding of the gabled roof is most marked at the west end, towards the bell tower, where there are green areas on the building itself on the west and part of the north and south walls of the gallery. These reveal the presence of microfloral organisms on these walls, the growth of which has been encouraged by damp penetrating into the building.
The wooden truss of the west end of the gabled roof is at risk from damp penetrating the upper layers of the roof, although no marked damage to the trusses is yet to be seen.
The barrel-like wooden panelling of the ceiling covering the roof trusses is badly damaged at the west end, so much so that the roof cladding and trusses of the gabled roof can be seen from the gallery.
The ceiling of the bell tower level with the gallery is badly damaged and this part of the structure is extremely unsafe.
The window furniture is in good condition, but the clear and stained glass is damaged on almost all the windows.
The metalwork on the bell tower is in poor condition as a result of lack of maintenance. This consists of the metal concertina blinds. These are now unusable and rusted, and the lower two-thirds is open.
The north and west entrance doors, of metal, are in very good condition.
Damp is also penetrating into the building through the damaged areas of the outside windows, particularly around the east window, below which are areas of green standing out against the white background of the inside east wall.
In the interior, the structural system of the gallery is in excellent condition – that is to say, the original supporting pillars at the east end, the gallery floor, the solid stone balustrade and the staircase leading to the gallery.
The ambom in the nave, the plinth for the host in the altar space, and the steps between the nave and the altar area are wholly undamaged and in excellent structural condition.
The original paving stones of the nave and parvis are undamaged.
The white and grey wall surfaces within the church have not been kept regularly maintained, and show signs of damage.
Having been out of use for a long time, the interior of the church is in a state of neglect and needs thorough cleaning. This is particularly true of the gallery and bell tower at gallery level.
All the church fittings are now missing except the bishop's throne and iconostasis.
6. Specific risks
- risk of possible collapse of the south longitudinal wall of the church,
- risk of collapse of the bell tower floor at gallery level,
- risk of parts of the wooden panelling falling from the ceiling above the gallery,
- risk of damp penetrating into the property, particularly at the west end, as a result of water leaking through the galvanized iron roof cladding.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value (The building, group or site is associated with a historical personality or major historical event. In this case the building is of historical value as the oldest building of its type in the region in question)
E. Symbolic value
E.ii. religious value
E.iii. traditional value
E.iv. relation to rituals or ceremonies
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people
G. Authenticity
G.i. form and design
G.iii. use and function
G.v. location and setting
G.vi. spirit and feeling
G.vii. other internal and external factors
I. Completeness
I.i. physical coherence
I.ii. homogeneity
I.iii. completeness
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Photo documentation: photographs taken on site by a Commission staffer in August 2007.
Bibliography
1964. Periodical Pravoslavni misionar (Orthodox Missionary) issue no. 1, 13-16, Jnl. of the Archiepiscopal Synod in Belgrade
1970. Sa kupreške visoravni (From the Kupres Plateau), Father Miroslav Džaja, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres
2002. Ljiljana Ševo, Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878. godine (Orthodox Churches and Monasteries in BiH to 1878), 249, Banjaluka Heritage Series, Banjaluka.
2007. Internet site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dabro-Bosnia Metropolitanate, Parish of Donje Vukovsko. www.mitropolijadabrobosanska.org/sematizam/crkve_parohije
(1) Donje Vukovsko is the general area where the village of Kudilji is located. The village stands in Vukovsko plain which merges into Ravno plain.
(2) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 337.
(3) Dugo Polje no longer exists, at least not under that name. It was probably none other than the present-day nearby village of Gornje Vukovsko. From 1516 to 1574, Donje Vukovsko remained the same size, with seven households each paying 180 akčas in tax, whereas Dugo Polje increased in size from five to nine households. Donje Vukovsko was not Islamicized, while in nearby Dugo Polje just one house that converted was recorded (Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 339)
(4) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 276.
(5) There is no surviving information on the date when this church was built. The bell tower was erected in or around 1890
(6) According to the 1879 census, Donje Vukovsko and Gornje Vukovsko together had a population of 1,839. In 1910 Donje Vukovsko had 1,109 residents. According to the 1921 census, Donje Vukovsko had fewer residents: 985, most of them Orthodox Christians
(7) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 279.
(8) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 64.
(9) Ljiljana Ševo, Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878. godine, Banjaluka Heritage Series, Banjaluka 2002, 249.
(10) Pop (priest) Simo Popović was buried within the churchyard walls, right beside the church. The other parish priests were buried in the nearby village cemetery, along with the members of their congregation. Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 277, 278.
(11) “In just a single day in 1942 the enemy took from this village 180 of its finest and best sons and threw them alive into a pit, shod the young priest with horseshoes and subjected him to brutal torture, and destroyed the church with artillery fire before torching it.” - Periodical Pravoslavni misionar no. 1, Jnl. of the Archiepiscopal Synod in Belgrade, 1964, 13-16.
The walls and bell tower of the church survived, suggesting that the church was set on fire, but not completely destroyed. The only parish priest at that time was the elderly Marko Popović. Nothing is known of the young priest who was allegedly shod like a horse; there is not even any reference to him in the Commemorations of Orthodox Priests 1941-45, Belgrade 1960. (Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 278)
Dobroslav Blažević is the name of the priest in question, who served as priest there from 1939. After World War II Donje Vukovsko no longer had a priest, but a parish priest (Web site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitanate of Dabro Bosnia, Parish of Donje Vukovsko, August 2007. www.mitropolijadabrobosanska.org/sematizam/crkve_parohije)
(12) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 64.
(13) Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 278.
(14) Web site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolitanate of Dabro Bosnia, Parish of Donje Vukovsko, August 2007. www.mitropolijadabrobosanska.org/sematizam/crkve_parohije
(15) Ljiljana Ševo, Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878. godine, Banjaluka Heritage Series, Banjaluka 2002, 249.
(16) The Blagaj parish priest Tomislav Ćubrilović is now responsible on behalf of the Serbian Orthodox Church for the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko.
(17) There is precise information on the erection of the bell tower of the Orthodox church of the Holy trinity in Blagaj, which was built in 1890. (Father Miroslav Džaja, Sa kupreške visoravni, Otinovci-Kupres Parish Press, Kupres, 1970, 276)
Since the Blagaj church was not damaged in either World War I or World War II, and is identical to the Orthodox church of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Donje Vukovsko, it forms a “living document” from which, by analogy, the original appearance of the church in Donje Vukovsko can be determined.
(18) As reported by the Blagaj parish priest Tomislav Ćubrilović, Donje Vukovsko, August 2007.
(19) This is in fact a solid concrete slab supported in the middle by a rectangular concrete pillar approx 20 x 20 cm in section. The concrete slab is approx 80 cm above the altar floor level.
(20) According to the Blagaj parish priest Tomislav Ćubrilović, this is the unfinished stone masonry of Father Lavrentije Trivunović, who served the parish temporarily, and the entire Kupres region after the restoration of the church in 1964. Father Lavrentije Trivunović was moved to another post before he was able to complete the inscription on the stone plaque; he was replaced in Kupres by priest Jovan Popović of Bugojno – Donje Vukovsko, August 2007.
