Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH”, no. 60/08.

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 historic monument of the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic with movable heritage (five icons) is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 395 (new survey), Land Register entry no. 645, cadastral municipality Konjic II, Municipality Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The National Monument is the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Zahum-Herzegovina Eparchy.

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 providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, restoration, 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 on the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated.

-       all works are prohibited other than research and conservation and restoration works and works on the infrastructure and installations required for the living heritage, in such a way as not to damage the National Monument, including those designed to display the monument, 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 (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority).

To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, buffer zone is hereby stipulated consisting of the plots adjacent to the protected site of the National Monument. The following measures shall apply in this zone:

-       the construction of new buildings the use of which is not detrimental to the National Monument, with no more than two storeys (ground + 1), a maximum footprint of 10 x 12 m, and a maximum height of 6.50 m to the base of the roof frame, and at a minimum distance from the church of 10 metres, shall be permitted;

-       the use of the properties in the immediate vicinity of the church shall not be detrimental to the religious nature of the National Monument.

The Government of the Federation shall provide suitable the conditions for conservation and restoration works on the movable heritage referred to in clause 1 para 1 of this Decision (hereinafter; the movable heritage), subject to first drawing up a study approved by the relevant ministry.

The display and other forms of presentation of the movable heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be effected under the terms and conditions stipulated 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 items referred to in Clause 1 para. 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 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: 06.2-2-947/03-3

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 25 June 2002 the Department of Economic, Financial and Social Affairs of Konjic Municipality submitted to the Commission a petition/proposal to designate the Orthodox church of St Basil the Great in Konjic as a National Monument.

Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.

II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION

In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:

-       Documentation on the location and current owner and user of the property.

-       Details of legal protection of the property to date.

-       Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.

-       Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.

The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the site are as follows:

1. Details of the property

Location

The historic building of the church of St Basil the Great is at Varda in Konjic.

The main axis of the church lies east-west, with the entrance at the west end and the altar apse at the east end. Access to the church is from the west, from the small churchyard, which has a stone surrounding wall with an entrance gateway.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 395 (new survey), cadastral municipality Konjic II, Land Register entry no. 645, property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Zahum-Herzegovina Eparchy, Municipality Konjic, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

The earliest information on the number of people of the Orthodox faith in the parish of Konjic during the Ottoman period appears in the Chronicles of priest Prokopije Čokorilo of Mostar(1), who gives details for 1856, revealing that the Orthodox population of the Konjic region then belonged to the Mostar church(2) in the Herzegovina-Zahum eparchy. The parish was based in Konjic, and was served by Prokopije Čokorilo, whose permanent base was in Mostar. His information reveals that the parish of Konjic extended to part of Jablanica Municipality and had a congregation of 568, of which 460 were in Konjic Municipality itself. Priest Prokopije Čokorilo spent the time from 1956 to 1860 in Russia collecting donations, raising enough funds to build churches in Mostar, Bijelo Polje, Duvno, Stara Gabela, Ljubuški, Konjic (Čelebići) and Borci(3).

The Orthodox church had no organizational presence in the present-day parish of Konjic until 1860. From the early 18th century the Orthodox population of Konjic on the right bank of the river Neretva (Bosnian Neretva) were in the parish of Pazarić and those on the left bank in the Orthodox parish of Mostar. The first organizational unit was the parish of Konjic, based in Čelebići, where the church was built.

At the time Austro-Hungarian rule was introduced in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian Orthodox church had two parishes in the Konjic region:

1) Konjic (in the Herzegovina-Zahum eparchy), covering all the towns and villages of the former county of Konjic on the left bank of the Neretva and the part of the town of Konjic on the left bank of the Neretva, and

2) Pazarić (in the Dabrobosna eparchy), covering all the towns and villages of the former county of Konjic on the right bank of the Neretva and the part of the town of Konjic on the right bank of the Neretva(4).

Between 1878 and 1918, two churches were built in present-day Konjic Municipality: the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic in 1886, and the church of SS Peter and Paul in Borci, in 1896.

In 1885, building works began on the Orthodox church at Varda – the church of St Basil the Great(5) in Konjic, as reported in the Sarajevo Gazette by way of notifying the general public(6).

The building of the church was completed on 26 October 1886(7).

Work on the interior proceeded gradually over a period of more than forty years.

During the 1992-1995 war the property and the interior of the church suffered considerable damage.

The church is now used from time to time for its original purpose, depending on religious festivals, since there is no permanent parish priest in Konjic.

2. Description of the property

The church lies east-west, with the entrance at the west end.

The church is rectangular in plan, measuring approx.9.0 x 18.0 m on the outside(8). It has a single semicircular apse at the east end, and two other apses, one on the south wall and one on the north. The two apses to the north and south sides of the church are semicircular in shape, with an inside radius of approx. 1.60 m. The apse roofs are below the level of the gabled roof of the building, and are clad with galvanized iron.

The bell tower stands over the parvis. It is square in plan, with an onion-domed roof with an elongated cuboid extension clad with galvanized iron.

In terms of layout, the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic has a parvis, nave and altar space. The parvis measures approx. 5.9 x 3.2 m, the nave approx. 11.4 x 5.9 m, and the altar space approx. 5.9 x 3.2 m. The altar space with proscomidion, diaconicon and altar is in the east apse.

There is a gallery above the parvis, measuring approx. 5.9 x 3.2 m, resting on two stone pillars between which is an arched passageway. A single flight wooden staircase about 0.8 m wide beside the north wall of the church leads to the gallery. The wooden balustrade of the stairs is about 100 cm high, and that of the gallery is also about 100 cm high. Stairs lead from the gallery to the church tower. The floor of the gallery is 3.9 m above the level of the church floor. The gallery has wooden floor boards, and the floor of the nave is paved with stone slabs.

The church has solid stone walls, about 110 cm thick at the east and west ends and about 70 cm thick on the north and south sides. Both the north and the side walls have two structural reinforcements in the shape of pilasters measuring approx. 105 x 85 cm. The pilasters are approx. 2.15 m from the east wall, and about 3.5 m apart. There are two massive stone pillars measuring approx 105 x 105 cm in the parvis, rising to the ceiling, with the space between them filled by three barrel vaults (there are three arches below the gallery and three below the vault). All the walls of the church are rendered with cement mortar inside and out.

The church has a gabled roof with wooden roof trusses and a cladding of galvanized iron.

Light enters the nave of the church through three simple arched lancet windows in the south and three in the north wall. There is another such window of the same size in the apse at the east end. The interior masonry measurements of these windows is approx. 3.0 x 0.65 m. All the windows are original, made of wood and consisting of 14 glazed panes. On the outside, they have stone frames and iron grilles.

The church is entered at the west end, through the main entrance portal which measures approx. 1.8 m wide and 3.3 m high. The double arched doors are wooden, with a stone frame on the façade. The upper part of the same façade, above the portal, contains a small arched window measuring approx. 1.20 x 0.56 m, of the same style as the other windows in the building. Above this the west façade has yet another, circular window or oculus.

The church has a flat ceiling made of painted plasterboard. Nothing is known of the original ceiling. The height of the church from floor to ceiling is approx. 8.0 m.

The altar space is divided from the nave by an iconostasis, and is three steps above the nave. It is approx. 3.2 m deep. The centre of the altar space is occupied by the altar.

The nave is divided from the altar space by the wooden iconostasis, approx. 5.9 m long and 4.2 m high. On the side facing the nave the iconostasis has two moulded string courses and a cornice on the crown of the iconostasis, which is undulating at the top. There are three niches in the apse wall of the altar space, used during religious worship as the proscomidion(9) and diaconicon(10).

The carved iconostasis partition was made by Konjic woodcarvers Sulejman Hadžizukić and Salko Alagić in or about 1925(11). The icons on the iconostasis are the work of  Sreto Domić and date from 1929.

The iconostasis partition was decorated with relief floral ornamentation. It consisted of four tiers. The centre of the lower tier was reserved for the Royal Doors, to the right and left of which are three icon frames. The centre of the second tier, above the Royal Doors, contained an icon with the scene of the Last Supper. To the left and right of this were rectangular frames, three on each side. The centre of the third tier was occupied by a large round-arched area topped by a cross, extending up through the fourth tier as well. To the left and right of this, the third tier of the iconostasis contained circular apertures, three on each side, to hold icons. The fourth tier consisted of three round-arched sections on each side of the larger arched section extending cross the third and fourth tiers.

The iconostasis and its icons were badly damaged during the 1992-1995 war. The icons were removed, and the lower part of the iconostasis partition was destroyed. A simple wooden frame has been mounted in its place. The second, third and fourth tiers of the iconostasis partition were not destroyed.

Printed copies of icons have been mounted in the spaces made for them on the iconostasis partition.

MOVABLE HERITAGE

1. CHRIST PANTOCRATOR

Artist: unidentified Cretan artist

Date: 16th century

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 35 x 28 cm

Description: Christ is portrayed facing front, in the established Byzantine tradition. His face bears an expression of utter dignity and divine peace. He is looking at the observer. His gold halo, with a border of punched stars and a double engraved circle, is inscribed with a cross and the Greek letters ΟωΝ, in reference to the Biblical text "I am that I am“ (Exodus 14,4). Christ's initials appear at the top of the icon. The colour palette, reduced to ochre-brown tones and gold, adds to the general impression of measured strictness (Rakić, 1998, 211-212).

The icon disappeared during the 1992-1995 war.

2. ST NICHOLAS THE MIRACLE-WORKER

Artist: unidentified

Date: early 20th century

Technique: tempera on board, embossing and gilding on copper

Size: 36 x 30 cm

Description: The saint is portrayed half-length. In the top right-hand corner is the figure of the Virgin offering an omophor, and in the top left-hand corner the figure of Christ seated on a cloud, holding the Scriptures in his left hand and giving a blessing with his right. The painted surface of the icon is covered with embossed, gilded copper, cut away to reveal the face and hands of the figures. An inscription, St Nicholas the Miracle-Worker, is embossed at the bottom of the copper mounting.

3. St JOHN THE BAPTIST

Artist: Sreto Domić (Mulić, 1990, 262)

Date: 1929 (Mulić, 1990, 262)

Technique: oil on canvas

Size: 65 x 53.5 cm

Description: The saint is portrayed standing in an oasis, his right foot forward, wearing a brown sheepskin with a blue cloak over it. There is a large cross at an angle to his body, with the longer arm on the ground by his right foot and the other three arms of the cross resting against his left shoulder. A riband with the word Repent is attached to the top of the cross. He is holding a scroll in his left hand; his right hand is raised, bent at the elbow and with the forefinger pointing. To his right is an axe, the symbol of his execution.

The name of the stain is inscribed in red to the left and right of his shoulders.

Until the iconostasis was damaged, this icon formed an integral part of it. It has now been attached by paperclips onto card.

The painted surface of the icon is damaged.

4. MOST PERFECT MOTHER SAINT PARASKEVA

Artist: Sreto Domić (Mulić, 1990, 262)

Date: 1929 (Mulić, 1990, 262)

Technique: oil on canvas

Size: 65 x 53.5 cm

Description: The saint is portrayed standing in an oasis, her head bent slightly towards her left shoulder, wearing a long cloak with a hood over the head. The cloak is dark red with a light pink lining. A large white schema edged with a gold band and decorated with gold crosses can be seen under the cloak. The saint is holding a cross and a palm frond in her right hand; her left hand is holding a rosary against her breast. She has a halo around her head. To her left, in the background, is a church.

The name of the saint is inscribed in red at the top of the icon.

Until the iconostasis was damaged, this icon formed an integral part of it. It has now been attached by paperclips onto card.

The painted surface of the icon is damaged.

5. ARCHANGEL MICHAEL

Artist: Petko of Vršac (this may be the donor of the icon)

Date: c. 1915

Technique: paint (pastel?) and gilding on plush

Size: 70 x 43 cm

Description: The saint is portrayed standing, slightly out of step, wearing the garb of a Roman soldier. He has large wings merging at the ends into a mantle. He is holding a pair of scales in his raised left hand, and a flaming sword in his left, which is held slightly away from his side. He has a halo around his head. The colour palette is mainly soft blue. Parts of the halo, clothing and the scales are decorated in gold.

There is an inscription, PETKO-VRŠAC 1915, in the lower left-hand part of the icon.

3. Legal status to date

The property has not been entered in the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments and has not been subject to protection.

On 25 June 2002 Konjic Municipality submitted to the Commission a proposal to designate the Orthodox church of St Basil the Great in Konjic as a National Monument.

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

Since the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic has never been entered in the Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments and has not been subject to protection, there is no written evidence or documentation on conservation and restoration works.

According to a representative of the Orthodox church, Luka Ivanišević, the following building works were carried out on the church in 1988-89

-       the roof tiles were replaced by galvanized iron

-       the façades were restored and stone slabs were mounted on the socle

-       a new gallery staircase and new doors were made.

In 2006 the interior of the church was refurbished, plasterboard was fixed to the ceiling, and the walls were painted.

5. Current condition of the property

The church of St Basil the Great in Konjic was damaged during the 1992-1995 war. The main damage was to the façade and interior. The lower tier of the iconostasis partition was destroyed. During the restoration of the church, the lower tier was replaced by a simple wooden frame.

The icons that were formerly part of the iconostasis disappeared at that time. Two have survived, the icon of St John and that of St Paraskeva.

6. Specific risks

There are no specific risks posing a threat to the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic.

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 (association of the building with a significant event in history)

C.         Artistic and aesthetic value

C.iv.     composition

C.v.      value of details

D.         Clarity

D.iv.     evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner

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.ii.       meaning in the townscape

G.         Authenticity

G.iv.     tradition and techniques

G.vi.     spirit and feeling

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-       Copy of cadastral plan

-       Photodocumentation: photographs taken by the Commission in October 2007

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the historic building of the church of St Basil the Great in Konjic as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:

1890.    Schematism of the Serbian Orthodox archdiocese of Herzegovina and Zahum. Mostar: 1890

1990.    Mulić, Jusuf. Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme austrougarske vladavine (1878-1918.) (Konjic and environs in the Austro-Hungarian period [1878-1918]). Konjic: Konjic Municipality, March 1990

1998.    Rakić, Svetlana. Ikone Bosne i Hercegovine (16-19. vijek) (Icons of BiH [16th to 19th century). Belgrade: 1998.

2001.    Mulić, Jusuf. Konjic i njegova okolina u vrijeme osmanske vladavine (1464-1878) (Konjic and environs in the Ottoman period [1464-1878]). Konjic: Konjic Municipality, 2001.