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Decisions on Designation of Properties as National Monuments

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Church of Assumption of Holy Virgin with the movable property, the architectural ensemble

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Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH”, no. 28/10.

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 9 to 14 February 2010 the Commission adopted a

 

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

The architectural ensemble of the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin with movable property, the churchyard wall and the former First Serb School building in Travnik is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of the church with its murals and movable property, consisting of an iconostasis with thirty-eight icons and thirteen free-standing icons, the churchyard wall, and the former First Serb School building in Travnik.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2458 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 2/312 (old survey), Land Register entry no. 1268, and c.p. 2461 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 2/311 (old survey), Land Register entry no. 1564, cadastral municipality Travnik, Municipality Travnik, 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 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 site defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision, conservation and restoration works may be carried out 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 protection of the buildings in the group and to provide the conditions required for their conservation and restoration, the following urgent protection measures are hereby prescribed:

-          an examination and structural analysis of the structural parts of the buildings;

-          the structural consolidation of the buildings and repairs to their structural parts, using the same materials and techniques wherever possible;

-          their protection against adverse external impacts.

 

IV

 

The following protection measures for the movable property and murals referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage) are hereby prescribed:

-          the Government of the Federation shall provide the appropriate physical and technical conditions for housing the movable heritage;

-          conservation-restoration works shall be carried out on the collection of icons, the icons on the iconostasis, and the murals;

-          all works on the movable heritage shall be carried out by qualified persons, subject to a study approved by the Federal ministry responsible for culture and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

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

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

 

V

 

The removal of the movable heritage from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

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

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.

 

VI

 

All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.

 

VII

 

Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation thereof.

 

VIII

 

The Government of the Federation, the federal ministry responsible for regional planning, the federal ministry responsible for culture, the 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 VII of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.

 

IX

 

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.kons.gov.ba) 

 

X

 

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.

 

XI

 

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.

 

This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović and Ljiljana Ševo.

 

No: 07.3-02.3-71/10-9

10 February 2010

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 3 October 2008 the Serbian Orthodox parish of Travnik submitted a petition/proposal to the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to designate the Orthodox church and First Serb School in Travnik as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Pursuant to the proposal, 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.

 

Statement of Significance

The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin in Travnik, built in 1854, was the first Orthodox church to be built in the town of Travnik. It belongs to the type of single-aisled church with bell tower, and is unusual in having no apse. The churchyard is enclosed by a well-preserved wall of coursed and rubble stone with wooden tie beams. The church still contains its fine original iconostasis in situ, which is an outstanding work of wood carving, and an Italo-Cretan icon of the Virgin and infant Christ. The murals in the nave were painted in the 1930s by the eminent artist Roman Petrović. The First Serb School was built during the same period, in 1870, and was the first purpose-built Orthodox educational establishment in the Travnik area. Both buildings are in poor structural condition and are at risk of structural collapse. The architectural ensemble is of great historical significance.

 

II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE

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

-          Documentation on the location of the property and the current owner and occupant;

-          Details of legal protection 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;

-          Letter ref. 07.3-35.2-23/09-209 of 04.11.2009 requesting an opinion in writing on the designation of the church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and First Serb School as a national monument from a representative of Travnik Municipality, the Travnik Serbian Orthodox parish, the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture, the Archives of BiH, the Archives of Central Bosnia and the Travnik Museum.

 

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 Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik are located in the centre of town, in Lukačka Street, south of the river Lašva. To the west, on the other side of the street, is the Music School, with beyond it the Jesuit School, about 100 m further away.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2458 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 2/312 (old survey), Land Register entry no. 1268, and c.p. 2461 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 2/311 (old survey), Land Register entry no. 1564, cadastral municipality Travnik, Municipality Travnik, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

The Orthodox population began settling in the Travnik region in the mid 18th century.(1)    For the most part, they were artisans and traders. Bishop Miletić’s 1813 census reveals that fifteen villages in the county of Travnik had Orthodox residents.(2) In the 18th century, new čaršijas – crafts and trades centres – began to take shape, in what was to be a period of rapid economic development for Travnik, when the Orthodox and Jewish population began to increase steadily.  At that time Travnik had a population of some 7,000, twice as many as in the 17th century, a number that was barely to change until the mid 19th century.(3)  

From the mid 19th century, when the seat of the governors of Bosnia was transferred from Travnik to Sarajevo, until 1879, when a population census was conducted at the start of the Austro-Hungarian period, the population declined in numbers as more and more people began to move out. In 1879 Travnik had a population of 5.887, between 1,000 and 2,000 less than it had had 29 years earlier.(4)  

Until the first Orthodox church in Travnik was built, religious services were held in the nearby village of Grahovik, which had its own church. Until the mid 19th century, priests from the Grahovik church used to come to Travnik and hold services out in the open.(5)   

The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin in Travnik was built in 1854(6), with the approval of the Ottoman authorities, on land donated by a big landowner, Šemsibeg Ibrahimpašić-Kukavčić(7). The church was built just after the seat of the governors of Bosnia was transferred from Travnik to Sarajevo, which took place in 1850.(8) It is not known who designed or built the church, and neither are there any details of its erection.

Forming part of the same group of buildings, the New Serb School(9), better known as the First Serb School(10), was built beside the church. Work on the school was completed after that on the church, in about 1870. The school provided a primary education, and was built with the approval of Safet-pasha, who himself provided funds for its construction(11).

In 1903 the New Serb School moved into the newly-completed Fufić endowment building(12), now housing the Music School, and the old school building became the parish hall(13). In addition, part of the ground floor was used as a baptistery(14), and another part as a meeting place for the congregation.

In 1911 the church was enlarged, and in 1923the church bell was cast in Split and mounted in the bell tower.

The church and school suffered no major damage during World Wars I and II, but it should be said that information on the history of the buildings is extremely sparse, given that in both the 19th and the 20th century no church chronicle was maintained, or if it was, it has been lost.(15) In addition, there are no church records, and neither is there any technical document relating to the construction of or repairs to the buildings.

In 1956 the former school building was nationalized, but a first-floor flat was granted to the Orthodox parish of Travnik for use by its priests.

Routine maintenance works were carried out on the buildings in the latter half of the 20th century. In the 1970s, structural repair works were carried out on the churchyard walls, and the church roof cladding was replaced.

In 1988 the baptistery on the ground floor of the former school ceased to be used, and the priest moved into a newly-built house in Travnik, which has been used for that purpose ever since. Since then the school has been used solely for residential purposes, after the ground- and first-floor premises were allocated by the municipality to some of its officials to resolve their housing problems.

No religious services were held in the church during the 1992-1995 war, and the building was damaged when the south wall was struck by a mortar bomb. In 2000 the church once again began to be used for religious worship, when Goran Živković was appointed as head priest of Travnik Orthodox parish, and the former school building was turned into provisional accommodation for socially vulnerable residents of Travnik.

The church still houses valuable icons and manuscript books dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, and the murals in part of the interior of the church were painted in the 1930s by the academic painter Roman Petrović.(16)   

 

2. Description of the property

The architectural ensemble consists of the church, the former First Serb School, and the churchyard wall.

The church belongs to the type of single-aisled church with bell tower, built of stone blocks. It is rectangular in plan, with sides of 18.00 x 11.20 m. At the west end of the church, which lies east-west, in the axis of the church, is the bell tower, which has sides of 2.60 x 2.60 m, giving the church an overall length including the bell tower of 20.60 m. Side rooms flank the bell tower to the north and south, of the same width as the bell tower and with a length of 4.30 m, housing the church office and the vestibule of the bell tower and gallery, with which the rooms are connected by wooden stairs. Each side room has its own separate entrance, one to the west and one to the south, and each is divided by a wall from the ground floor of the bell tower.

The overall height of the church to the roof ridge is 10.60 m, and of the bell tower is 19.90 m, not counting the 1.50 m high cross that surmounts it.

The main entrance to the church is at the west end; there are also two side doors on the north side of the church. The ground-floor stage of the bell tower, with inside measurements of 1.45 x 1.45 m, forms a kind of vestibule to the church, in which there is a stone plaque on the side walls with the names of benefactors.

The interior of the church consists of the parvis, nave and sanctuary. Above the parvis is a gallery, at 5.70 m above floor level.

The parvis is rectangular in plan, with sides of 8.95 x 2.50 m, and a ceiling height below the gallery of 5.30 m. An 80-cm wide wooden staircase leads from the room to the south of the bell tower up to the gallery(17). A wooden staircase leads to the first stage of the bell tower, from which a single-valved door opens onto the gallery to the east(18).

The choir gallery occupies the area above the parvis. It is of the same floor plan as the parvis, with a central trapezoid projection 1.00 m in width(19), resting on two octagonal pillars faced with stone, measuring 35 x 35 cm. The gallery has a 90-cm high wrought iron railing with a wooden handrail.

The nave measures 8.95 x 12.10 m, including the solea in front of the iconostasis, which is of the same width and 1.00 m deep, with two steps leading up to it. The semicircular ambo on the solea, in the axis of the church, has a diameter of 1.30 m.  To the north of the nave is a side door of 120 x 210 cm, which is not in use, flanked on either side by an arched window measuring 80 x 230 cm. The wooden bishop’s throne, measuring 85 x 85 cm, is in the south-east corner of the nave, in front of the solea.

The iconostasis separating the nave from the sanctuary measures 5.35 x 4.10 m, and consists of three tiers.  The lower tier is 2.40 m in height, and the upper two are each 85 cm high.  The lower tier contains the royal doors, measuring 115 x 220 cm, while the two upper tiers contain icons, 15 on one tier and 11 on the other.

The sanctuary is at the same level as the solea, and measures 8.95 x 2.50 m. The entrance door to the north measures 80 x 200 cm. Light enters the sanctuary through three arched windows in the east wall, where there is also a central arched apsidal niche measuring 110 x 260 cm, with a depth of 55 cm. The wooden altar, measuring 100 x 80 cm, with a height of 95 cm, occupies the centre of the sanctuary.

In the north corner of the church is a marble slab measuring 60 x 80 cm, which serves as the proscomidion, while to the south is a wooden cupboard of the same width as the sanctuary, serving as the diaconicon.

The façades of the church are monochromatic, in pale yellow, and the 55-cm high socle is of artificial stone.

The west façade of the church is a symmetrical composition at the centre of which is the bell tower, the ground floor of which corresponds to the outside walls of the side rooms with their raked roofs. Over the double-valved door of 145 x 225 cm(20) in the central axis of the bell tower is a dark stone plaque of 90 x 70 cm bearing the inscription CHURCH OF THE DORMITION OF THE HOLY VIRGIN BUILT 1852.

Two stages of the bell tower, separated by string courses, rise above the entrance area.  The first stage has an arched window of 50 x 110 cm, and the second stage two windows of 50 x 140 cm with a circular opening, 60 cm in diameter, above. The bell tower is surmounted by an onion dome 3.50 m in height topped by a cross 1.50 m in height.

The north and south façades form the side walls of the church. The south façade has two arched windows of 80 x 230 cm at the upper level; the north façade has only one. At ground-floor level, the north façade has two side entrances to the church, and the south façade an entrance to a side room – the vestibule of the bell tower and gallery. The east façade has two arched windows of 80 x 120 cm, with another above, in the axis of the church, measuring 100 x 160 cm.

As regards the materials used, the outer side walls of the church are of coursed stone and are 120 cm thick, while the transverse walls are 80 cm thick. The walls of the side rooms at the west end are 30 cm thick. The interior of the church from the floor of the nave to the apex of the vault covering the entire interior is 9.10 m in height. The ceiling height of the parvis is 5.15 m and that of the choir gallery is 3.80 m.

The floor of the church is paved with marble, like the stone facing of the gallery pillars.  The gallery itself has a wooden floor, and the steps leading to the bell tower are also wooden.  The outside doors and windows are metal, painted with dark red oil paint. The structure of the gabled roof of the church and the two raked roofs of the rooms and the west end is of timber.  The roofs and bell tower are clad with sheet metal. The façades are rendered and painted in a pale shade.

The churchyard is surrounded by a wall with a height of 3.20 m, built of coursed and rubble stone with wooden tie beams. The wall is 105 m in overall length, enclosing a churchyard of about 33.00 x 23.50 m forming an irregular octagon. The metal entrance gate of 220 x 280 cm is at the north-west corner of the wall. Most of the wall is 40 cm thick, but to the north-west it is 20 cm thicker. To the north the churchyard wall is backed by a reinforced concrete structure consisting of buttresses and two ranks of horizontal beams. The northern churchyard wall is capped with hollow tiles; elsewhere the capping is of unevenly-shaped stone slabs.

Within the churchyard, to the east, is a single-storey building of 10.50 x 4.00 m used as a meeting place for the congregation and also housing service quarters. To the south-west of the churchyard is a covered space used to light candles.

Outside the churchyard to the north is the former First Serb School building, facing west onto Lukačka Street. The building is rectangular in plan, with sides of 10.00 x 16.50 m, plus a ground-floor extension of 1.70 x 4.50 m.  It has two storeys and a hipped roof.

The main entrance, leading into a common hallway, is in the west façade of the building, which also has another two entrances, one to the south and one to the north. Each storey consists of two flats. The flats on the north and south sides of the ground floor have a gross area of about 55 sq.m., and consist of a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The entrances to the ground-floor flats face onto the common hallway which runs west-east and measures 7.00 x 2.50 m. Access to the first-floor flats, which are similar but somewhat larger, is through the entrances to the south and north, via a single-flight staircase(21). The difference in size is accounted for by the absence of a central corridor; instead, the flats are separated by a central partition wall above the corridor.

The outside walls are 40 cm thick at ground level, and consist of brick and stone. The original wooden ceiling joists have been replaced by a reinforced concrete structure. The roof structure is of timber, with tile cladding. The exterior and interior joinery and the stairs are wooden, and the façades are rendered. The vestibule built on to the north is of reinforced concrete with an infill of slag cement elements.

The entrance façade facing onto Lukačka street has a double-valved arched doorway of 145 x 225 cm, flanked on either side by four windows of 70 x 125 cm, above which are three windows of 80 x 170 cm and two modern windows of 80 x 140 cm. The other façades are side-facing, with the single-valved front doors of the upstairs flats and windows matching those of the west façade in size and shape.

Murals

The iconographic programme on the walls of the nave is the work of Roman Petrović, between 1927 and 1940.(22) Roman Petrović is one of the leading representatives of avant-garde leanings (with particular emphasis on expressionism) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a prominent member of the Četvorica group (Group of Four). His religious art combines the Byzantine tradition and the artistic innovations of the early decades of the 20th century. The iconographic programme of the murals in the church in Travnik consists of:

-          above the entrance door to the nave, a tondo with three angels singing (choir of angels)

-          on the north wall above Christ’s tomb, a White Angel

-          on the north wall by the iconostasis, St Nicholas below and the Dormition of the Holy Virgin above

-          on the south wall by the iconostasis, St Sava below and the Resurrection above

-          on the arch above the iconostasis, a tondo with the Holy Family and the Evangelists, Matthew and Luke to the north, Mark and John to the south.

Damage to the murals, in the form of extensive flaking away of the paint, has revealed earlier murals below, about which no information was available at the time this decision was being drafted. Another serious problem, in addition to the flaking, is cracking.

In addition to the murals proper, the walls are entirely decorated with geometric and floral designs.  The colours – the blue ground, the golden yellow of the stars and the reddish-brown of the ornaments – have lost their vividness through being covered with a layer of soot and dust. It is possible that the ornamented walls are part of the original wall decoration.

The church also houses three icons painted by Roman Petrović:

1. CHRIST

Date: 1927 – 1940

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 110cm x 84 cm

Description: The figure of Christ, bathed in light, is portrayed as the bust of a mature man facing to the front, his penetrating gaze both severe and full of love, giving a benediction with his right hand and holding an open book in his left.(23) This traditional manner corresponds to the iconographic type of Christ Pantocrator, though the artistic freedom of new artistic trends breaks into the formal structure of the icon. The scene is in shades of blue, with occasional touches of red or brown detail, as in the case of the other two icons.  Apart from being covered with soot and dust and affected by a small slit, the icon is not seriously damaged.

2. MARY AND CHRIST

Date: 1927 – 1940

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 110cm x 83cm

Description: the iconographic type is the Virgin Hodegetria. Roman Petrović seems in his icons to adopt the more marked lines of Russian or Italo-Cretan icon painters of the 16th and 17th centuries, while suppressing every other detail. The icon has a slit bottom centre.

3. LAST SUPPER

Date: 1927 – 1940

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 87cm x 60cm

Description: a study of the treatment of the top corners of the icon reveal that it was painted as part of church furnishings. Roman opted for the simplest iconographic statement, as appropriate to his stylistic vocabulary. The composition of the Last Supper extends to the very edges of the rectangular canvas, dominated by an elliptical table with the apostles crammed together to Christ’s right and left. Judas is portrayed opposite Christ, apart from the close-packed group and with his back almost turned to the viewer, holding a purse-full of gold coins in his right hand, hidden behind his back. This icon lack the simple wooden frame of the other two, and has no mechanical damage.

Iconostasis

The sumptuous iconostasis of the Travnik church, measuring 6.20 x 5.20 m, has survived intact in situ, and is an outstanding work of carving. It is of the advanced type of iconostasis that appeared in the Balkans in the 18th century under Russo-Ukrainian influences(24). The construction of the iconostasis has some elements of the neo-Baroque, whereas the artistically modest icons are very much under the influence of the Russo-Ukrainian tradition. The floral ornament on the pillars and colonnettes, architraval beams and arches that divide up the iconostasis are very highly worked (with stylized vine leaves, oak leaves and flowers). The carved surface of the wood is gilded with a glossy finish, and the inner surface is painted blue and red. There is no surviving information on the workshop or artisan who made the iconostasis and its thirty-eight icons; as to the date of origin, one may surmise that it dates from the year the church was consecrated (1854).

The composition of the iconostasis consists of three tiers with a thematic programme and a large Crucifixion above.

First tier, north to south:

1. North door with a design of oak leaves, palm fronds, icons and a carved Latin cross at the top. Scenes on the door and lintel:

-          Archangel Michael, oil on canvas, anonymous artist

-          God appearing to Abraham, oil on canvas, anonymous artist

2. Throne icon of the Virgin and Child (Hodegetria), oil on canvas, 80 x 76 cm. Below the icon is a carved stylized Greek cross on a red ground.

3. Royal Doors, which may be divided iconographically into three registers:

-          first register – arch-hierarchs St Basil, St John Chrysostom, St Gregory, St Nicholas

-          second register – Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin

-          third register - prophets David and Solomon

-          the figure of Christ Pantocrator features at the very top of the doors

The icon on the tympanum depicts the Dormition of the Virgin.  

4. Throne icon of Christ Saviour of the World with an open book, oil on canvas, 83cm x 68 cm. Below the icon is a stylized Greek cross identical to the one below the Throne icon of the Virgin and Child.

5. South door, carved identically to the north door, with the following icons:

-          Archdeacon Stephen, oil on canvas

-          Raising of Lazarus, oil on canvas

The icons that have been stuck to the projections of the north and south doors and lintels are a later addition, as a comparison with the other icons on the iconostasis reveals.

The first and second tiers are separated by an undecorated architrave beam in the middle of which, above the Royal Doors, is the figure of Christ “not made by human hands” (the Holy Face) on a Mandilion.

Second tier, north to south:

Thematic programme – the apostles and the Deesis. The apostles are portrayed symmetrically, six on either side of the central Deesis.

1. St Thomas

2. St Bartholomew

3. St Matthew

4. St Andrew

5. St Peter

6. St Luke the Evangelist

7. Virgin

8. Christ the Judge

9. St John the Baptist

10. St. Paul

11. St John

12. St Matthew

13. St James

14. St Mark

15. St Philip

Third tier, north to south:

1. Archangel Michael

2. Prophet Elijah

3. SS Peter and Paul

4. Annunciation

5. Baptism of Christ

6. Holy Trinity

7. Resurrection

8. Nativity (Holy Family)

9. Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena

10. SS Cosmas and Damian

11. St Stephen

Surmounting the iconostasis, at the very top, is a large Crucifixion, with the Virgin to the right of Christ crucified and a youthful St John the Divine (St John the Apostle, St John of Patmos) to the left. The symbols of the Evangelists are depicted as follows:

-          John above Christ’s head

-          Mark by Christ’s left hand

-          Luke at Christ’s feet (with a skull, symbolizing Golgotha, below Luke’s symbol)

-          Matthew by Christ’s right hand.

-          The plinth of the cross is formed by two stylized beasts.

Church furnishings

The church furnishings consist of pews, Christ’s Tomb and the Bishop’s Throne. The simple pews lining the walls of the name date from the time the church was consecrated; Christ’s Tomb and the Bishop’s Throne are of later date(25). In 1911 minor repairs were carried out on the church, and it is possible that the new furnishings were purchased at that time(26). Nothing is known of the workshop, artisan, place of origin or donor.

Christ’s Tomb

Christ’s Tomb is on the north side of the nave. It is made of wood. It is the scene of a ceremony performed on Good Friday, when the epitaphios depicting the Deposition in the Tomb is laid over the flower-adorned tomb before being carried in procession.

The plinth of Christ’s Tomb is rectangular in plan, with closed sides. The baldachin, surmounted by a gilded cross, rests on four posts decorated with geometric motifs and built into the plinth. Most of the Tomb is painted grey, with the modest ornament picked out in gold.

Bishop’s Throne

The Bishop’s Throne, where the Metropolitan sits during the liturgy, is on the south side of the nave. The throne is rectangular in plan, enclosed on three sides by wooden boards with the fourth side open to provide access to the seat. Four posts on the plinth support the baldachin, which is surmounted by a cross. The throne is wooden, painted grey with the geometric ornament picked out in gold.

Collection of Icons

1. VIRGIN OF THE SWEET KISS

Artist: Cretan master / Stylistic features: Greek and Cretan icons from Venice

Date: 16th or 17th century

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 40cm x 30.5cm

Description: The Virgin is portrayed in the iconographic type of the Glykophilousa, against a gilded ground. She is wearing a red maphorion with gold detailing; the Christ child is in gold. The floral halo around their heads is punched in wood. The icon was discovered in private ownership in the village of Grahovik near Travnik(27). The initials of the Virgin and Christ in Greek lettering appear top left and right.

The frame is in bas relief, with floral ornament in gesso.

2. BAPTISM OF CHRIST  

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 85.5cm x 55.5cm

Description: The icon portrays Christ and John the Baptist, with a dove hovering above their heads surrounded by rays of light. John the Baptist is holding a staff with a sash on which is an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script – Repent ye. The right-hand side of the icon, where John the Baptist is portrayed, is badly damaged, with the pigment completely gone. The icon bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre – John the Baptist.

3. ST LUKE  

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 50cm x 40cm

Description: St Luke the Evangelist is standing in a landscape, with an ox behind him. The icon is well preserved. The icon bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre – St Luke the Evangelist

4. ST CYRIACUS THE ANCHORITE

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 50cm x 40cm

Description: The icon portrays the saint in a mountainous landscape, with a church in the background. It is set in an elaborate gilded frame, and bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre – St. Cyriacus the Anchorite.  

5. ST SIMEON THE GOD-BEARER

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 50cm x 34.5cm

Description: The icon shows the interior of a church with St Simeon standing, holding Christ in his arms. The elaborate frame of the icon is damaged. The icon bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre – St Simeon the God-Bearer.  

6. ST GEORGE THE GREAT MARTYR

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 68cm x 55cm

Description: The icon is badly damaged. The canvas has been slit at the bottom of the icon and later clumsily stitched together. St George is portrayed in the act of slaying the dragon, with a landscape, castle and maiden in the background. The icon bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre – St George the Grand M.  

7. JESUS AND MARY

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 68cm x 55cm

Description: The Virgin is portrayed with the infant Christ in the iconographic type of the Hodegetria. The elaborate frame of the icon is gilded.  The icon is damaged, mainly in the lower part (paint rubbed off, canvas split). The initials of the Virgin and Christ appear top left and right in Greek lettering, suggesting a Greek origin for the icon.

8. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 51cm x 42cm

Description: John the Baptist is shown in a landscape setting, alone, his right hand raised and holding a staff with a sash in his left. The inscription on the sash is in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script – Repent ye. I have seen salvation, which is the Son of God.

9. ST NICHOLAS

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 68 x 55cm

Description: The richly-garbed saint is standing amid rocks, sky and sea, with a monastery in the distance. The icon bears an inscription in Church Slavonic in Cyrillic script, top centre –St Nicholas.

10. EPITAPHIOS, DEPOSITION IN THE TOMB

Artist: unknown

Date: late 19th or early 20th century / Stylistic features: classicism

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 62cm x 84.5cm (15 cm wide velvet border with gold embroidery)

Description: The epitaphios is the winding sheet on which the dead body of Christ is sewn or painted, representing his shroud. The scene of the Deposition is accompanied by the Virgin, Evangelists, six angels in tondos in heaven and the Holy City in the background.  All parts of the epitaphios (the fabric with the iconographic scene, the velvet, the gilded decoration) are badly damaged.

 

3. Legal status to date

The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik are listed by the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport under the headings “Orthodox church in Travnik” and “First Serb School in Travnik,” but are not on the register of cultural monuments.(28)  

 

4. Research and conservation-restoration works

There is very little written information or other documents on the basis of which further details of investigative or conservation-restoration works on the church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik could be obtained. The original blueprints have not survived, and the technical documentation from later periods is meagre. All that is still extant are the drawings for the extension to the church in 1911.(29)  

Known details relating to the church

-          in 1911 the church was enlarged by 1.50 m, probably to allow for the construction of the gallery. The bell tower was also raised by 80 cm at this time;

-          in 1923 the church bell was mounted;

-          in the 1930s academic painter Roman Petrović painted part of the interior of the church;

-          in the 1970s the original roof cladding was replaced by tiles, and structural repairs were carried out on the walls of the churchyard using reinforced concrete;

-          between 1992 and 1995 repairs were carried out to the roof where it had been damaged by a mortar bomb;

-          in 2000 routine maintenance works and minor repairs were carried out on the building, just before it was restored to use;

-          in 2007 the tiles were replaced by sheet metal.

Known details relating to the First Serb School

-          in 1903 the school was converted into flats, but there is no documentation that might provide additional details of these works. A study of the layout of the building suggests that it originally had four classrooms, two on the ground and two on the first floor. The first-floor classrooms were converted into flats and the ground-floor rooms into a baptistery and meeting room for the congregation;

-          routine maintenance works were carried out during the first and second halves of the 20th century, but there is no information relating to investigative or conservation-restoration works;

-          in 1988 the baptistery was closed and converted into a flat, as was the meeting room for the congregation. Since then the building has been used solely for residential purposes;

-          after the 1992-1995 war, a reinforced concrete vestibule was built onto the ground floor on the north side and part of the exterior woodwork was replaced;

-          in 2009 the original timber ceiling joists were replaced by a reinforced concrete structure.

 

5. Current condition of the property

The church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin in Travnik is in poor structural condition, with large vertical cracks on the north and south walls, visible both inside and out. In addition, a large crack can be seen inside the church between the vault and the west transverse wall. The statics of the building have clearly been disturbed, and there is a risk of structural collapse. The causes are not known, but are probably the result of landslide to the south. According to the head priest of the Orthodox community of Travnik, Goran Živković, the vertical cracks in the walls of the church are noticeably larger than in 2000. There is no structural repair project or other study providing accurate details of the structural condition of the building. At socle level on the south and east façade there is clear evidence of water penetrating into the foundation walls. There is minor shell damage to the west front and the east end of the south façade.

The former First Serb School is badly neglected, and it is very likely that the statics of this building too have been seriously disturbed, given the removal of the original timber ceiling joists and their replacement by a modern reinforced concrete structure resting on the original brick walls.

Current condition of the movable heritage

-          Murals

The murals by Roman Petrović are in extremely poor condition, and the ones by the iconostasis are almost beyond repair, with much of the painted flaked off.

-          Iconostasis

The bearing wooden beams are solid and stable, but there are large quantities of dirt – dust, wax, etc. – and evidence that the front and back of the iconostasis partition have been repainted many times. Some of the structural elements by which the icons are fixed to the iconostasis have become worn with use. In the upper tiers the carving is covered with a layer of soot and dust and have not been cleaned regularly, being so high up. There is evidence of woodworm everywhere – with the Crucifixion at greatest risk.

Some of the gilding has become tarnished, and some has suffered mechanical damage.

-          Icons

The protective covering of the icons is covered with a thick layer of soot and dust. Some of the icons on canvas have suffered mechanical damage, in the form of rents (icons 6 and 7, Roman Petrović’s icons 1 and 2), and the one on panel (icon 1) has woodworm damage. The paint layer on some of the icons has cracked, as has the base layer.

-          Christ’s tomb and throne

The wood and gilding are covered in dust.

 

6. Specific risks

-          risk of structural collapse of both buildings in the architectural ensemble,

-          total loss of the murals.

 

III – CONCLUSION

Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.

The Decision was based on the following criteria:

A.         Time frame

B.         Historical value

C.         Artistic and aesthetic value

C.i.       quality of workmanship

C.iii.      proportions

C.iv.      composition

C.v.       value of details

D.         Clarity

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

D.iii.      work of a major artist or builder

E.         Symbolic value

E.ii.      religious value

E.iii.      traditional value

E.v.       significance for the identity of a group of people

F.         Townscape/ Landscape value

F.ii.       meaning in the townscape

F.iii.      the building or group of buildings is part of a group or site

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.v.      location and setting

I.          Completeness

I.iii.       completeness

 

            The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-          Ownership documentation:

-         copy of cadastral plan 2458 and 2461, c.m. Travnik (new survey), title deed 1748/03 and 1670/47, plan no. 14; scale 1:1000 (old survey c.p. no. 2/312 and 2/311, c.m. Travnik), issued on 11 December 2009 by the Department of Planning, Building, Cadaster and Proprietary Rights Affairs of Travnik Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

-         Land Register entry for plot no. 2/312 and 2/311, c.m. Travnik, Land Register entry no. 1268 and 1564 (old survey), order no. 051-0-Rz-08-00 2642 of 24 December 2009, Land Register Office of the Municipal Court in Travnik, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

-          Documentation on previous protection:

-         letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, ref. 07-40-4-4160-1/09 of 11 November 2009;

-          Photodocumentation:

-         photographs of the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik taken on 6 November 2009 by architect Adi Ćorović, using Sony DSC – H10 digital camera;

-         photographs of the murals, iconostasis and icons of the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin taken by art historian Aida Bucalović on 13 November 2009 using Canon, PowerShot SX10IS digital camera;

-          Technical documentation:

-         technical drawings of the ground plan, cross section and west façade – Erection of the roof and bell tower of the Serbian Orthodox church in Travnik, Travnik, 1999, R. Novak, technical draftsman, copied in the Archives of BiH, Sarajevo, 18 November 2009;

-         survey of the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik and drawings conducted by architect Adi Ćorović and final-year architecture student Nermina Katkić, November 2009.

 

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin and the former First Serb School in Travnik as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:

 

1932.    Zabeo, Kamilo. Travnička spomenica – prigodom pedeset-godišnjice nadbiskupskog sjemeništa i nadbiskupske velike gimnazije u Travniku 1882.-1932. (Travnik Commemoration on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Archbishop's seminary and great grammar school in Travnik, 1882-1992). Sarajevo: Regina Apostolorum Academy Press, 1932

 

1965.    Ć. Ljubinković, Mirjana. Srednjevekovni duborez u istočnim oblastima Jugoslavije (Mediaeval carvings in the eastern districts of Yugoslavia). Belgrade: Archaeological Institute, special edition, 1965

 

1981.    Martin Udovičić. Travnik u vrijeme austro-ugarske (1878-1918) (Travnik in the Austro-Hungarian period [1878-1918]). Travnik: Travnik Museum, 1981

 

1987.    Likovna enciklopedija Jugoslavije (Encyclopaedia of Art of Yugoslavia), 2 K-Rem. Zagreb: Miroslav Krleža Yugoslav Institute of Lexicography, 1987

 

1990.    Maslić, Fatima. Starine i muzeji Travnika (Antiquities and Museums of Travnik). Zagreb: Travnik Tourist Association, 1990

 

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

 

2002.    Stošić, Ljiljana. “Barokni iconostas”, Enciklopedija pravoslavlja (Baroque iconostasis, Encyclopaedia of Orthodox Christianity). Belgrade: Savremena administracija, 2002, 142-143

 

2005.    Jovanović, Zoran M. Azbučnik. Belgrade: Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, 2005

 

2005.    Decision of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments designating the architectural ensemble of the Fort in Travnik as a national monument, 25 January 2005

 

2006.    Fatima Maslić, Baner Dragana. Vodič kroz prošlost, starine i prirodno naslijeđe Travničkog kraja (Guide to the History, Antiquities and Natural Heritage of the Travnik Region). Travnik: Travnik Museum, 2006

 

2006.    Ibišević, Vedad. Bosanski namjesnici osmanskog doba (1463-1878) (Bosnian governors of the Ottoman period [1463-1878]. Sarajevo: Konektum, Anthology series, 2006

 

2008.    data from the Travnik Museum, Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin in Travnik, letter ref. 01/872-SI/08, 19 May 2008, Travnik Municipality

 

2008.    Decision of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments designating the historic building of the former convent and school of the Sisters of Mercy in Travnik as a national monument, at a session held from 29 January to 4 February 2008 in Sarajevo

 

2009.    Letter ref. 04-30 278/09, Department of Planning, Building, Cadaster and Proprietary Rights Affairs of Travnik Municipality, 11 December 2009


(1) For more on the history and development of the town of Travnik throughout the ages, see the Decision by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments designating the architectural ensemble of the Fort in Travnik as a national monument, 25 January 2005. 

(2) Fatima Maslić, Dragana Baner, Vodič kroz prošlost, starine i prirodno naslijeđe travničkog kraja, Travnik: Travnik Museum, 2006, 52

(3) Fatima Maslić, op.cit., 2006, 31, 32.

(4) Martin Udovičić, Travnik u vrijeme austro-ugarske (1878-1918), 1981, 5

(5) Fatima Maslić, Starine i muzeji Travnika, Zagreb: Travnik Tourist Association, 1990. 

(6) Idem., 1990.

(7) Documentation of the Travnik Museum, 2008. Crkva Uspenja presvete Bogorodice u Travniku – letter ref. 01/872-SI/08, 19.05.2008, Travnik  Municipality

(8) Fatima Maslić, Starine i muzeji Travnika, 1990, 6

(9) O. Kamilo Zabeo, Travnička spomenica – prigodom pedeset-godišnjice nadbiskupskog sjemeništa i nadbiskupske velike gimnazije u Travniku 1882.-1932., Sarajevo: Sarajevo: Regina Apostolorum Academy Press, 1932, 61

(10) Though the school is known as the First Serb School, it is recorded that there was already a Serb schoolroom in Travnik by 1850, which was in effect a primary school. It is not known, however, whether it had its own purpose-built premises. - O. Kamilo Zabeo, op.cit., 1932, 62

(11) O. Kamilo Zabeo, op.cit., 1932, 61

(12) Idem., 62

(13) Idem., 1932, 61

(14) There is no document that might serve to determine exactly when the ground floor was turned into a baptistery. Account by head priest of the parish of Travnik Goran Živković. Travnik, 06.11.2009.

(15) Account by head priest of the parish of Travnik Goran Živković. Travnik, 06.11.2009.

(16) Documentation of the Travnik Museum, 2008. – Crkva Uspenja presvete Bogorodice u Travniku – letter ref. 01/872-SI/08, 19.05.2008, Travnik Municipality

(17) This vestibule has two entrances to the west and south, and a raked roof. The side room to the north of the bell tower has the same raked roof but only one entrance, to the west.

(18) The church bell can be reached from this stage by means of a wooden ladder

(19) This projection has a further arched projection 45 cm in width

(20) To the sides are the doors leading into the side rooms, measuring 90 x 205 cm, with arched windows of 50 x 80 cm directly above them.

(21) Access to the single-flight staircase to the north is via a built-on reinforced-concrete vestibule

(22) Likovna enciklopedija Jugoslavije, vol. 2 K-Rem, Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod ‘Miroslav Krleža’, 1987, 576

(23) Zoran M. Jovanović, Azbučnik, Belgrade: Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, 2005, 467

(24) Idem, 201

(25) As a comparison with the iconostasis partition reveals

(26) The workmanship and colour of the new church furnishings are identical to those of the woodwork

(27) Account by head priest of the parish of Travnik Goran Živković. Travnik, 06.11.2009.

(28) Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport re.07-40-4-4160-1/09 of 11.11.2009.

(29) R. Novak, technical draftsman. Podizanje krova i zvonika na crpsko-pravoslavnoj crkvi u Travniku, Travnik, 1911, Documentation of the Archive of BiH, Sarajevo, 18 November 2009.



Church of Assumption of Holy VirginThe first Serbian schoolWest facadeWest facade - entrance
East facadeNorth facadeTowerPort
PortaAuxiliary facilityEntrance to the portThe altar space
NaosChoirProskomidijaNorth entrance
The porchEntrance to the gallery from the towerCrack on the southern wallSchool - north side
School - sputh side   


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