Status of monument -> National monument

Published in the Official Gazette of BiH, no. 53/11.

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 on 26 October 2010 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

I

The architectural ensemble of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj and the Seminary building in Reljevo, City of Sarajevo, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of the church, the iconostasis with its icons and the Seminary building.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1852 and part of no. 1869 (new survey), cadastral municipality Reljevo, corresponding to c.p. 1195/4 and part of 1195/5 (old survey), c.m. Crnotina, Land Register entry nos. 1387 and 2122, Municipality Novi Grad Sarajevo, 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 area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:

-          all works are prohibited other than conservation-restoration works, routine maintenance works, works designed to ensure the sustainable use of the property, and works designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);

-          the conservation and restoration project shall be based on a methodological approach designed to preserve the historic values of the property;

-          the original appearance of the property shall be preserved as regards the treatment of architectural details, the colour of the walls, the treatment of the façades, the construction of the property and the pitch of the roof and type of roof cladding, and all changes to the stylistic features by the removal or addition of individual decorative elements and architectural details (stone and other mouldings – architraves, string courses and cornices, etc.) are prohibited;

-          the interior of the Seminary may be adapted to suit modern needs (installation of central heating and other interior works), provided that the stylistic features of the property are retained, and subject to the approval of the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority.

The following urgent protection measures are hereby prescribed with a view to the protection of the Seminary and ensuring that the conditions are in place for its conservation and restoration:

-          an examination and structural analysis of the structural elements of the building;

-          the structural consolidation of the property and repairs to the structural elements using the same materials and techniques wherever possible;

-          protecting the building from the adverse effects of external factors.

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

-          the Government of the Federation shall provide suitable physical and technical conditions for the safe-keeping of the movable heritage;

-          all works on the movable heritage shall be carried out by qualified persons in line with a study approved by the federal ministry responsible for culture (hereinafter: the 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 under the terms and conditions stipulated by the ministry responsible for culture;

-          supervision of the implementation of the protection measures pertaining to the movable heritage shall be exercised by the ministry responsible for culture.

IV

The removal of the movable heritage items referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 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 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.

V

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.

VI

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.

VII

The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to 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.kons.gov.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

On the date of adoption of this Decision, the National Monument shall be deleted from the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 79/02, Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH no. 59/02, and Official Gazette of Brčko District BiH no. 4/03), where it featured under serial no. 554.

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. 07.3-02.3-71/10-23

26 October 2010

Sarajevo

Chair of the Commission

Amra Hadžimuhamedović

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.

The Commission issued a decision to add the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo in Sarajevo to the Provisional List of National Monuments under serial no. 554.

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.

Statement of Significance

The architectural ensemble of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj and the Seminary building in Reljevo dates from the early Austro-Hungarian period, when the Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina once again became an autonomous metropolitanate and acquired its own hierarchy, following a period, from 1766 to 1878, when the metropolitanate was headed by Greek Phanariots. The church and seminary were erected on the estate belonging to Metropolitan Sava Kosanović of Dabar Bosnia. The seminary was completed in 1884 and the church, dedicated to the festival of the Translation of the Relict of St Nicholas, in 1886. After World War I the seminary was turned into an orphanage, and after World War II it became a primary school, remaining in use for this purpose until 1995. Unlike the seminary building, the church is still in use.

The Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj belongs to the type of single-aisled church with a bell tower and a semicircular sanctuary at the east and a choir at the west end. The seminary building has three wings – a central south wing and two side wings – of rectangular plan.

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:

-          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.

-          Pursuant to Article 12 of the Law on the Implementation of Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments Established Pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the following procedures were carried out for the purpose of designating the property as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

-         A letter ref. 07.3-35.2-10/10-34 of 23 March 2010 requesting documentation and views on the designation of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj and the Seminary building in Reljevo, was sent to Novi Grad Municipality, Canton Sarajevo, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Sarajevo Canton, the Development Planning Authority of Sarajevo Canton, the Dabar Bosnia Metropolitanate and the parish of Reljevo.

-         The owner of the property, the Metropolitan of Dabar Bosnia, has not replied to the letter, but representatives of the Reljevo Parish have expressed verbal support for the initiative.

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 architectural ensemble of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj and the Seminary building is in Reljevo, Novi Grad Municipality, at a place called Dobroševići – also known as Vinja Luka or Vinska Luka – which is linked with Rajlovac by a bridge over the River Bosna. The place is also.

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1852 and part of no. 1869 (new survey), cadastral municipality Reljevo, corresponding to c.p. 1195/4 and part of 1195/5 (old survey), c.m. Crnotina, Land Register entry nos. 1387 and 2122, Municipality Novi Grad Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

The independent Serbian Archbishopric, the Dabar eparchy, originally based in Banja near Priboj (on the Lim), and covering regions beyond the territory that belonged to Bosnia in 1219 and later. After Bosnia fell to the Ottomans in 1463, the Metropolitan of Dabar Bosnia was charged by the Peć Patriarchate with the spiritual oversight of the Orthodox not only in Bosnia but also in Dalmatia. At first the seat of the Metropolitan of Dabar Bosnia was in Banja monastery in Dabar; in 1713 it was transferred to Sarajevo, where it remains to this day. Following the abolition of the Peć Patriarchate in 1766, the post of Metropolitan of Dabar Bosnia was held by Greeks.  The introduction of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 provided new opportunities for the Orthodox Church: in 1880, pursuant to an agreement between the Austro-Hungarian authorities and the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, it became an autonomous metropolitanate under the supreme religious authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, along with the Zvornik and the Zahum Herzegovina eparchies and, later, that of Banja Luka-Bihać as well(1).    It was during the Austro-Hungarian period, too, that the Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina acquired its own national hierarchy, with Serbian dignitaries replacing the Greek metropolitans, and Metropolitan Antim, a Greek, stood down(2). Antim was replaced as Metropolitan of Dabar Bosnia by Sava Kosanović, who held the post from 1881 to 1885.  By 1882(3) a theological college and seminary had been founded for all the eparchies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based in Reljevo until World War I and in Sarajevo between the wars. The building housing the seminary in Reljevo was built in 1883 and 1884, on a plot of land donated by Metropolitan Sava Kosanović, to a design by architects Johann Kellner(4) and Josip Czerny(5). The design of the church dedicated to the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj, by the same Josef Czerny(6) who co-designed the seminary, was completed, and the building was erected over the period 1884 to 1886; the costs were borne by Baron Feodor Nikolić(7). The church was dedicated to the festival of the translation of the relics of Metropolitan Đorđe Nikolajević of Dabar Bosnia, who died on 8 February 1896(8). In 1890, Metropolitan Nikolajević, who initially expressed the wish to be buried in the church in Reljevo, commissioned the construction of his own tomb in the middle of the church(9), but in February 1893 he drew up a codicil to his will with instructions that a tomb be built in St Sava’s church in Blažuj near Sarajevo, to which his mortal remains were to be transferred if he were buried in Reljevo. In the event, he was buried in 1896 not in Reljevo, but in Koševo cemetery in Sarajevo(10).

For most of the Austro-Hungarian period, the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj was used only by the pupils and staff of the Seminary. In 1911 it became a parish church, serving a congregation living in and around Reljevo. In 1917 the Seminary in Reljevo was closed and its operations were transferred to Sarajevo; the Reljevo building was turned into an orphanage, which it remained until 1941. Neither the church nor the seminary in Reljevo were vandalized or damaged during World War II, but the parish priest, Risto Eranović, spent the entire war as a prisoner. In the new circumstances of the post-1945 period, the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj continued to serve as a parish church, and the Seminary building was adapted for use by the Gavrilo Princip Primary School, which remained open until the end of 1995.

The building was vandalized in 1996 and the school was closed down. In 2005, conservation-restoration works were carried out on the façades of the church and the interior was refurbished. Prior to this an outline proposal for the restoration of the Seminary building had been drawn up, but the project was never carried out. Since 1996 the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo has often been the target of vandalism, but without suffering major damage. In 2009 alone, there were five reported incidents of vandalism causing minor damage; the most serious incident took place on 12 August 2009, when the building was shot at(11). In March 2010 there was another incident in which the church and priest were attacked, but there were no injuries or material damage. The period from 1996 to 2010 has seen a deterioration in the condition of the Seminary building as a result of human factors and the effects of the elements, to the point where it is unsafe to enter the building.

2. Description of the property

The Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo belongs to the type of single-aisled vaulted church with a bell tower, built of blocks of stone and brick, with a semicircular sanctuary at the east end and a choir at the west, entrance end. Architecturally speaking, two types of Orthodox church were built in the Sarajevo region in the Austro-Hungarian period: centrally-planned churches (St. Sava’s church in Blažuj(12) and the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Pale) and single-aisled vaulted churches with a bell tower at the west end (St George’s Church in Trnovo and St Elijah’s in Ilijaš)(13). The church is rectangular in plan, with overall dimensions of 15.85 x 6.70 m, and lies west-east. The bell tower at the west end, in the central axis of the church, is square in plan with sides of 3.10 m, and is 21.47 m in height. The height of the church is 8.10 m to the ridge of the gabled roof and 5.25 m to the eaves.

The main entrance, on the ground floor of the bell tower at the west end, has a double-valved door of 1.10 x 2.20m, and another entrance of the same design, measuring 1.00 x 2.20 m, on the south side of the church. Inside, the church consists of a parvis with gallery over, nave and sanctuary. The entrance door at the west end opens onto a square vestibule with sides of 1.70 m in the ground floor of the bell tower; to the north is an extension of the same dimensions, and to the south a spiral staircase, 70 cm in width, leading to the choir gallery. The gallery, which measures 1.70 x 3.85 m, has a masonry feature consisting of two 45 x 45 cm uprights and a slab 40 cm in width, set on the slant(14). Light enters the choir through an arched window of 1.00 x 1.80 m to the west. A wooden hatch of 70 x 70 cm in the middle of the ceiling provides access to the upper stage of the bell tower, where the bell is hung.

The vestibule leads straight into the rectangular nave, which measures 7.50 x 5.80 m and is divided by buttresses into groin-vaulted three bays(15). Light enters the nave through arched windows of 0.80 x 1.60 m and an oculus with a diameter of 0.90 m over the entrance at the west end. At the east end of the nave, in the main axis of the church, is a rectangular ambo of 1.60 x 0.70 m with rounded corners. The semicircular sanctuary at the east end, which is covered by a demi-calotte, is 4.50 m in width.

The stone altar in the middle of the sanctuary measures 1.10 x 0.90 m, with a height of 1.10 m. To the north is the proscomidion, a wall niche of 55 x 65 cm with a depth of 25 cm; to the south is an ordinary two-door cupboard used as the diaconicon. Light enters the sanctuary through two windows identical in shape and size to those of the nave.

Stylistically, the Church dedicated to the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj is in the historicist style(16). The façades are articulated by buttresses with decorative friezes of blind arcades between. The same arcades, supplemented by a pronounced string course in the central section, feature on the bell tower. The façades have been given a two-tone finish, with horizontal bands of white and terracotta, except for the stone socle, which is 50 cm in height.

At the west end is a wooden portal of 1.10 x 2.20 m in the axis of the bell tower, over which is a semicircular stone plaque framed by an archivolt, recording the erection of the church. Directly above this is an arched window of 1.00 x 1.80 cm. The bell tower has a biforate window of 1.10 x 1.80 m between the prominent string course and the polygonal roof of the tower(17).

The north and south side façades are almost identical, articulated by buttresses and three arched windows of 0.80 x 1.60 m. The south façade differs from the north in that the central window is replaced by a doorway of 1.00 x 2.20 m with an oculus above. The apse at the east end has a window on each side, of the same size as those of the north and south walls of the nave, and a central blind window of the same shape.

The materials used for the outside walls, the bell tower and the interior bearing structure of the church consist of coursed stone and brick, 45 cm in thickness. The bearing walls are plastered and painted inside and out.

The exterior doors are wooden, and the window frames are metal. The stone floor of the church is carpeted. The gallery floor consists of 20 x 20 cm stone slabs. The gabled roof is timber-framed and clad with tiles. The bell tower and the apse are clad with sheet metal. Inside, the church is 5.80 m in height from the floor to the apex of the groin vaults.

The churchyard is enclosed to the south, east and west by a metal fence, and is open to the north, where the slope is retained by a stone wall with batter.

The Seminary building is U-shaped in plan, measuring 33.00 x 20.50 m overall and consisting of three rectangular wings, identical in plan and partly overlapping, measuring 20.00 x 13.50 m. The central wing has three storeys, and is 16.40 m in height to the ridge of the hipped roof (13.40 m to the eaves); the side wings have two storeys, and are 14.10 m in height to the roof ridge (10.10 m to the eaves).

The main entrance, which faces south, measures 1.60 x 2.70 m overall, and opens onto the stairwell, where there is a double-flight stone staircase(18) rising through all storeys and leading to a corridor running east-west, 2.20 m wide and 18.50 m long, linking the rooms in all three wings (classrooms, common rooms and other ancillary premises). The classrooms, which vary in size from 20m2 to 40m2, occupy the east, west and south sides of the building; the toilet blocks and other service quarters face north. The topmost storey differs in that there are classrooms only to the south; the east and west wings have loft spaces at this level, which were used for storage.

The façades of the Seminary building lack the ornaments typical of historicist buildings of its period, featuring only string courses between the storeys and simply-decorated window casings. The façades are rendered and painted light brown.

A prominent feature of the south façade is the central section, with three ranks of 7 windows measuring 90 x 180 cm(19) and four stairwell openings to the east, the lower of 120 x 270 cm and the upper of 120 x 390 cm. At ground- and first-floor level are two windows of 90 x 180 cm on each side.

In form, the east and west façades are a continuation of the south front, with a row of six ground-floor windows identical in size to those on the south front, and first-floor windows of 90 x 160 cm directly above them.

The north or rear façade lacks string courses or other ornament, and has three ranks of windows of various sizes in the central section(20). To each side are two ranks of three windows of the same size as those on the corresponding side façades, east and west; to the west there is also a walled-up side door at ground-floor level.

The materials used for the outside and the interior bearing walls of the Seminary building, which are 80 cm thick at ground-floor level, are the same as those used for the church: coursed stone and brick. The ceiling joists are of timber. Wood was used for the classroom and hallway floors on the upper storeys, and artificial stone for the flooring on the ground floor. The door and window frames are wooden inside and out. The stairs, which are 150 cm wide, are cantilevered; the stair rail is of circular-section iron with a wooden handrail. The roof is timber-framed and clad with tiles.

The ceilings are 4.50 m high on the ground floor, 3.90 m high on the first floor, and 3.60 m on the top floor.   

Iconostasis with icons

The iconostasis of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo is a simple masonry partition adorned with two throne icons, the royal doors and painted side doors. All are in situ. The iconostasis, which is 6.70 m wide and 4.60 m high, is divided visually into two registers. The lower register has three arched openings, a central opening of 1.20 x 2.30 m and two side openings of 0.80 x 2.10 m. The upper register is in the form of an arch; it is painted white, and has no icons.

The central opening contains the traditional double wooden royal doors with simple geometric decoration of circles, squares and triangles. The royal doors are flanked by uprights painted to imitate marble and surmounted by capitals. The side openings are for the south and north doors, which bear icons with the figures of saints. The doors are arched and measure 58 x 130 cm overall.

A comparative analysis to identify iconographically the central figure of the vertical composition of the north door suggests two possibilities: St Sava(21), the first Serbian archbishop, or perhaps St Nicholas, given that the church is dedicated to Metropolitan Nikolaj. The saint is portrayed giving a blessing with one hand and holding a bishop’s staff in the other. The simple composition is dominated by the scarlet of the saint’s sumptuous robes set against a dark background. The south door bears the standing figure of the youthful St Demetrius, against a background of a landscape with brightly coloured architecture.

Like the icons on the side doors, the throne icons were executed in the neo-Classical manner in oil on panel, and are permanently mounted in plaster onto the masonry of the iconostasis. The iconography of the throne icons is traditional: to the right, an icon of the Virgin and Christ, and to the left, Christ. In both, the figures are portrayed standing, wearing a red chiton and blue himation (maphorion). The throne icons are 93 cm high and 41 cm wide. The Virgin is holding the Christ Child on her left arm, her face bent slightly towards his head, suggesting the iconographic type of the Virgin Elousa (of tenderness). In her right hand is a sphere, the orb of the heavens or mundus, the top of which the Christ Child is touching with his little hands, associating the scene with the iconographic type of Christ Pantocrator. The sphere is turquoise blue decorated with gold bands, and is surmounted by a cross(22).

Christ is portrayed in the throne icon standing still, right hand in a gesture of benediction and holding a golden staff in his left. The artist has achieved an illusion of depth by shading the background from golden-yellow at the top to dark brown at the bottom of the icon.

No details of the artist were available at the time the decision was being drafted. Date of the icons? 19th century? Perhaps contemporary with the church?

Epitaphios

The epitaphios was executed in the neo-Classical style in oils on canvas date?. The canvas itself, which is much damaged (over the entire surface, the paint layer is cracked or absent), is 68 cm wide and 48 cm high, and the red velvet border embroidered with stylized crosses is 37 cm wide. The horizontal composition is divided into two bands, the first dominated by the body of the dead Christ laid on a white cloth; the other features the busts of Joseph, Mary, St John the Divine, Mary Magdalene and Nicodemus. The Virgin is bent slightly over the body of Christ, while the other figures are static, a feature, given its stylistic expression, of the entire scene, the usual subject for an epitaphios: Laying Christ in the Tomb  

Church furnishings

The church in Reljevo contains the Tomb of Christ and simple pews. The design of these items is so plain that their sole value is that they are the original fixtures.

3. Legal status to date

The Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo, Sarajevo, is on the Provisional List of National Monuments of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina under serial no. 554.

The Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj and the Seminary in Reljevo are listed by the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport under the title “Seminary and Church in Reljevo” but are not on the Register of Cultural Monuments(23).

The church is listed as a religious edifice of the architectural Orthodox religion [sic] in a study entitled “Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Sarajevo Canton,”(24) but is not on the Register of Cultural Monuments.

4. Research and conservation-restoration works

-          1884. Two versions of the design for the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj were drawn up by the same architect. The version chosen itself underwent certain changes during the construction of the building(25)  

-          1890. A masonry tomb was dug out and constructed in the middle of the church for Metropolitan Đorđe Nikolajević, who has never on his death or since been buried there, and routine maintenance works on the church were carried out

-          1911. The Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj became a parish church

-          1918. The Seminary was transferred to Sarajevo, and the Seminary building in Reljevo was converted for use as an orphanage

-          Interwar period: routine maintenance works were carried out on the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nicholas and the Seminary building housing the orphanage

-          Post 1945. Alterations were carried out on the Seminary building to convert it into a primary school, and routine maintenance works were carried out on the church

-          1995. The primary school in the Seminary building closed, since when the building has become derelict

-          2005. Conservation-restoration works and routine maintenance works carried out on the church by the Dabar Bosnia eparchy. The façades were restored, part of the roof cladding was replaced, the windows were repaired and the interior was refurbished.  Prior to this the façades were painted white and light yellow; this was replaced by horizontal bands of white and terracotta. The original wooden entrance door was removed and transferred to the derelict Seminary building, and a new wooden door was installed. An outline treatment for the restoration of the Seminary building had previously been produced by Borislav Spasojević, but no restoration has been carried out.

5. Current condition of the property

Following the works carried out in 2005, the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo is in good structural condition and is kept properly maintained.  The floor is slightly uneven, probably as a result of subsidence. The round window on the south façade was damaged by being fired at in 2009.

The Seminary building in Reljevo has been vandalised and is derelict. It is possible to move around inside the building where the ceiling joists have not collapsed, and the stone stairs to the upper storeys are undamaged. The utilities installations, fixtures and fittings, most of the stair rail and other equipment have been removed. An opening has been made to the north, allowing the vandalism to continue. The exterior woodwork is damaged and the façades are in poor condition, with the stone and brick structure exposed. The roof cladding is damaged and leaking.

Current condition of the iconostasis with icons

There is significant damage to the epitaphios, but the iconostasis with icons is in extremely good condition. The throne icon with the figure of Christ giving a benediction shows a slight loss of pigment below his right hand.

6. Specific risks

-          limited risk of subsidence beneath the church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj.

-          risk of total structural collapse of the ceiling joists of the Seminary, adverse effects of the elements and risk of infection.

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

C.         Artistic and aesthetic value

C.i.       quality of workmanship

C.ii.      quality of materials

C.iii.      proportions

C.v.       value of details

E.         Symbolic value

E.ii.      religious value

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

F.         Townscape/ Landscape value

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

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

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 1852, c.m. Sarajevo (new survey), title deed 443, plan no.: sred. 92; Scale 1:2500 (old survey c.p. no.. 1195/4, c.m. Sarajevo), issued on 12.01.2010 by the Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs of Novi Grad Municipality, Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

-         Copy of cadastral plan 1852, c.m. Sarajevo (new survey), title deed 443, plan no.: sred. 92; Scale 1:2500 (old survey c.p. no.. 1195/4, c.m. Crnotina), issued on 12.01.2010 by the Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs of Novi Grad Municipality, Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

-         Copy of cadastral plan 1869/1, c.m. Sarajevo (new survey), title deed 378, plan no.: sred. 92; Scale 1:2500 (old survey c.p. no.. 1195/5, c.m. Crnotina), issued on 09.04.2010 by the Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs of Novi Grad Municipality, Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

-         Land Register entry for plot no. 1195/4, c.m. Sarajevo, Land Register entry no. 1387 (old survey), Nar. no. 065-0-Su-10-001111 of 12.03.2010, issued by the Land Registry Office of the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 

-         Land Register entry for plot no. 1195/5, c.m. Crnotina, Land Register entry no. 2122 (old survey), Nar. no. 065-0-NarII-010-023751 of 23.04.2010, issued by the Land Registry Office of the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

-          Documentation on previous protection of the property

-         Letter from the Development Planning Authority of Sarajevo Canton ref. 02-23-90/10 of 11.01.2010;

-         Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-52-1/10 of 08.01.2010.

-          Photodocumentation

-         Photographs of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo taken by architect Adi Ćorović on 19 March 2010, using Sony DSC – H10 digital camera;

-         Photographs of the murals, iconostasis and icons of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo taken by art historian Aida Bucalović on 19 March 2010 using Canon Power Shot SX10IS digital camera.

-          Technical documentation

-         Technical drawings of the Church of the Translation of the Relics of Metropolitan Nikolaj in Reljevo, 1884, Josef Czerny, photographed [copied, scanned?] in the Archives of BiH, Sarajevo, on 8 January 2010;

-         Drawings from the restoration project for the Seminary by Borislav Spasojević, 2005 (elevation, site plan with ground plan).

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the monument as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted: 

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

1998     Kurto, Nedžad. Arhitektura Bosne i Hercegovine – Razvoj bosanskog stila (Architecture of BiH – Development of the Bosnian style). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, International Peace Centre, 1998

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

1998     Božić, Jelena. “Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Sarajevu (1878-1918)” (Serbian Orthodox churches in Sarajevo,1878-1918), Naše starine, annual of the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka: 1998

2005     Jovanović, Zoran M. Azbučnik (A-Z handbook). Belgrade: Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, 2005

2005     Decision designating the architectural ensemble of the Orthodox church of St Sava in Blažuj with cemetery as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 3 to 9 May 2005 in Sarajevo

2006     Decision designating the Catholic church of the Assumption in Stup as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 14 to 20 March 2006 in Sarajevo

2009     Decision designating the church of the Holy Trinity in Sarajevo as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 12 to 18 May 2009 in Sarajevo

2010     http://www.most.ba/092/060.aspx, 20 October 2010

(1) http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr  - 07.01.2010.

[see also ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Church_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina].  The Austro-Hungarian authorities' main objective was to gain influence over the appointment of senior clerics.  The right to appoint and dismiss bishops was the prerogative of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, with the formal assent of the Ecumenical Patriarch.  The metropolitans were also paid by the Provincial Government for Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby losing the right to collect church taxes, which passed to the state. – Jelena Božić. “Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Sarajevu (1878-1918)” – Naše starine, Banjaluka: Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska, 1998, 93.   

(2) In the mid 19th century the Orthodox of Bosnia and Hercegovina appealed to Russia for support against the Greek Phanariot metropolitans, who constantly demanding money from the Orthodox congregation, extorting it by a variety of means. http://www.most.ba/092/060.aspx, 20 October 2010. The departure of the Greek metropolitans marked the restoration of the local structure of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an improved position for the local Orthodox population.

(3) http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr  - 07.01.2010.

(4) Johann Kellner was born in 1853 in Brno in Moravia (Bohemia), where he graduated from Technical College, staying on as an assistant lecturer in geodesy and astronomy. From 1880 to 1882 he worked in Mostar as officer in charge of building design and construction, and from 1882 to 1905 he worked for the Provincial Government in Sarajevo. In 1903 he obtained his doctorate in technology at the School of Technology in Brno, and following his retirement in 1905 he became an honorary member of the Technology Club in Sarajevo. Nedžad Kurto, Arhitektura Bosne i Hercegovine – Razvoj bosanskog stila, Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, International Peace Centre, 1998, 348 

(5) Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-52-1/10 of 08.01.2010. Josip Czerny was born in 1850 in Grars-Sebowitz in Moravia (Bohemia) and died in 1919 in Sarajevo. As well as the church in Reljevo, he is known in Sarajevo for having held the post of manager of the City Construction Department. - Nedžad Kurto, Op.cit., 1998, 340  

(6) Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-52-1/10 of 08.01.2010. Baron Feodor Nikolić, who was of Hungarian origin and who owned large estates in Banat and Rumania, was the grandson on his mother’s side of Prince Miloš Obrenović. From 1882 to 1886 he worked as the Provincial Government’s representative for civil affairs. -  Jelena Božić, Op.cit., 1998,  97.   

(7) SPC Reljevo, 1884. – Documentation of the Archives of BiH, Sarajevo 07.01.2010.

(8) See Decision designating the architectural ensemble of the Orthodox church of St Sava in Blažuj with cemetery as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 3 to 9 May 2005 in Sarajevo

(9) Jelena Božić. Op.cit., 1998, 98.    

(10) His body was transferred to the church in Blažuj in 1898. See Decision designating the architectural ensemble of the Orthodox church of St Sava in Blažuj with cemetery as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 3 to 9 May 2005 in Sarajevo

(11) http://www.hayat.ba/vijesti/bih/12474-pravoslavni-hram-u-reljevu-najea-meta-napada-,

Sarajevo 07.01.2010.

(12) See Decision designating the architectural ensemble of the Orthodox church of St Sava in Blažuj with cemetery as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 3 to 9 May 2005 in Sarajevo

(13) The first type is the architectural expression of the romantic aspiration to manifest national identity; the second, however, is much more common, being of relatively simple design.  This tendency also resulted from the influence of teachers from the Vojvodina, who introduced a certain Vojvodina baroque influence in some cases. - Jelena Božić, Op.cit., 1998, 95.   

(14) The slab is at a height of 90cm, and is used as a music stand. Below, at floor level, is a beam with a height of 30 cm. The space between the slanted slab and the beam is left open.

(15) Jelena Božić, Op.cit., 1998, 97.    

(16) Jelena Božić, Op.cit., 1998, 97.     

(17) The shape of the roof is very similar to that of the bell tower of the Catholic church of the Assumption in Stup (Sarajevo), designed by an assistant of Josip Vancaš’s in 1891. See Decision designating the Catholic church of the Assumption in Stup as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 14 to 20 March 2006 in Sarajevo. Josip Vancaš applied almost the same solution to the bell tower of the church of the Holy Trinity in Hrasno (Sarajevo) in 1906. See Decision designating the church of the Holy Trinity in Sarajevo as a national monument, adopted at a session of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments held from 12 to 18 May 2009 in Sarajevo.

(18) One flight is 1.50 m wide.

(19) The top-floor windows are somewhat lower, at 90 x 160 cm

(20) Two ground-floor window openings were widened and the windows were removed to create an additional entrance

(21) Svetlana Rakić, Ikone Bosne i Hercegovine (16 – 19. vijek), Belgrade: Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, 1998, 179.

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

(23) Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-52-1/10 of 08.01.2010.

(24) Letter from the Development Planning Authority of Sarajevo Canton ref. 02-23-90/10 of 11.01.2010.

(25) The difference is that the side entrance was designed to be on the north side but was built on the south.  As compared with the version of the design that was not chosen, a space between the nave and the sanctuary was eliminated, thereby reducing the length of the church. Jelena Božić, Op.cit., 1998, 98.