Status of monument -> National monument
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 6 to 9 September 2011 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The historic building of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši, Livno Municipality, is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the church and movable heritage consisting of the high altar and two paintings by Gabrijel Jurkić.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 421/1 and 421/2, title deed no. 346, Land Register entry no. 41, cadastral municipality Smričani, Municipality Livno, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The features of the interior of the church executed in reinforced concrete (the choir gallery, the barrel vault, the supporting arches, pillars etc.), along with the stone floor and metal windows fitted with painted plexiglass, do not conform to the original condition, and do not meet the criteria for designation as a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03). As a result, they are not subject to the protection regime prescribed by this Decision
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 erecting signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:
Protection Level I applies to the High Altar and the two paintings by Gabrijel Jurkić (hereinafter: the movable heritage). The following protection measures are hereby prescribed for this level:
- the Government of the Federal shall provide suitable physical and technical conditions for the safekeeping of the movable heritage;
- all interventions on the movable heritage shall be conducted by a qualified person, subject to 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 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: 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.
Protection Level II applies to the parish church. The following protection measures are hereby prescribed for this level:
- the premises may be adapted to bring them into line with current needs (installation of heating and other interior works), provided that the stylistic features of the property are preserved, subject to the prior approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;
- alterations to the interior may be carried out provided that the original structure is preserved, subject to the prior approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority.
IV
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.
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
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. 07.3-2.3-77/11-25
7 September 2011
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 19 June 2003 the Vidoši Parish Office submitted a petition/proposal to the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to designate the parish church in Vidoši as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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 parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši near Livno is one of the first Catholic churches to be built of durable materials with the permission of the Ottoman authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The building permit was received in 1853, and the church was consecrated in 1856. The architecture of the church is distinctive, in that in its original form it was associated with the tradition of building parish churches in Dalmatia. It is of great landscape value in the area consisting of Tušnica Hill and Malo Polje near Livno. The artistic value of the interior lies in the carved stone high altar, the work of a local craftsman, Mato Randić, in 1870.
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:
- details of the current condition and use of the property, including a description, architectural survey and photographs;
- an inspection of the current condition of the property;
- copy of the cadastral plan;
- copy of the Land Register entry;
- historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.
Pursuant to Article V para. 2 of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 37 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, before rendering a final decision designating a property as a national monument, the Commission is required to provide the owner of the proposed monument, the person submitting the petition, the institutions responsible for heritage, professional and academic institutions, experts and scholars, as well as other interested parties, to express their views. Accordingly, the Commission sent a letter ref. 06-6-929/03-1 dated 12 September 2003, requesting documentation and views on the designation of the property, to Livno Municipality, department responsible for urbanism and cadastral affairs, the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning and the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport.
In response, the Commission has received the following documentation:
- letter ref 06-6-929/03-2 of 24 October 2003 enclosing the documentation requested from the parish office in Vidoši, Livno Municipality;
- letter ref. 02-35-57/09-18 of 6 July 2009 from the parish office in Vidoši requesting an opinion on the refurbishment of the interior of the parish church in Vidoši.
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 parish church of the Immaculate Conception is in the village of Vidoši, 6 miles south of Livno. The river Sturba, which flows through the valley known as Malo Polje, rises near Vidoši. The parish church stands on Tušnica Hill, which is above the river to the south, at an altitude of 833 m.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 421/1 and 421/2, title deed no. 346, Land Register entry no. 41, cadastral municipality Smričani, Municipality Livno, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical background
The oldest župa (county) in the Livno region was initially known as Paraecia Cleuna, and later as the county of Livno. From the 11th to the 18th century it fell within the Archbishopric of Split. With the establishment of Ottoman rule in the mid 15th century, the county was broken up, only to be reinstated by the Franciscans, who revived the monastery of St John by the River Bistrica(1). In 1630 there were just 150 Catholic families in the entire Livno polje, a total population of 900 with 17 priests(2).
St Peter’s Church in Rapovina and the monastery churches of St John in Livno and St Elijah in Glamoč were demolished in the 17th century, leaving the parish of Livno without a single parish church, but still belonging to the Archbishopric of Split. Miši, Grgurići, Čuklić and Vidoši are referred to as the seat of the parish(3). The name Vidoši features in the latter half of the 17th century as the permanent residence of the Livno parish priest, when the pious widow Vidošević from the village of Radinčići gave the Franciscans land on which they built thatched cottages(4).
The parish was divided during the latter half of the 18th century into Gornje (upper) and Donje (lower) polje. At this time, according to a 1768 report by Bishop Fr. Marijan Bogdanović, the population of Vidoši consisted of 98 adults and 52 children(5). The last seat of the parish of Gornje polje was in Vidoši, which is therefore regarded as the successor to the oldest county/parish in the Livno region. The seat was transferred from Čuklić to Vidoši between 1797 and 1802. It is not clear when the Livno parish of Gornje polje, with its seat in Vidoši, acquired the name of the Parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Vidoši, though the Vidoši parish priest Fr. Anđeo Čurić is known to have certified two documents on 20 August 1882 with a seal bearing the words “Seal of the parish of Livno Gornje Polje.”(6)
In the mid 18th century the Franciscans built a wooden hut in Vidoši, which was used for religious worship(7). Beside it was the vicarage, which burned down on 29 April 1802, along with the church records(8). The new vicarage, known as the “old chapel,” was built by Fr. Mijo Čuić that same year. In 1833 Fr. Lovro Karaula converted the vicarage into a stone-built church(9).
The Congress of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia Argentina was held in Kraljeva Sutjeska on 29 April 1852, when it was decided to send an appeal to the Sultan, the Holy Father, the General of the Franciscan Order and the Propaganda (the Vatican congregation founded to spread Christianity) to build a monastery and church(10). The decision was taken that new churches should be built in Vidoši, Dolac near Travnik and Sarajevo; it was also agreed that the old churches in Kreševo, Kraljeva Sutjeska and Fojnica should be enlarged and refurbished. Following an intervention from the Royal Court in Vienna, the Ottoman authorities agreed that the churches should be built, and in December 1852, following the Sultan’s orders, the vali of Bosnia, Hurshid Pasha, appointed civil engineer Ešref effendi, who visited Vidoši in January 1853 in the company of Fr. Lovro Karaula. On 2 March 1853, with the agreement of the Porte, Hurshid Pasha issued a bujuruldija (order) to Rašid-bey, mudir (district prefect) of Livno, granting him permission to begin building works on churches in Livno and Vidoši(11). A firman issued subsequently reveals that there was a church in Vidoši that was 24 cubits long, 11 wide and 9 high. It was found that the old church could not be enlarged, and approval was granted to build a new one, 35 cubits long, 16 wide and 12 high(12).
As a mark of gratitude for successfully negotiating with Sultan Abdül Mecit and for assisting the Franciscans in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the day chosen for the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the church in Vidoši was 18 August 1853, the birthday of Franz Joseph I(13). Building works began about three weeks later, on 7 September 1853(14). The works were begun and largely completed during the tenure in the parish of Fr. Bono Jurić Drežnjak(15). That same year the board of Bosnia Argentina decided that a separate architect should be appointed to build each church, mainly Franciscans, who were required to submit a plan in advance to the monastery council. The original blueprints of the parish church in Vidoši are no longer extant, and it is uncertain who designed the building. The church in nearby Gorica, which was chosen as the principal church of the area, was designed by Franjo Moise of Split, but the parish church in Vidoši was probably designed by Fr. Lovro Karaula, whose experience with building in Livno and Busovača was valuable when building the church in Vidoši. Fr. Lovro Karaula was later to build a similar church in Ljubunčić, while the old church in Podhum, built in 1882, was modelled on the church in Vidoši(16).
In 1856 the new parish priest, Fr. Grgo Lozić, took charge of the final works on the church(17), which was consecrated and dedicated to St Mary Major on 8 December 1856(18). The parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši thus became one of the first Catholic churches built of solid materials with the approval of the Ottoman authorities(19).
The audit of the discretoria of Gorica monastery dated 10 June 1859 published details of structural problems associated with the south longitudinal wall, which rested on unconsolidated made-up ground. That same year a new retaining wall was built on the south side to prevent the wall from collapsing. In 1861 the stone facing was removed from the walls to lighten the load, and replaced by shingles(20).
The population of Vidoši increased during the Austro-Hungarian period; from 90 in 1856 it had grown to 123 in 1892 and 144 in 1900(21). It was during this period, in 1902, that the bell tower was erected in its present form(22).
In 1935, during the inter-war period, the population of Vidoši was 242. No particular works on the church other than routine maintenance were carried out during this period.
Vidoši had a population of 226 in 1960. In 1981 the roof timbers and interior were reconstructed under the supervision of architect Fr. Božo Borić(23).
The population in 1999, not long after the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was only 144, but by 2005 this had increased to 277(24). No works have been carried out on the church other than routine maintenance since then.
2. Description of the property
The parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši belongs to the type of single-aisled stone church with a semicircular apse(25) and stone bell tower.
The church, which lies west-east, is rectangular in plan, with overall dimensions of 29.10 x 11.80m. The ridge of the gabled roof is at a height of11.50 m(26), and the height to the eaves is 7.80 m. The bell tower is about 24.00 m high.
The apse at the east end, which is pentagonal externally, is 7.10 m long. The ridge of the apse roof is at a height of 9.50 m.
The ground-floor stage of the bell tower at the west end serves as the vestibule of the church, measuring 4.42 x 4.42 m and resting on four stone piers of 90 x 90 cm. The entrance to the church is a double-valved copper door(27) measuring 1.70 x 2.55 m, with relief decoration(28): the Virgin Mary on the right-hand leaf, and Christ on the left, with a dove in the tympanum.
The interior of the church consists of an entrance area with choir, the nave, and the sanctuary. The nave is 20.50 m in overall length, including the entrance area below the choir gallery, and is 10.00 m wide internally.
On entering the church, the first space is the entrance part of the nave, with a length of 5.00 m, above which is the choir gallery(29), constructed of reinforced concrete and supported at the front by an arch, also of reinforced concrete. The choir consists of five levels of interconnected pairs of concrete steps in the axis of the church; an arched opening 1 m in width leads from the highest level to the bell tower(30). The choir is irregular in plan, terminating as it does in an arch on the east side(31).
The central space of the church is the nave, which is 15.50 m long, and has a double-valved wooden door on the south side. Four pairs of reinforced concrete piers, on which arched beams above which is a barrel vault(32), abut onto the side walls, each of which has three windows of 80 x 140 cm(33).
The sanctuary at the east end of the church is a step higher than the nave, from which it is divided by a substantial wall with a central arched opening 5.00 m wide and 7.10 m high. The apse, measuring 6.25 x 6.00 m on the inside, is semicircular internally and pentagonal externally(34). The altar is in the middle of the sanctuary, which is covered by a stone-built calotte.
The daylight height of the church at the apex of the barrel vault is 9.25 m, while at the apex of the calotte of the sanctuary it is 8.90 m. The lowest level of the choir, to the east, is at a height of 3.50 m, and the highest level, to the west, where the door to the bell tower is located, is at 4.70 m above floor level. The longitudinal and side walls(35) of the church are 75 cm thick, and the piers on which the bell tower is supported are 90 cm square.
The church was built of dressed blocks of Livno žestac, laid in courses of varying heights, with larger blocks used for the lower courses. Softer stone was used for the string courses/cornices and the window casings. Some of the quoins bear bas-relief motifs of a cross, a church with a bell tower, a double-headed eagle, a crescent moon and star, and a cross with four fleur-de-lis(36).
The main entrance door at the west end is metal, and the side door is wooden. The roof of the church is clad with tiles, and that of the bell tower with galvanized iron. The roof trusses and choir are of reinforced concrete. The stone floors of the church and the choir were laid in the 1980s. The window frames are metal, “glazed” with painted plexiglass in imitation of stained glass windows(37).
Stylistically, the church in Vidoši is in the historicist manner(38).
The west end is a symmetrical composition with the projecting bell tower in the middle flanked on either side by a rectangular window with a high parapet of 80 x 140 cm. The ground-floor stage of the bell tower contains an arched opening of 210 x 330 cm in the axis of which is a double-valved copper door of 170 x 255 cm with relief working. The bell tower is divided into three stages by simple stone string courses. The lowest stage has the arched opening just described, the middle stage an opening of 80 x 140 cm and an oculus with a diameter of 80 cm, and the top stage two arched openings 1 m wide with a stone parapet behind which the bells are housed. The steeple of the bell tower is surmounted by a metal cross.
The north and south longitudinal façades each have three rectangular windows of the same size as the window at the west end. The south wall also has a double-valved wooden door of 1.70 x 2.20 m.
The pentagonal apse in the centre of the east end abuts onto the gable wall of the church. The apse has three arched windows of 80 x 140 cm, one in the central axis and one on each side.
South of the church, and at a lower level, beyond the churchyard, is a modern vicarage, in which part of the ground floor retains the original flagstone floor. The original stone plaque of 1883 with inscription is set into the south wall. The inscription reads:
D. O. M.
PIIS ELEEMOSVNIS BELICIOSÆ COMMUTTIS
FRATMINOR FOJNICENSIUM CURA ETLA
BOREBLAURENTII KARAULA PAROCHI
MDCCCXXXIII
Altar
The inscription on the arches (lintels) linking the altar with the south and north walls of the apse reveals that the altar was made by master craftsman Mato Randić(39) in 1870, and gives the name of the parishioners who financed it. The altar is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
The inscription on the arch by the north wall reads
HE LEARNED NO CRAFT NOR KNOWS HIS LETTERS, BUT THE LOVE OF THE MOTHER OF GOD GAVE HIM THE KNOWLEDGE TO COMPLETE THIS WORK. BLESSINGS ON THE MOTHER OF GOD. MATO RANDIĆ=BAJA c.c. 1870.
The inscription on the arch by the south wall reads
This altar to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Immaculate Conception was erected at the expense of the pious people of the Catholic parish of Vidoši in the county of Livno and thanks to the dedication of the parish priests, FFr. Mijo Kutlešo, Ivo Miljević and Filip Kunić, c.c.1870.
The altar is entirely made of stone, with only the statue of the Virgin Mary and the tabernacle made of wood. The altar is almost 6.5 m high and almost 6 m wide including the doorjambs, creating an impression of monumentality. It is an architectural altar, the structural design of which reveals the legacy of the Renaissance. It consists of several architectural components – pillars, arches, niches, aediculae, etc.(40), all in stone, with a very pronounced aedicula reflecting the influence of the baroque. The edges of the altar are decorated with flamboyant volutes.
Visually, the altar can be divided into two horizontal elements:
- the mensa with a sarcophagus (208 x 105 x 75 cm), decorated in bas relief. “A priest with an alb, chasuble and stole over his left arm, as if giving the benediction, is portrayed in bas relief on the antependium, within two bent lines, creating the impression of a sarcophagus(41).” Angels appear in the pillars flanking the imitation sarcophagus. The space between the angels and the bishop is filled mainly with floral ornament – vines and grapes – and is painted red. The sarcophagus projects out from the structure of the altar in the traditional manner, to form the mensa. To its left and right are plaques painted in imitation of marble. A simple wooden tabernacle decorated with a cross is placed on the sarcophagus;
- the altar, dominated by an aedicule with a baroque gable and a niche housing a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary flanked by four Corinthian columns. Two angels, one to the left and one to the right, are holding on to the niche. The statue of the Virgin was a gift from the Vienna-based Society of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, and was installed on the altar of the Vidoši church in 1875(42). The Virgin, who is wearing a gold maphorion and a magnificent crown(43), has her hands held in prayer. The status is about 100 x 30 cm, and the niche measures 203 x 110 cm. Above the niche is a rosette and then a baroque gable decorated with volutes and four angels: two semi-recumbent on the sloping sides of the gable, with a round-arched plaque between them, and another two at the top holding a crown.
At some point between 1964 and 1970 the entire altar was painted with oil paint in imitation of marble, mainly in red and blue, which has compromised its authenticity.
Paintings by Gabrijel Jurkić
Gabrijel Jurkić (Livno, 24 March 1886 – 25 February 1974) is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leading symbolist and Secessionist artists(44), whose works on religious subjects adorn church interiors throughout the country. His religious works are in the Nazarene and Pre-Raphaelite style.
1. Joseph the Carpenter and Jesus
Artist: Gabrijel Jurkić
Date: 1957.
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 141 cm x 126 cm
Signature: bottom left corner: BLAGO • TEBI •UŽIVAJUČI • TRUDOVE • RUKU • SVOJIH • PS. 727•2• G.J. 1957
Description: the foreground is occupied by Joseph in his carpenter’s workshop, wearing a blue garment and with a halo. To his right is the young Jesus, dressed in white, helping him, with above him twelve angels’ heads. In the background is an open window through which meadows can be seen in the distance, thus creating a sense of depth.
2. St. Clement (Pope)
Artist: Gabrijel Jurkić
Date: mid 20th century
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 74 cm x 144 cm
Signature: bottom right comer: G.J. 1957 LIVNO•GORICA•
Description: The saint is portrayed out of doors, surrounded by fields, rivers and hills. He is giving a blessing with his right hand, and pointing with his left to an angel with a boyish face, holding an inscription – I SHALL GUARD YOU AGAINST ALL HARM WHEN YOU APPEAL TO ME. At his feet is a bishop’s cap, the artist’s way of indicating the saint’s modesty and lack of vanity. The five lambs in the lower left corner traditionally symbolize innocence and humility.
3. Legal status to date
According to the information provided by the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport(45), the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši, Livno Municipality, was not on the register of cultural monuments.
A certificate issued by the Mostar Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Nature, certifies that the Catholic church in the village of Vidoši, Livno Municipality, is a cultural monument under state protection, and that it is listed as such in the register of cultural monuments of the region(46).
4. Research and conservation-restoration works
In 1859, following an inspection of the structure of the building relating to the south side wall, structural remedial works were undertaken, in the form of building a new retaining wall on the south side.
In 1861 the stone slabs were removed to relieve the load still further.
In 1981, major works were carried out on the interior, compromising its authentic appearance. The wooden choir gallery was removed and replaced by one in reinforced concrete. The roof timbers and wooden ceiling were removed and replaced by a barrel vault supported by a reinforced concrete structure, and the roof was clad with tiles. The windows were fitted with metal frames with stained glass. The original stone floor of the church was overlaid with stone slabs. A metal ladder was installed in the bell tower.
In 2002 civil engineer Drago Rimac drew up a bill of costs for works relating to the reconstruction of the roof of the church. The cost of the proposed works was 83,673.00 KM.
In 2006 civil engineer Gorana Marinčić produced a blueprint of the current state of the ground floor of the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši.
In 2011 Stanislav Kale, BSc.Arch, produced a blueprint of the current state of the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši and a project for its interior refurbishment. The project provided for raising the sanctuary by two steps, replacing the stone floor, lowering the ceiling, and altering the form of the choir. It also covered the production of stone church furniture.
5. Current condition of the property
The parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši is well maintained. Cracks on the bell tower and the southern part of the apse do not indicate serious structural problems, but a structural survey should be carried out to identity the true state of affairs, particularly of the southern part of the building.
6. Specific risks
Possibility of subsidence
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.i. quality of workmanship
C.ii. quality of materials
C.iv. composition
C.v. value of details
D. Clarity
D.ii. evidence of historical change
D.iv. evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner
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
G. Authenticity
G.i. form and design
G.iii. use and function
G.v. location and setting
H. Rarity and representativity
H.i. unique or rare example of a certain type or style
I. Completeness
I.i. physical coherence
I.iii. completeness
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Ownership documentation
- Copy of cadastral plan Z30 CXVI S14 d/1. c.m. Smričani, Scale 1:3125, issued on 1 October 2003 by Livno Municipality, Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs, West Bosnia Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Land Register entry for plot nos. C.p. 421/1 and 421/2, c.m. Smrićani, Land Register entry no. 41, Nar. No. 1457/03 of 23 September 2003, issued by the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Livno, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 421/1 and 421/2, title deed no. 346, Land Register entry no. 41, cadastral municipality Smričani, Municipality Livno, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Transcript of title deed no. 346, Vidoši parish office, c.m. Smričani, issued on 23 September 2003 by Livno Municipality, Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs, West Bosnia Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Documentation on previous protection of the property
- Certificate no. 151-2/04 of 15 July 1981 issued by the Mostar Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Nature, certifying that the Catholic church in the village of Vidoši, Livno Municipality, is a cultural monument under state protection, and that it is listed as such in the register of cultural monuments of the region
- Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-2932-1/11 of 12 July 2011
- Other documentation
- Translation into Latin of the firman granting permission to build a parish church in Vidoši – source Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 86
- Map of the Roman Catholic Parish of Vidoši – source as above
- Photodocumentation
- Historical photographs of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši near Livno before the 1981 works – source Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 87
- Historical photographs of the interior of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši near Livno taken in the 1970s or 1980s – source Vidoši Parish Office
- Photographs of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši near Livno taken on 13 June 2011 by architect Adi Ćorović and art historian Aida Bucalović using Sony DSC – H10 digital camera
- Technical documentation
- Site plan, Vidoši Parish Church, c.m. Smričani, scale 1:1500, drawn in 2003 by the Department of Proprietary Rights, Geodetics and Cadastral Affairs, Livno Municipality, West Bosnia Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Drawing of the current state of the ground floor of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši by civil engineer Gorana Marinčić BSc. in 2006 – source Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 175
- Drawing of the current state of the façade of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši - source Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 182
- Drawing of the parish church of the Immaculate Conception in Vidoši and the interior layout of the church in 2011, by Stanislav Kale BSc.Arch.
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 (Art encyclopaedia of Yugoslavia), vols. 1 and 2. Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod ‘Miroslav Krleža’, 1987.
2006. Ivančević, Radovan. Leksikon ikonografije liturgike i simbolike zapadnog kršćanstva (Lexicon of the iconography of the liturgy and symbolism of western Christianity). Zagreb: Kršćanska sadašnjost, 2006.
2007. Marijan Karaula et.al. Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve. Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007.
(1) Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Fra Anđelko Barun, foreword, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 5 – 7.
(2) Ibid. 88 – 89.
(3) Ibid. 5 – 7.
(4) Ibid. 94.
(5) Ibid. 103.
(6) Ibid. 5 – 7.
(7) Ibid. 154.
(8) The vicarage, and perhaps an oratory, was built in the late 18th century in Vidoši by Fr. Ivan Mirčeta – Josip Matasović, Fojnička regesta, Belgrade 1930, 1294.
Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 156.
(9) Fr. Lovro Karaula (1800-1875), “Zapisnik o Postojanju, o gragji, o dovršenju, o trošku, o prihodu, i budućem uzderžavanju Cerkvice u selu Ljubunčiću,” Pro populo, 295-296.
Half the building burned down in a fire in 1861. Marijan Karaula, op.cit, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 156, 157.
(10) In the mid 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was forced to introduce reforms, about which Ivan Frano Jukić wrote: “In 1839 the Sultan issued the Hatti Șerif of Gülhane, which placed the Christians on an equal footing with the Turks, but there is nothing to commemorate this in Bosnia.” Slavoljub Bošnjak (Ivan Frano Jukić), Zemljopis i Poviestnica Bosne (reprint of the 1851 edition), 153.
Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 158.
(11) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 161-164.
(12) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 166.
(13) Damir Tadić. Chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 169.
(14) Jako Baltić, Godišnjak od događanja crkvenih, svjetskih i promine vrimena u Bosni, Sarajevo: 1991, 173; Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 173.
(15) Jako Baltić, Godišnjak od događanja crkvenih, svjetskih i promine vrimena u Bosni 1754 – 1882, Sarajevo, Zagreb: 2003 (new edition), 248; Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 173.
The building materials (stone, lime, sand, roof timbers and boards) had been prepared in the spring of 1853.
(16) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 175.
(17) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 178.
(18) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 188.
(19) The first building permit granted was for the church in Dolac near Travnik, in 1854, but the church in Vidoši was already completed by then – Fra Anđelko Barun, Opće crkvene prilike u provinciji Bosni Srebrenoj u 19. st., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007, 77.
The church in Vidoši was the first to be built in the Livno area. Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Fr Anđelko Barun, foreword, Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2006, 7.
(20) Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 183.
(21) Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Fr. Marijan Karaula, “Povijest župe Vidoši,” Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2006, 117-122.
(22) Catholic churches built in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Ottoman period had no bell tower; instead, they had a cross on the entrance front, which was removed from the church in Vidoši when the stone slates cladding the roof were replaced in 1861. In the period 1863 to 1868 the cross was replaced by a small bell tower of the kind that would later be built on the old Podhum church, and three bells were mounted there. The present bell tower was built by Anton Šušnjara, who received the sum of 2,220 florins for the work. Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 194, 197.
(23) The statics computation was carried out by Ognjeslav Matkin; the parish was being run at the time by Fr. Tomo Buljan. Most of the works were carried out during the tenure of Fr. Ćiril Lovrić - Marijan Karaula, op.cit., Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2007. Damir Tadić. chapter – “Gradnja crkve u Vidošima,” 195.
(24) Marijan Karaula, Župa Vidoši, u povodu 150. obljetnice blagoslova župne crkve, Fra Marijan Karaula, “Povijest župe Vidoši,” Livno: Vidoši Parish Office, 2006, 122-124.
(25) On the inside
(26) The dimensions approved by the Ottoman authorities were clearly not observed exactly. Converted into the metric scale, approval was granted for a building of 26.25 x 12.00 m with a height of 9.00 m. See Karaula, 192.
(27) The door jambs, which are 20 cm wide, stand slightly proud of the wall face, and are decorated with linear mouldings.
(28) Above the door is a semicircular tympanum of the same material.
(29) Metre-wide L-shaped stairs on the north side lead to the choir.
(30) Access to the bell tower from this level is via a metal ladder added in the 1980s.
(31) The apex of the arch is to the west; the lower part of the parapet is of masonry, with a wooden railing above.
(32) The barrel vault is not original, but has replaced the original wooden ceiling. See Karaula, 196. The barrel vault rests on transverse arched beams and on longitudinal linear beams running the full length of the vault
(33) The window parapet is 5,20 m in height.
(34) The design, based on churches in Dalmatia, is true to the usual plan of a single-aisled rectangular building with a rectangular apse, invariably narrower than the nave. In the case of the Vidoši church, the rectangular apse has been replaced by a polygonal one. Karaula, 193.
(35) Translator’s note: since the long axis of the church clearly lies east-west, it is not clear to me what the difference is between the longitudinal walls and the side walls.
(36) Probably pieces of stećak tombstones. See: Karaula, 194.
(37) The plexiglass was painted by Ante Starčević in 1985. Following the outline of the windows, each painted plexiglass, in all nine windows, measures 140 x 80 cm. The scenes are abstract, each one citing a motif from Christian iconography, including the hand of benediction, the apple and the serpent, the crucifixion, the dove and the fish. The artistic quality of these works is questionable, and is the product of the fashion for decorating the interior of all public buildings (kindergartens, primary schools and so on) in the 1980s.
(38) “It most closely resembles the neo-Romanesque, as understood at that time. The simplicity of Franciscan architecture is present throughout. Ornaments and façade mouldings are reduced to a minimum. It was only during later works that changes to this were made. The architecture of the Vidoši church is associated with the tradition based on a clear and compact manner of building. See: Karaula, 193 -194.
(39) Though the artist kept within the limits of the naive, his thinking was to make an altar along the lines of the altar of Madonna di Sinj Pio e Vicko dall’ Acqua. See Karaula, 202.
(40) Cf. Radovan Ivančević, Leksikon ikonografije liturgike i simbolike zapadnog kršćanstva, (Zagreb: Kršćanska sadašnjost, 2006) 465-469.
(41) Ibid. 203.
(42) Ibid. 204.
(43) The crown was gilded in 1953. See: Ibid. 204.
(44) Likovna enciklopedija Jugoslavije, vol 1 A-J, Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod ‘Miroslav Krleža’, 1987, 715
(45) Letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments under the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport ref. 07-40-4-2932-1/11 of 12 July 2011
(46) Certificate no. 151-2/04 of 15 July 1981 issued by the Mostar Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and Nature
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