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 21 to 24 November 2011 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The historic monument of the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Pale with movable property is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the church, movable property consisting of the iconostasis with icons, and the Memorial to the Victims of World War I.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1053/1, cadastral municipality Pale grad, title deed no. 1544 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 618/16; 618/41; 618/42; 619/2; 619/23, c.m. Pale SP (old survey), Land Register entry no. 25, Municipality Pale, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The extension to the church connected to the church by an open portico, used for lighting candles, and the portico itself, are not subject to the protection measures 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 Republika Srpska no. 9/02, 70/06 and 64/08) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of Republika Srpska shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the investigation, 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 measures are hereby prescribed:
- all works are prohibited other than routine maintenance works, works designed to ensure the sustainable use of the property, investigative works, conservation and repair works, restoration works and works designed for the presentation of the monument, with the approval of the ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);
- burials less than 15 m from the church are prohibited;
- the removal or relocation of the monument to First World War victims is prohibited;
- the dumping of waste is prohibited.
The following protection measures for the movable property referred to in Clause 1 para. 2 of this decision (hereinafter: the movable heritage) are hereby prescribed:
- the Government of Republika Srpska shall provide suitable physical and technical conditions for the safe-keeping of the movable heritage;
- conservation-restoration works shall be carried out on the collection of icons and the iconostasis;
- all interventions to the movable heritage shall be carried out by a qualified person subject to a study approved by the ministry responsible for culture in Republika Srpska (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 Republika Srpska, 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 Republika Srpska 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 Republika Srpska, the Ministry responsible for regional planning, the ministry responsible for culture and 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 – 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
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 off BiH no. 59/02, and Official Gazette of Brčko District BiH no. 4/03), where it featured under serial no 454.
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.: 02-2.3-77/11-44
23 November 2011
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Dubravko Lovrenović
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 to Preserve National Monuments issued a decision to add the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Pale to the Provisional List of National Monuments of BiH under serial no. 454.
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 Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God was built in 1909, during the Austro-Hungarian period. It belongs to the type of single-aisled, centrally planned square building with a five-sided apse at the south-east end, a bell tower at the north-west end, and choirs on each side. Built of brick and stone, the church is of modest size, and reveals the influence of the Serbo-Byzantine style of church architecture. The church was designed by the artist Lazar Drljača of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose only executed architectural design this is.
The building of the church marked the start of the development and construction of Pale Municipality, with the church imposing some of the basic guidelines for the development of the urban matrix.
Despite damage during World Wars I and II, the church has retained much of its original appearance.
The churchyard contains a Memorial to the Victims of World War I, erected in 1926.
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 and photographs
- An inspection of the current condition of the property
- A copy of the cadastral plan
- A 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 will 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. 02-35.2-8/1111-117 dated 19 September 2011 requesting documentation and views on the designation of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Pale as a national monument to the owner, the Pale parish of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Pale Municipality, the Municipal Court in Sokolac, the Ministry of Regional Planning, Construction and the Environment of Republika Srpska, and the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska.
In response, the Commission has received the following documentation:
- Letters ref. 21.34/952.1-3-801/11 dated 2 November 2011 and 02.34/714.3-335/12 dated 22 March 2012 from the Department of Geodetics and Proprietary Rights of Republika Srpska Banja Luka, Pale Branch, supplying documentation for the designation of the property as a national monument.
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 Dormition of the Mother of God is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 1053/1 (new survey), corresponding to c.p. 618/16; 618/41; 618/42; 619/2; 619/23 (old survey), cadastral municipality Pale grad, title deed no. 1544/11, Municipality Pale, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The church is in the centre of Pale Municipality.
Historical background
After the signing of the Dayton Agreement, most of Pale Municipality became part of Republika Srpska, with the villages of Brojnići, Čeljadinići, Čemernica, Datelji, Komrani, Renovica and Šainovići, and parts of Brdarići, Kamenica, Prača, Srednje and Turkovići, going to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, forming Pale-Prača Municipality(1). Pale Municipality is one of six belonging to East Sarajevo(2).
It lies between the Jahorina massif to the south and south-east, Gosina to the east, Romanije to the north-east and Ozren to the north and north-west. It is 15 km from Sarajevo, with which it is linked by a main road; until 1978 there was also a railway line from Sarajevo to Užice(3).
The area of the municipality has been settled since the earliest stages of human history. There are very few remains from prehistory, but the road to the Glasinac plain, a major Bronze Age archaeological site, is known to have run through Pale.
There are considerably more archaeological finds dating from mediaeval times. In the late Middle Ages (14th and 15th centuries) the Pale region belonged to the Pavlović clan, which had two, or perhaps three fortified towns here (Pavlovac at Prača, Gradina in Upper Pale and Hodidjed, above the confluence of the Pale and Mokro Miljacka Rivers).
The fact that Gradina Fort, the administrative centre for the Pale plain and perhaps for a wider area, stood above the southern edge of the Pale plain, near the source of the Miljacka, indicates that there must have been a sizeable settlement here.
When Bosnia fell to the Ottomans in 1463, the Pavlović lands were divided into eleven nahijas (minor administrative units), and the entire area was named Vilayet Pavli by the Turks, after the erstwhile Pavlović lords.
Pale played an important part in 1832 in one of the battles between the Sultan’s army and Bosnian feudals, led by Husein-kapetan Gradaščević.
A significant transition from a natural economy to a cash and goods economy in the Austro-Hungarian period began with the construction of communal services, railway lines and roads, and extensive industrialization. Austro-Hungarian capital played an important part in the exploitation of natural resources, particularly forest and mineral resources. The Austro-Hungarian authorities lost no time in granting concessions to Austro-Hungarian companies for more than 300,000 hectares of the most valuable forests, and began building sawmills and other facilities for the industrial processing of timber. At that time Pale too began to develop into a major centre of the timber industry, and the Pale plain became increasingly populated as people began to gravitate towards industrial centres and communications.
The 1895 population census reveals that Pale and the surrounding villages had a total population of 483, of whom 440 were making their living from agriculture and forestry, and 27 from public service, trade, crafts and other independent non-agricultural activities. Industrial development brought with it the development of tertiary activities: shops, eating houses and other service facilities opened for business.
The official data of the Austro-Hungarian authorities for Bosnia and Herzegovina show that by 1879 Pale already had two European-style saw mills, their products waiting for transportation to Sarajevo along the road that was being built at the time.
When laying the strategically important Sarajevo to Višegrad railway line in 1905, the Austro-Hungarian authorities also had in mind its considerable economic importance. Pale acquired its own railway station, providing a boost to forestry and the industrial processing of timber. This in turn led to greater foreign investment in the economic development of the Pale region(4).
The parish of Pale was part of the parish of Mokranjac until 1890, when a parish seated in Pale was founded. The villages of Kozija Ćuprija, Bulog, Ljubogošta, Trebević, Rakovac, and Ćemanovići, to the village of Bogovići below Romanija, fell within the parish of Pale(5).
The parish had no church at that time, and most of the credit for building one goes to the first parish priest of Pale, Đorđe Grabež, and the parish council of the time(6). The first primary school in Pale was opened in 1907, again thanks to Đorđe Grabež, who gave up his rooms in the parish hall to the school, and rented a small room for himself(7). The church was built soon after.
The construction of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God(8) in Pale led to the further development of Pale Municipality. A contractor’s error during its construction resulted in the church being 350 off the east-west orientation, and the fact that some later buildings were oriented in the same way attests to the importance of the church in the building and development of the municipality; standing at an altitude of 860 m, it dictated the position and direction of the town’s development(9).
The Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Pale was built in 1909 and consecrated on 11 September that year. It was designed by Lazar Drljača, whose only executed architectural design it was(10).
Preparations for the building began in 1904, when building materials were assembled and donations collected. In 1905 the Pale parish council invited tenders to produce a design for the church in Pale, when Lazar Drljača’s design was chosen(11). Miloš Miladinović of Donji Vakuf was appointed as works contractor(12).
An article in the newspaper Istočnik of 31 July 1908 relates some information concerning the laying of the foundations of the church and their consecration, which was performed on 12 July 1908 on the Christian festival of SS Peter and Paul by the Most Reverend Vaso Popović on behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan Evgenije Letica of Dabar-Bosnia, accompanied by another priests and one deacon, and attended by about a thousand people. To this day a synod is traditionally held on that day(13).
Despite the considerable financial problems of building the church, the works were successfully completed within the year. The church in Pale was consecrated on 30 August (corresponding to 11 September) 1909 on the Orthodox festival of the Beheading of St John the Baptist. An synod is held in Pale on that day every year. The consecration was performed by Metropolitan Evgenije Letica in the presence of numerous priests and the Sloga Choral Society of Sarajevo(14), along with many members of the general public, not only from Pale but also from the districts of Sarajevo, Prača, Foča, Rogatica and Sokolac. This is recorded on a stone plaque still in the church, with the following inscription:
This church was built with the efforts
and contributions of the Serbian Orthodox people. It was consecrated
by His Eminence Metropolitan Evgenije
Letica on 31 August 1909
at the time of the Parish Council:
Chairman Risto Šušić, priest Đorđe Grabež, Vice chair Vaso Todorović.
Members: Risto Čečar, Gajo Blagojević, Josif Starovlah, Stjepan Simić, Đorđe Ćirić,
Risto Jovanović, Ilija Savić, Mlađen Savić, Đorđa Obradović, Trifko Divčić, Neđo
Lučić, Jovo Šarac, Ilija Babić, Sava Lučić, Marka Parađin, Sava Savić and their representatives:
Jovo Škobo, Nikola Radović, Božo Savić, Blagoje Starčević, Grujo
Trifković, Sava Klačar, Neđo Lazarević, Sava Tošić, Ilija Marinković, Đuro
Pandurević and Ilija Cico
Builder Miloš Miladinović a native of Donji Vakuf.
PETAR VEKIĆ SARAJEVO
The plaque, the work of stone cutter Petar Vekić of Sarajevo, shows signs of damage. According to Branko Petrović, once the church was complete three large icon lamps were purchased for it, which are still there. One was a gift from one Neđo Ćiro, another was given by Periša Rudić of Silos, and a third by Nikola Simić of Gornja Pala. These were the leading Serbs local to the area at the time(15).
During World War I, Austro-Hungarian soldiers stabled horses in the church. A memorial to 72 victims of Austro-Hungarian terror, of about 330 victims in the area, was erected in the churchyard. The church bell was removed and melted down.
The church was again damaged in World War II, when the church archives were destroyed in a fire, along with the church registers, ecclesiastical requisites, liturgy books and the inventory of the church. The memorial to the victims of World War I was pulled down and the victims’ centre was turned into Ustasha headquarters(16).
2. Description of the property
The churchyard contains the church, two parish halls, a newly-built chapel connected by a covered portico, and the Memorial to the victims of World War I. Ever since it was built, the church has occupied an important place in the urban structure of Pale Municipality. The building of the church marked the start of the development and construction of Pale Municipality, as can be seen from the formation of mixed-use buildings of later date. The two basic orthogonal directions forming the orthogonal roads network were established, closely echoing the longitudinal and transverse axes of the church. Four footpaths lead to the church: from Boška Jugovića St. to the south-west, Dobroslava Jevđevića to the south-east, and Srpskih ratnika St. from the north-east and north-west.
Church
The church belongs to the type of square, centrally-planned building with lateral choirs creating a cruciform plan, with a five-sided apse at the south-east end and a bell tower at the north-west end. It measures 12.20 x 9.60 m on the outside.
The roof is cruciform in plan, the longitudinal gabled roof intersecting the multi-paned roofs over the side choir paracclesia.
The long axis of the church lies northwest-southeast, with the altar area facing south-east and the bell tower north-west.
The church has three portals: the main entrance on the north-west side of the bell tower, and two side entrances to the choirs. The portal on the south-west side is not in use, and is blocked off by a wooden stand with icons. The side choirs provide direct access to the nave(17). The portals are arched, and bear brick and stone decorations in relief.
The main portal, which is stepped back into the façade, is more elaborately decorated than the side portals. It is framed by a round arch and two side engaged columns 2.5 m high, which project out from the piers of the bell tower by about ¾ of their diameter. The base of the pilasters consists of two tori with a moulded trochilus between. The shaft, which is 167 cm high in 15 cm in diameter, is undecorated, and the capital is in the form of volutes; an impost block in the shape of a four-sided rounded pyramid forms the junction between the arch and the column. The arch is decorated in relief in the form of a braid.
The masonry opening of the door measures 140 x 215 cm and the daylight opening 122 x 206 cm. The double-valved rectangular wooden doors are surmounted by a semicircular lunette. The inscription carved on the doors relates that they were made and donated to the church on 28 August 2009.
A gift to the church from Aco and Mladen
28. 08. Stanišić 2009.
The doors are of simple design, each flap divided into two panels, square below and rectangular, arched at the top, above. The door lintel is also wooden, decorated with carved floral motifs of twisted vines with flowers.
The side portals, also round-headed, have masonry openings of 111 x 220 cm and daylight openings of 90 x 206 cm. The rectangular doors have round-arched overlights, glazed with the same motifs as the lunette of the main portal. The round arch is framed by a bas-relief archivolt of alternating courses of brick.
The interior of the church consists of the parvis with a gallery over, the nave, the altar area with apse, and the bell tower.
Reflecting the modest size of the church, the parvis is not separate, but forms a single space with the nave. It is rectangular, and covered by the gallery, which accentuates it visually. The parvis measures 7.95 x 3.35 m on the outside. The substantial piers of the bell tower divided it into three parts: a central entrance area, and one on each side. Inside the church, the piers are linked by round arches.
The main entrance to the church is in the central section of the parvis, framed by the piers of the bell tower at the main entrance, facing the tetrapod, a small four-legged table with the icon of the patron saint of the church. Before the chapel was built, the right-hand section of the parvis was used for lighting candles. The left-hand section of the parvis contains the double-flight wooden staircase leading to the gallery. The steps are 1.10 m wide, with rounded treads between the stringboards, with the nose of the treads projecting out over the risers by about 3 cm. The flights form an L shape, with a landing between. The banister is wooden, with spindles 1.15 m high; these are square in section with slightly chamfered corners, and are painted white. The handrail and the wooden front of the gallery joists are both painted brown. The space beneath the first flight of steps is closed by white-painted wooden boards. A small cupboard occupies the space under the landing, also enclosed by wooden boards, also painted white, as is the cupboard door.
The open gallery is carried by the piers of the bell tower, which also rise above the gallery, and the outer walls of the parvis. The gallery houses the church choir and also provides access to the church bell in the tower. The right-hand section of the gallery level with the bell tower is partitioned off by a wooden partition. The gallery is 7.94 m long and 3.35 m wide; the joists and floor together are 38.5 cm thick. The railing and handrail are finished like those of the staircase.
The naos occupies the central part of the church, and is wider than the parvis on account of the side choir paracclesia. The nave is 9.13 m long and 4.58 m wide, and is covered by a vault extending from the entrance to the sanctuary with two shorter transverse vaults over the choirs, forming a cross vault. The span of the choir vaults is approx. 5.85 m, and that of the longitudinal vault is approx. 7.95 cm; the vaults are approx. 7.60 m high. The length of the interior creates a sense of spaciousness. At the east end of the nave, on the longitudinal axis of the church, is a semicircular ambo, projecting into the nave. To the right of the ambo, the sanctuary is wider to accommodate the area occupied by the plinth with the choir. The altar area or sanctuary is a step up of 10 cm from the rest of the nave.
The sanctuary is separated from the nave by the wooden iconostasis. It is covered by a barrel vault resting on the outer walls and the wall between the nave and sanctuary. Beyond the sanctuary is the semicircular altar apse with a conch covered by a semicalotte.
Inside the church, the walls are plastered and painted white, with wood panelling to a height of 1.68 m. The pilasters by the iconostasis are decorated with floral motifs. The vault of the church was painted in 2009(18), replacing the previous finish of blue with stars.
The interior socle consists of ceramic tiles. The floor of the nave and parvis is paved with square terrazzo tiles, the floor of the sanctuary and altar with ceramic tiles, and the gallery and staircase are carpeted.
The church has central heating, with radiators by the walls of the parvis and the choirs.
All the windows other than two semicircular ones on the entrance front are rectangular and round-headed. The north-east and south-west façades of the church each have two windows of the same size, set symmetrically on the choir paracclesia. The single-light windows are white, each with two crossbars dividing them into three rectangular panes and one semicircular. The south-east façade has three rectangular, round-headed windows on three sides of the apse. The windows are of white-painted wood, with two crossbars dividing them into two rectangular panes and one semicircular.
The entrance front has two symmetrical ranks of windows and one biforate window on the bell tower. The lower windows are rectangular and round-headed, and set high by the upper frame of the façade. They are of white-painted wood, with two crossbars dividing them into two rectangular panes and topped by one semicircular. Above them in the same axis are two semicircular windows. The biforate window consists of two single-light rectangular, round-headed wooden windows, divided by crossbars into three rectangular and one semicircular pane. Between the two windows is a column, decorated on the outside with a cross where the round arches meet. The biforate window is decorated by a semicircular spiral arch.
The windows on the north-east and south-west sides of the church have masonry openings of 65 x 215 cm and daylight openings of 45 x 97 cm. Those of the entrance façade and apse have masonry openings of 78 x 175 cm and daylight openings of 52 x 156 cm.
The façades also have oculi, for decorative reasons. Within the oculus is a cross with four Cyrillic letter C (Roman S) back to back within the arms of the cross(19).
The exterior of the church is more elaborate than the interior. The façades nare flat, plastered and undecorated. They are said originally to have been painted purple(20), but their present appearance is monochromatic. The stone socle is 50 cm high.
The dynamism of the façades is achieved by pilasters and pilaster-strips, the treatment of the windows, blind niches and oculi. All the openings are round-arched with brick archivolts, the bricks set radially, with a single horizontal course on some of the openings. The pilaster-strips and pilasters project out from the wall plane by 7 cm, and are arranged to reveal the interior layout. At the transition from the façade to the roof is a horizontal moulded cornice. The roof is scalloped at the eaves, and merges with the façade at an angle.
The north-west entrance façade is the most elaborate, consisting of a combination of the stone piers of the bell tower and the white plastered façade. It is more dynamic than the other façades, and the decoration is more elaborate. The silhouette is dominated by the substantial bell tower in the central axis of the façade, dividing it vertically. The bell tower projects out from the façade plane of the parvis, its height giving the façade a light, slender feeling. A biforate window of the same width as the entrance, with an oculus above, occupies the space between the piers above the main entrance door. A moulded string course divides the façade into a flat part and a pediment. The flat part, surrounded by a rectangular frame, formed by the pilasters standing proud of the wall plane and joined at the top by a cornice. This part of the façade has a round-headed rectangular window on either side of the bell tower. The pediment has a semicircular window on each side, in the same axis. These windows, which are of the same width, the harmonious proportions, and the decorative treatment of the architrave give the façade dynamism and rhythm.
The north-east and south-west façades of the church are identical, revealing the interior layout and thus composed of three parts. The central section, corresponding to the nave, is slightly higher at vault level compared with the sanctuary and parvis. Plasticity is achieved by the interplay of solids and voids. The white-painted façade is enlivened by the forms of the brick archivolts of the windows and portal. The portal is in the central axis, with above it a decoration of semicircular shallow niches and oculi. On either side of these are to symmetrically-placed, round-headed rectangular windows. The entire frame is surrounded by a frame of pilaster strips surmounted by a brick-decorated arch. The pilaster strips, which stand slightly proud of the façade plane, are finished in the same way as the façade itself.
Level with the spring of the arch of the choirs the flat area of the façade continues, corresponding to the sanctuary and surrounded by a rectangular frame. The part of the façade corresponding to the parvis is treated in the same way, but with the addition of a shallow niche of the same shape as the windows.
The south-east façade is simpler in treatment. The five-sided apse, which is lower than the rest of the building, projects out beyond the sanctuary. The apse is enlivened by single-light round-headed rectangular windows on three of its five sides. The architrave of the windows is of decorative brick, as on the other façades.
The church was built of brick(21) and stone, with exterior walls 80 cm thick.
The bell tower is a substantial square tower set on four reinforced piers. It is about 15 m high, and surmounted by a segmental dome composed of eight spherical sections, set on a tall, slender octagonal drum. The dome itself is surmounted by a cross. The side of the bell tower forming the entrance façade is particularly decorative, with the biforate window, oculus and windows of the octagonal drum. The bell tower has only ever had a single bell, which is unusual, for bell towers of this type usually have three or more.
The roof over the longitudinal vault is a saddle roof, half-hipped over the apse. The roof over the choirs is also a saddle roof, divided into two, corresponding to the form of the vault. The bell tower is surmounted by a segmental dome. The roofs are clad with copper.
The churchyard is surrounded by three busy roads. To the south-east and south-west side of the churchyard is a car park, separated from the churchyard by a low wall about 40 cm high. To the north-east and north-west, the churchyard is surrounded by a low metal fence. The churchyard is about 5000 m2 in area.
Iconostasis(22)
The iconostasis, which is 4.48 m wide and 7.30 m high, has survived intact in situ. It is neo-Classical in style; the details relating the completion of the church suggest that it too dates from the early 20th century. Fifteen of the icons are arrayed in two tiers, while those on the part of the iconostasis with the Royal Doors are in three tiers. The icons on the bottom tier have rectangular frames, and those of the upper tier are round-arched.
The structure of the iconostasis is decently decorated, with decorations only on the capitals of the colonettes that separate the panels with the icons and the arches of the icons on the second tier decorated. The slender colonettes are round in section and stand on square plinths of the same height as the lower tier of the iconostasis. The colonettes are decorated with convex fluting, terminating in circular rings and a stylized floral motif of curved leaves. The capitals are in the form of volutes terminating in three-petalled flowers. At the bottom of the iconostasis is a row of wooden panels carved with triple X’s (XXX). Above the Royal Doors and the tiers of icons, in the central axis of the iconostasis, is a large crucifix.
The structure of the iconostasis is wooden, and the decorations are in plaster of Paris and painted brown to match the rest of the wooden structure.
The composition of the iconostasis consists of the two tiers of the thematic programme with the Royal Doors and crucifix above.
First tier, from north to south:
1. St. Nicholas the Miracleworker (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić (Budva, 24.05.1876. – Banja Luka, 07.1941.) (23)
2. St Stephen the Archdeacon, also forming the north door of the iconostasis, (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić (Budva, 24.05.1876. – Banja Luka, 07.1941.)
3. Throne icon of the Mother of God and Child, also forming the north door of the iconostasis, (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić (Budva, 24.05.1876. – Banja Luka, 07.1941.)
4. Throne icon of Christ the Redeemer, (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić (Budva, 24.05.1876. – Banja Luka, 07.1941.)
5. Archangel Michael, also forming the north door of the iconostasis, (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić
6. St. Sava, first Serbian archbishop, (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić (Budva, 24.05.1876. – Banja Luka, 07.1941.)
Compositionally, the scenes with saints are simple, the figure of the saint standing against a plain dark background enlivened by a ray of light. St. Nicholas the Miracleworker is portrayed blessing the faithful, St. Stephen with a candlestick, the Mother of God and Child in the iconographic type of the Hodegitria, Christ as Redeemer giving a blessing while holding a book in his left hand, the Archangel Michael winged, in motion, and St Sava giving a blessing with his right hand and holding a bishop’s crosier in his left.
Second tier, from north to south:
7. The three Marys at the tomb, Resurrection (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. The Marys are portrayed kneeling before the open tomb while Christ, shining with heavenly light, hovers above them.
8. The entry into Jerusalem (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. Christ on a donkey entering Jerusalem, surrounded by followers.
9. Sermon on the Mount (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. The composition is in two parts – the disciples kneeling below, looking up at Christ in a while robe, flooded with light, hovering above them.
10. Nativity (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. The infant Christ on a bed of straw in a stable, lovingly observed by Mary.
11. Ascension (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. The scene is in two parts – the disciples and the Virgin below, with Christ ascending to heaven, flooded with light, above them.
12. Presentation of Jesus. (144 cm x 64 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. St Simon the Godbearer holding the infant Christ in his arms; the Mother of God before him and Joseph behind, with Anne behind Simon’s back.
Royal Doors and above:
13. Annunciation, scene on the Royal Doors (154 cm x 72 cm), oil on canvas. The style differs markedly from that of the other icons. The Archangel and Mary are one-dimensional, and the scene is traditional. The right flat of the doors portrays Mary kneeling, and the left the Archangel with an olive branch and a dove (the Holy Spirit)
14. Last Supper, first tier (34 cm x 92 cm), oil on canvas, Špiro Bocarić. Iconographically, the scene is traditional, and markedly horizontal in composition, the apostles to Christ’s left and right, with Judas slightly apart
15. Holy Trinity, second tier (94 cm x 92 cm), Špiro Bocarić. Christ and God the Father are portrayed seated on a globe, with above them a dove, wings outspread, symbol of the Holy Spirit.
1. Mary and Christ
Date: early 20th century
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 66 cm x 53 cm
Description: The Mother of God is portrayed with the infant Christ in the iconographic type of the Hodegitria. The icon, which is in good condition, has an elaborate frame. The top left and right corners bear the initials of the Virgin and Christ in Greek lettering.
Memorial to the victims of World War I
The churchyard contains a memorial to Serb soldiers fallen in World War I. It stands on a stepped stone plinth composed of three square steps narrowing towards the top. The memorial itself is a marble stele composed of three parts: a plinth, a rectangular section, and a part narrowing trapezoidally towards the top. It measures 4.80 + 1.52 m lengthwise x 0.70 + 2.41 + 0.70 m crosswise; the walls are 0.38 m high, the memorial is set at a height of 83 cm, and the total height of the memorial is 2.40 m.
The inscription on the west side, below an incised cross, reads:
TO THE LUMINOUS SHADES
OF SEVENTY-TWO
VICTIMS
FALLEN
FOR THE LIBERATION OF THEIR COUNTRY
SERBIAN PEOPLE
TRAVELLER, PAUSE
AND PAY YOUR RESPECTS TO THE DUST OF THOSE
WHO WITHOUT A MOAN SACRIFICED
THEIR LIVES TO THE GREAT IDEA
OF FREEDOM AND UNITY
INURE YOURSELF WITH THIS LUMINOUS
EXAMPLE AND TEACH YOUR CHILDREN
HOW THEY SHOULD UNSELFISHLY
LOVE THEIR COUNTRY AND THEIR PEOPLE
PALE, 10./X. 1926. BOARD
On the plinth is a stone from the grave of King Petar I the Liberator, clearly marked, with the stone set into a marble plaque, so as symbolically to unite the bones of those who gave their lives for King and Country.
ON THE GRAVE OF THE VICTIMS FROM THE GRAVE OF
THE GREAT LIBERATOR PETAR I
On the inside, below an incised cross, the monument bears another inscription:
IN AND AROUND PALE
THE 72 MEMBERS OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE
FELL VICTIM TO
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN SAVAGERY AND VIOLENCE
IN 1914 AND ARE BURIED IN THIS COMMON GRAVE. (24)
The churchyard also contains the following buildings, with no elements of significance for the protection of the National Monument: the newly-built chapel with portico(25) and two parish halls with garages.
3. Legal status to date
The property is on the Provisional List of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina under serial no. 454.
4. Research and conservation-restoration works
The church in Pale has been renovated on several occasions. On 23 June 1996 the parish council adopted a decision on the general renovation of the church. After procuring the necessary material, the entire roof structure was replaced and the façades were renovated. The roof works were carried out by metalworker Vojin Kapuran. The roof was clad with sheet copper. The façade works were carried out by Savo Vukosavljević of Mokro(26).
Work began on the new chapel in 2006. The chapel, designed for lighting candles, is joined to the church by an open portico. The earth works and concreting of the foundations were donated by Milomir Prović. The chapel was designed by architect Ljubica Bošnjak of Belgrade, and the works contractor was Đorđije Đukić. Marble sand and water containers in which candles are placed were installed inside the chapel. The necessary permits were obtained to build the chapel(27).
In 2008 drainage was installed around the church, and a pavement was laid and paved between the church and the chapel(28).
5. Current condition of the property
The findings of an on-site visit on 2 September 2011 are as follows:
- the property is well preserved and structurally stable
- the façades have been restored since 1996, and are in good, undamaged condition
- inside the church, interventions were carried out in 2009 to the cross vault over the nave, which has been painted by Petar Bilić of Belgrade
- the chapel with portico, built since 2006 with the necessary permits, is in good condition.
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.iii. proportions
C.iv. composition
C.v. value of details
C.vi. value of construction
D. Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)
D.iii. work of a major artist or builder
E. Symbolic value
E.ii. religious value
E.iv. relation to rituals or ceremonies
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people
F. Townscape/ Landscape value
F.ii. meaning in the townscape
F.iii. the building or group of buildings is part of a group or site
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Ownership documentation
- Copy of cadastral plan for c.p. no. 1053/1 issued on 2 November 2011
- Photodocumentation
- Photographs taken by
Milka Grujić on 2 September 2011, using Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H10)
Aida Bucalović on 2 September 2011, using Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H10)
- Other documentation
- Drawings of the Orthodox church
- Architectural drawings of the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, surveyed by Nermina Katkić BSc.Arch. and Milka Grujić BSc.Arch., drawings by Milka Grujić 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), vol. 1 A-J. Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 1987.
1998. Božić, Jelena. “Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Sarajevu (1878-1918)” (The Serbian Orthodox Church in Sarajevo 1878-1918), Naše starine, journal of the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka: 1998.
2000. Protođakon Sr Simić, Pribislav. Crkvena umjetnost pregled razvoja graditeljstva i živopisa (Church art: overview of the development of architecture and painting). Belgrade: 2000.
2009. Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir. “Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja presvete Bogorodice u Palama,” (Centenary of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Pale). Pale: 2009.
(1) Details from http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale
(2) Development Strategy. 15 September 2011
(3) Protojerej Stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Palama, 34.
(4) In 1912 a large sawmill owned by the Italian company Giuseppe Feltrinelli & Co of Milan was opened in Podgrab, while Pale had a sawmill with five gratings owned by the Zadik s. Finci company, which obtained the right to exploit the forestry region of Romanija-Mokro at a sealed first-price auction in 1911. The area had an annual return of 10,000 m3 of softwood and 13,250 m3 of beechwood. In 1913 the Zadik s. Finci sold its sawmill in Pale to the Greek Company for the Timber Trade and Industry in Athens, Pale branch, transferring the exploitation contract to it in 1914.
(5) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 34.
(6) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 9.
(7) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 48.
(8) There is another Orthodox church, St Elijah's Church in Maglaj, that was designed and built in the same way.
(9) “The position and orientation of churches are known to have been dictated by other Apostolic institutions: ‘The House of the Lord must be long, facing the rising sun, with side rooms on both sides, making it similar to a nave’.” Pravoslavna liturgika, protoprezviter Dr Lazar Mirković, Beograd, 1965, 79, from Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Palama, 17.
(10) “Lazar Drljača was born on 10 February 1881 in the village of Blatinica on the Una. On completion of primary school and the crafts and civil engineering technical school in Sarajevo, he graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Vienna in 1910 and then studied at the Sorbonne in Paris. His artistic talent was accompanied by his unusual, indeed very strange character. After an exhibition of paintings in Rome, which was a great success, with four of his works included in a very demanding exhibition, Lazar won the favour of Queen Helena of Savoy, but also ended up in prison in Sardinia, from which he was exiled to Blatnica. At the request of the Banja Luka eparchy, his new design for a church was accepted but not adopted, and he left for Sarajevo, where he exhibited his paintings on several occasions, each time surprising his friends and visitors by some strange behaviour. He retreated to Herzegovina where he lived in Borci. From there he visited the whole of Herzegovina, the coast and Dalmatia on horseback, collecting paintings. Most of his paintings were destroyed in a fire. He was often misunderstood, and indeed did not wish to be understand, and was thus obliged to follow various occupations in addition to his painting. Other than a few surviving paintings, the church in Pale is a one-off, as apart from the design he produced for the Banja Luka eparchy, which was not accepted, Lazar Drljača never designed another building, and the church in Pale thus remains the only evidence of his gift for design.”. Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 13.
(11) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 11, 12.
(12) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 9.
(13) “Sarajevo, Istočnik, XXII 13. and 14, 31 July 1908., 214.”. Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 14.
(14) “Sarajevo, Istočnik, XXII 13. and 14, 31 July 1908., 214.”. Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, ibid., 14.
(15) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 15.
(16) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 10.
(17) “Raška stylistic groups, basic stylistic features: ... Some older Raška churches have north and south doors on the projecting side choirs, through which there is direct access to the naos.” Protođakon Dr Pribislav Simić, Crkvena umetnost pregled razvoja graditeljstva i živopisa, 198.
(18) The vault is decorated with scenes of the Resurrection, the Nativity, the Dormition, and the Baptism of Christ. The sanctuary is decorated with a scene of the Communion of the Apostles. The scene of the Last Supper features above the iconostasis.
(19) Protojerej- stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Palama, 17
(20) Božić, Jelena, ''Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Sarajevu (1878-1918)'', Naše starine, Godišnjak Republičkog zavoda za zaštitu kulturno-istorijskog i prirodnog nasleđa Republike Srpske, Banja Luka, 1998.: “It is brick-built, plastered and painted purple in the Athonite manner.”
(21) Božić, Jelena, ''Srpske pravoslavne crkve u Sarajevu (1878-1918)'', Naše starine, Godišnjak Republičkog zavoda za zaštitu kulturno-istorijskog i prirodnog nasleđa Republike Srpske, Banja Luka, 1998.: “It is brick-built, plastered and painted purple in the Athonite manner.”
(22) Protojerej-stavrofor Momir Vasiljević, Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Palama, 18: “The iconostasis of the Pale church is in the neo-Classical style, modelled on Vojvodina workshops, usually those of Novi Sad, which supplied Bosnia and Herzegovina with icons in the late 19th and early 20th century. The iconostasis was purpose-built for this church. Though in earlier times it was not uncommon for an iconostasis to be ‘inherited’ as a gift from an older church, this was rare at this time, when more churches were being built, and the people of Pale wanted their new church to have a new iconostasis. The wood carving is of the same classical style, but very well proportioned and elegant... Unfortunately, it is not known whether this is the original iconostasis, as the church as allegedly been desecrated and damaged on a number of occasions.”
(23) Received his first lessons from his brother, the painter Anastasi; also studied in Venice. Lived in Sarajevo from 1897 to 1914 and then moved to Banja Luka, where he remained until his death. Painted the old čaršija, village girls, genre scenes, studies of male figures and many iconostases throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ilijaš, Nišići, Prača, Rogatica). See: Likovna enciklopedija Jugoslavije, tom 1 A-J, Zagreb: Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod ‘Miroslav Krleža’, 1987., 145.
(24) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, Stotinu godina hrama Uspenja Presvete Bogorodice u Palama, 23, 24.
(25) The chapel was built in 2006 to a design by architect Milica Bošnjak of Belgrade. The chapel is a Greek cross in plan, and was designed for lighting candles. The entrance is opposite the entrance to the church. The chapel measures 2.30 + 2.90 + 2.30 m lengthwise, and 2.00 + 3.00 + 2.00 m crosswise. The walls are 30 cm thick. The ceiling is 3.18 m high. The crossing is surmounted by a dome on a square plinth; the dome, which is hemispherical on the inside, and rests on an octagonal drum, is lit by eight round-headed rectangular windows. The drum is circular on the inside and rests on four 43 x 43 cm piers. The dome is covered on the outside by a polygonal roof; over the arms of the cross are gabled roofs clad with sheet metal. The chapel is plastered on the inside, with the walls partly clad with ceramic tiles. The floor consists of rectangular terrazzo tiles. The interior contains the marble holders for sand and water in which candles are placed. On the outside the chapel is painted white, and enlivened by rectangular windows and simple blind niches.
The portico with columns connects the chapel and the church while also providing covered entrances to both. It is covered with a barrel vault resting on four pairs of columns with a radius of approx. 30 cm, linked by arches. The columns are 273 cm high. The portico is 7.67 m long overall. The old parish hall was built in about 1928. The building with two flats for priests has been fully renovated and is not covered by this Decision [translator’s note: is this the same as the old parish hall? If so, it should be described as a vicarage, not a parish hall]. The new parish hall, built in 2002, houses the parish library, the hall with a kitchen, an office, a candle shop and store etc. on the ground floor, and two flats for priests on the first floor.
(26) Protojerej-stavrofor Momir Vasiljević, op.cit., 17, 18.
(27) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 109.
(28) Protojerej-stavrofor Vasiljević, Momir, op.cit., 109.
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