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MANAGEMENT PLAN
Nomination of the Properties for Inscription on the World Heritage List
Mehmed pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Višegrad
Bosnia and Herzegovina


Church of St Procopius, the architectural ensemble

gallery back

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 2 to 8 March 2004 the Commission adopted a

 

D E C I S I O N

 

I

 

The architectural ensemble of the Church of St Procopius in Visoko is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).

The National Monument consists of the church, churchyard, boundary wall, entrance gateway, parish hall and movable heritage consisting of 18 icons:

  1. Deisis with the archangels Michael and Gabriel
  2. Ascension of Christ with festival scenes
  3. Madonna and Christ
  4. St. Nicholas
  5. St. Mark the Evangelist
  6. Baptism of Christ
  7. St George slaying the Dragon
  8. Madonna and Christ
  9. St. Petka and St. Demetrius
  10. St. Nicholas
  11. St. Mitar
  12. Naturally created image of Christ on a facecloth, Mandylion
  13. Jerusalem
  14. Jerusalem
  15. St. Luke
  16. St. Mark
  17. St. John
  18. St. Matthew

The National Monument is located on cadastral plot no. 5/140, cadastral municipality Visoko, land register entry no. 3256,Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of  BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02 and 6/04) shall apply to the National Monument.

 

II

 

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for ensuring and providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary to protect, conserve, and display 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 the basic data on 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 measures are hereby stipulated, applicable the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision

  • all works on the buildings constituting the architectural ensemble are prohibited other than preventive protection and conservation and restoration works to a project approved by the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority),
  • the subsidence to the west of the complex of the Church of St Procopius shall be made good,
  • the roof and roof cladding shall be repaired and made good,
  • the conservation and restoration of the protected collection of icons shall be carried out on the basis of a study approved by the Federal ministry responsible for culture and under the professional supervision of the heritage protection authority
  • appropriate conditions shall be provided for the accommodation, safekeeping and presentation of the entire collection of icons and of archive and other documentary material,
  • on the adjacent plots, the only building permitted is of residential buildings of no more than two storeys (ground and first floor) and dimensions of 8 x 8 metres.

 

IV

 

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

 

V

 

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

 

VI

 

The removal of the movable heritage listed in Clause 1 of this article from Bosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited.

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

Permission 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 may take place, the date by which the items shall be returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the responsibility of individual authorities and institutions for ensuring that these conditions are met, and shall notify the Government of the Federation, the relevant security service, the customs authority of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the general public accordingly.

 

VII

 

            The Government of the Federation, the Federal ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federal ministry responsible for culture, the heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to VI of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.

 

VIII

 

The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba) 

 

IX

 

Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.

 

X

 

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.

 

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

 

No: 07/2-2-32/-04-3                              

2 March 2004   

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.

            The Commission to Preserve National Monuments issued a Decision to add the Church of St. Procopius in Visoko to the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbered as 761.

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

 

II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION

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

  • Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
  • Copy of land register entry and details of ownership
  • Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.

 

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

 

1. Details of the property

 

Location

The Church of St. Procopius in Visoko stands by the road leading from Visoko to Kiseljak, at the edge of the Visoko čaršija, very close to the new Visoko cemetery.  It comprises c.p. no. 5/140, land register entry no. 3256, Municipality Visoko, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Historical information

The church of St Procopius was built at the foot of Grad Visočica hill, on the summit of which the old Visoki fort stands, in the part of the township known as Podvisoki.  Above the church there was some older religious building, but nothing is known of its appearance, size or features, other than that it had a shingle roof.  Evidence for this lies in the fact that the place where this church stood is still called Klisa, which may be related to the term klis, meaning wooden tile, or tile-shaped boards, used as roof cladding(1). The term Klisa is always associated with the Latin ecclesia lat.(2)  a church.  According to the congregation, the present-day church of St Procopius was moved from that site to the present one.

The church was rebuilt in 1853.  The firman on the building of the church, documentation and all the church's archives were destroyed by fire in 1941, so that it is not now possible to ascertain the date of construction with certainty.

The church has been renovated several times over the years, most recently in 1998 when works were carried out on the facades, repairs to the windows, roof cladding and works in the interior.  These works were funded by the Greek Orthodox Church.

According to available information, there was a school alongside the church which began in about 1840 in the private house of the self-taught schoolmaster Jovo Aslivar.

A school building was erected in 1875.   While it was being built, classes were held in two buildings, one of which was very close to the church and the other, larger one was where the present-day leather factory stands.  The church sold all this property to the state to build the leather-workers' school.  It was here, too, that all the activities of the cultural and artistic associations of the day took place (Stanišić, Velimir, p. 17).  The school continued working until 1914, when it was closed down.

The walls of the nave of the church of St Procopius were frescoed in 1954 using funds from the legacy of the widow of Šain Kršić(3) of Visoko, as recorded by an inscription on the west wall of the church.  The name of the painter is not given. The inscription reads:

«VO SLAVU I ČAST

SVETOGA VELIKOMUČENIKA

PROKOPIJA ........

RE UD ŠAINA KRŠIĆA IZ VISOKOG

ŽIVOPISA SE OVAJ DEO HRAMA

NJENOM  ZAOSTAVŠTINOM

LJETA GOSPODNJEG 1954.»

To the glory and honour of saint and martyr Procopius, with the legacy of the widow of Šain Kršić of Visoko this part of the temple was frescoed in the summer of the Lord 1954.

 

The church of St Procopius in Visoko contains one of the largest and most famous collections of icons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The oldest icon was painted in the Byzantine iconographic manner and dates from the 15th century.

The collection was kept safe during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina by transferring the icons to the basement of the police station in Visoko.  It is not known whether it was possible to provide suitable conditions for them during the several years they were stored there. The Orthodox priest Miroslav Vujičić of Kakanj, who was not in Visoko during the war, but who has been serving in the church since the war, says that the premises where the the icons were held were damp.  In order to provide better conditions for housing them, the icons were transferred from the basement of the police station in Visoko to the Franciscan monastery in Visoko.  After the war the icons were transferred to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Sarajevo, along with an inventory and minute on the condition of the icons.

 

2. Description of the property

 

The church of St Procopius in Visoko is of the single-nave type of church, with a rectangular ground plan, measuring 18.60 x 14.90 m externally and 16.30 x 12.70 m internally.

The building is brick-built, with walls 1.10 m thick at ground floor level.  At first floor level they are somewhat thinner, at 0.72 m.  Seen from the exterior the church has a hexagonal apse, which is semicircular on the inside.  The entire church is plastered with cement mortar and then painted.

The nave of the church of St Procopius terminates in an altar space with diaconicon and proscomidion.  There is a semicircular niche in the north wall of the apse which serves as proscomidion during church services.  The diaconicon and proscomidion are entered from the apse through two round-arched doors 0.94 m wide.  The diaconicon and proscomidion are identical in size – 3.84 m long and 3.50 m wide.

The walls of the nave were once painted all over, but following the renovations to the church the frescoes were largely whitewashed over and now cover only the central area of the walls.  The frescoes are in the western style.

The south wall, running from the iconostasis partition towards the west wall of the church, has the following scenes and saints:

  1. Holy Trinity
  2. Baptism of Christ
  3. Last Supper

The north wall, running from the iconostasis partition towards the west wall of the church, has the following scenes and saints:

  1. Christ as teacher
  2. Christ's crucifixion
  3. Christ entering Jerusalem
  4. St. Petka

The west wall of church has figures of the following saints, from south to north:

  1. St Nicholas
  2. St. Basil
  3. salt deposits make this saint unidentifiable
  4. inscription on the frescoing of the church
  5. holy warrior (Procopius?) holding a cross in his left hand and a palm frond in his right
  6. St John the Baptist
  7. salt deposits make this saint unidentifiable
  8. Archangel Michael

The altar space is painted in the same manner as the nave of the church.

The nave of the church is surrounded on three sides with eight archaic octagonal pillars, with the masonry altar partition at the east end.  The iconostasis partition consists of a lower masonry section and an upper wooden section on which the icons are mounted.  The masonry partition is not frescoed.  Three elements can be differentiated on the iconostasis, the central section and one to each side, closing off the area of the proscomidion and diaconicon.

The central section of the iconostasis is a square wooden board framing various painted scenes at different levels.  The area of the iconostasis not covered by icons is painted with cross and vine designs.  All the icons are in the western manner.  At the top of the central section of the iconostasis is a semicircular wooden board with a scene of Christ's crucifixion.  In addition, there is an icon with the figure of St Peter on the north side.  It can be seen that there was once an icon on the south side too, which is now missing.

Below these icons, from south to north, the following scenes are represented:

  1. Nativity
  2. Baptism of Christ
  3. Last Supper
  4. Christ as Archbishop
  5. Ascension

To the north of the Royal Doors is an icon of St Procopius and the Madonna with Christ, and to the south, Christ as archbishop and St John the Baptist.  The archangels Michael and Gabriel feature on the royal doors.

The icons on the iconostasis partition of the proscomidion terminate in round arches.  At the top of this part of the iconostasis is a scene of the Nativity.  On the masonry section of the iconostasis partition, the following saints appear, from south to north:

  1. St George
  2. St. Simeon Mirotočivi (the Myrrh-flowing)
  3. St Nicholas
  4. St Nectarius Pendapol

The area between the icons is filled by a garland, and between each of the icons is a painted circle with a cross in the centre.

The door to the proscomidion is painted with a figure of St Stephen.

            The iconostasis partition of the diaconicon is decorated in the same way, except that the round-arched top of the icons is missing.  There is a painting of Christ as Archbishop on the door of the diaconicon, to the south of the royal doors.  Beside this are round-topped icons showing the following saints, from south to north:

  1. St Stephen the Miracle worker
  2. St Sava the Serb
  3. St Basil the Great
  4. St Demetrius

The bases of the pillars have simple decoration, whereas that of the capitals is somewhat more elaborate, with the sides angled to reduce the octagonal cross-section of the pillars to a rectangle.  The upper section of the capitals ends in a rope-twist decoration. The pillars are of ungainly appearance, with the ends narrower than the central section.  They are joined by arches above which is a wall terminating in a half-round string course.  A gallery with seventeen pillars rests on this structure.  These pillars are much more slender than the lower pillars, and of irregular hexagonal cross-section.  They were made from 15 x 15 cm oak beams.  Each is different in height, roughly 1.95 m. including the base and capital.  These pillars are linked by arches which support part of the structure of the elongated tub-like dome.  The gallery arches have been stencil-painted with plant motifs in dark red, blue and white.

The dome is suspended from a construction mounted parallel with the roof frame, consisting of a grid of close-set centring to which boards are nailed horizontally, finished with a reed and lime mortar layer.  It is not uncommon in traditional architecture to find an interior space roofed over in this way(4). 

The vault of the dome of the church is painted blue with floral motifs in white and yellow.  There is a painting of Christ Pantocrator in an oval medallion, with the figure small in size in relation to the size of the dome.  The medallion is linked to the angles of the dome and gallery by diagonal garlands, consisting of funnel-shaped floral motifs in alternating blue, yellow ochre and red.  Between these diagonal garlands are four small arms forming a cross, in blue.

The gallery of the church takes up about 60% of the area of the church, measuring 12.74 x 4.18 m to the south, 12.74 x 4.13 m to the north and 13.45 x 5.00 m at the west end.  The gallery has a wooden floor consisting of nailed-down 42 mm boards.  Access to the gallery is via a wooden staircase leading from the west end of the church.  The entrance to the staircase lies alongside the main entrance to the church.  At the east end of the church, just above the diaconicon and proscomidion, are two rooms.  Above the area occupied by the gallery, the church has a flat wooden ceiling.  There is a three-sided wooden railing 94 cm high between the pillars.  The outside of the gallery railing was painted in the western manner by an unidentified artist in 1980.  The painting takes the form of a number of medallions mainly with figures of saints of the Nemanjić lineage, beginning with the patriarch of the line, St Simeun (Stefan) Nemanja.

On the north gallery railing, the following saints appear in medallions, from east to west:

  1. St Simeun Nemanja with a model of his endowment, the Studenica monastery
  2. St Stefan the First-Crowned with a model of his endowment, the Žiča monastery
  3. St-King Radoslav (the paint has fallen away from the left hand side)
  4. St-King Milutin with a model of his endowment, the Gračanica monastery
  5. St-King Uroš with a model of his endowment, the Sopoćani monastery
  6. St-King Dragutin with a model of his endowment, the church of St Achilleus in Arilje

The funds for these six medallions, as the inscription records, were provided by Slobodan Plavšić of Belgrade in memory of his father, mother and sons.

Below the medallions, between the gallery arches, also in medallions, from east to west, are figures of St Luke the Evangelist and St John the Evangelist.

On the south gallery railing, the following saints appear in medallions, from east to west:

  1. St despot Stefan Lazarević
  2. St Stefan Štiljanović
  3. St Petka prepodobna mati Pareskeva
  4. St Bishop Maksim (Grgur Branković)
  5. St Procopius
  6. St Sava

The layers of paint on these frescoes are damaged.

            Below the medallions, between the gallery arches, also in medallions, from east the west, are figures of St Matthew the Evangelist and St Luke the Evangelist.

            On the south gallery railing, the following saints appear in medallions, from south to north:

  1. too badly damaged to be identifiable
  2. St Stefan Dečanski
  3. Tsar Uroš Nejaki
  4. Tsar Lazar

Below the medallions, between the gallery arches, also in medallins, from south to north, are figures of the Apostle St Peter and St Paul the Evangelist.

A similar treatment of the nave is to be seen in the church of St Michael the Archangel in Sarajevo.

            The main entrance to the building is at the west end.  There is a painting of St Procopius clad as a Roman soldier on the north wall.  He is shown with wings on his back and a halo around his head.  He is holding a sword in his right hand and a scroll parure in his left with an inscription in Cyrillic:

«VOJVODA SAM BOŽIJI

KOJI MAČ NOSIM

I ONE KOJI OVAMO

ULAZE SA STRAHOM

ŠTITIM I ČUVAM

A ONE KOJI ULAZE

SA NEČASNIM SRCEM

NEMILOSRDNO

SEČEM MAČEM»

I am the Lord's warrior commander, bearing a sword, and I protect and guard those who enter here in awe, but those who enter with dishonourable hearts I mercilessly cut down with my sword.

            Opposite St Procopius is the figure of an angel holding a pen in his right hand and an ink well and a scroll with a Cyrillic inscription in his left:

«DRŽEĆI U

RUCI PISALJKU

PIŠEM MISLI ONIH

KOJI ULAZE

DOBRE ČUVAM

A ZLE ĆU KAZNITI».

Pen in hand, I record the thoughts of those who enter.  I guard the good and will punish the evil.

The facades of the church of St Procopius are austere, their decorative features consisting solely of the regular rhythm of the two rows of round-arched windows with blind arcades as lintels.  On the facades of the church and the bell tower, structural and decorative elements are executed in relief and stucco (roof cornices, ledges, lisenas, arched windows etc.), painted in colours contrasting with the basic colour of the facade.

The church has three doors and a total of 23 windows, seven each on the north and south sides (four lower and three upper), seven at the east end (three of which are in the apse) and two at the west end.  The windows are all of the same width and all terminate in a round-arched lintel.  The height of the upper windows is less (160 cm) than the lower.  On the north and south sides places can be seen at the upper levels where there were formerly windows, probably walled up during one or other of the interventions to the church.  The window niches are stencil painted on the interior with foliar motifs in dark red, blue and white.

The bell tower of the church of St Procopius is square in section, measuring 3.70 x 3.70 m.  Vertically, it is divided into three sections, the first of which is of sandstone and is of the same height as the church building.  The second section of the bell tower is plastered and painted in the same way as the church.  Imitation rustication has been effected by drawing horizontal pointing lines in lime cement mortar.  The windows are identical to those of the church.  The third section is a polygonal drum terminating in a dome clad with sheet metal.  The terminal cornice is somewhat wider and reinforced at the sides with a row of close-set consoles.  Two additional rooms were later built on to the bell tower, one on each side, where candles used to be sold.

The floor of the church is sunk 55 cm below ground level and paved with stone slabs in two colours – white and red.

The church has a hipped roof clad with tiles.

To the west of the church is the parish hall, a two-storey building where the ground floor has a porch with pillars supporting the first floor structure.  The south-west and west part of the hall are of more recent date and relatively well preserved.  The older, north-western part was damaged during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It was built of unbaked brick with plain facades.  The floor and ceiling joists were timber, and the hipped roof was tiled.

The churchyard is surrounded by a stone retaining wall with an open iron fence and concrete pillars.  The entrance to the complex is emphasized by the entrance gate and concrete steps leading to it.

MOVABLE HERITAGE ITEMS

Collection of icons

The collection of icons in the church of St Procopius in Visoko is one of the largest and best known collections of icons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It was formed by gifts from parishioners and by bringing icons from churches in Sarajevo(5), and consists of about a hundred icons, most of which were made using the technique of applying paper to wood.  Part of the collection consists of the separate pieces of diptychs and triptychs.

The collection was kept safe during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina by transferring the icons to the basement of the police station in Visoko.  It is not known whether it was possible to provide suitable conditions for them during the several years they were stored there. The Orthodox priest Miroslav Vujičić of Kakanj, who was not in Visoko during the war, but who has been serving in the church since the war, says that the premises where the the icons were held were damp.  In order to provide better conditions for housing them, the icons were transferred from the basement of the police station in Visoko to the Franciscan monastery in Visoko.  After the war the icons were transferred to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Sarajevo, along with an inventory and minute on the condition of the icons.

While the Visoko collection was in Sarajevo, conservator Anika Skovran carried out conservation and restoration works on three of the icons: Madonna and Christ enthroned, Assumption of the Virgin, and Deisis.  These three icons are now on display in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum in Sarajevo.  The rest of the icons have been returned to the church in Visoko, and are all in poor condition.  They are not being kept in proper conditions (they are on the floor of the gallery and of the room above the proscomidia).  All are covered with layers of dirt, so that in most cases it is impossible to identify the scene or figure of the saint in question.

The following are among the more important icons in the Visoko collection:

1. Deisis with archangels michael and gabriel

Artist: Stanoje Popović of Martinac

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 62 x 45 cm

Date of origin: mid 18th century

Description: The base is a slightly concave board on which a typical baroque-style variant of the Deisis has been painted, with Christ occupying the centre as King of Kings, with a decorative double crown topped by a small cross on His head.  To the left and right of the crown is the christogram in red: ISHS.  Christ is holding a sceptre in one hand and is giving a blessing with the other.  He is seated on a throne of archaic form.  To the right of Christ stands the Archangel Michael, and to His left the Archangel Gabriel.  The Madonna features on the outer right hand side and St John on the outer left hand side.  Both have decorative crowns on their heads, with inscriptions above with the names of saints.  The Madonna holds a scroll in her right hand bearing the words: «Pardon your creatures, O Good.  How shall I pardon them when they anger me with evil deeds.»  St John's scroll bears the words: «This is he of whom I said: He who comes after me flees before me  The figures of the Madonna and St John are not standing on the ground but hovering on tiptoe.  The haloes around the heads of the saints are represented by red circles.  The upper half of the icon is gilded.  The scene is framed by a twisted wooden garland.

The icon badly needs cleaning.

2.  Deisis

Artist: unidentified Cretan master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 57,5 x 67 cm

Date of origin: mid 17th century

Description of the icon: Christ is shown seated on a throne consisting of two six-winged seraphim.  He is giving a blessing with both hands.  On His lap is the Gospel with a text from John 10:27: «My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me  Below His feet is a hemisphere spangled with stars, and around it two broad concentric colour-graded arches.  Within these are anthropomorphic stylizations of day as the sun (left) and night as the moon (right).  The Madonna is shown to Christ's left, and a winged John the Baptist to His right.  The haloes around their heads are decorated with dots, and Christ's has an engraved cross with initials.  Christ's himation, John's wings and the wings of the seraphim are cross-hatched in gold.  The Madonna's maforion is decorated with gold stars, borders and floral designs (Rakić, 1998, 248).

The icon is on display in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum in Sarajevo.

3.  Madonna with Christ enthroned

Artist: Emanuil Kaliaki

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 91 x 61 cm

Date of origin: mid 17th century

Signature: below centre. Emanuil Kaliaki

Description: The upper half of the icon is gilded and the lower is painted a dark shade.  The icon shows the Madonna with Christ in her lap. Christ is giving a blessing with His right hand.  His himation is richly cross-hatched in gold, and the Madonna's maforion has a gold border and a fringe.  The sides of the throne are decorated with baroque-style Corinthian capitals with angels' heads.  Venetian vases stand on top.  There is a Greek inscription along the lower edge of the icon, with the artist's signature in the centre.  Prayers and the name of the founder are inscribed to right and left below the feet of the throne (Rakić, 1998, 249).

The icon is on display in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum in Sarajevo.

4.  Assumption of the Virgin

Artist: unidentified Greek master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 70 x 53 cm

Date of origin: late 17th century

Description: The icon shows apostles and bishops with the Gospels, open, around the Madonna's catafalque.  Christ stands behind the catafalque with the personification of the Madonna's soul in His arms in the form of an antique Psyche (baby in swaddling clothes) surrounded by monochrome angels.  The Madonna as Oranta is is shown in the upper part of the icon.  There is a Greek inscription relating to the title of the scene in the upper angles of the icon: «Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin».

The icon is a fine example of late Greek iconography with no western influence, but rather returning to the tradition of Cretan painting and the Byzantine interpretation of the icon (Rakić, 1998, 273-274).

The icon is on display in the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum in Sarajevo.

5. Ascension of Christ with festival scenes

Artist: unidentified Russian master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 32,5 x 30 cm

Date of origin: 18th century

Description: The ascension of Christ is shown in the central field, in a western form, rising from the tomb, with the older, eastern form of the scene of the Descent into Hades below it.  Both are surrounded by sixteen small scenes from the life of Christ or indirectly associated with Him.

The following scenes appear in the upper horizontal field:

1.     Holy Trinity as Abraham's hospitality

2.     Nativity of the Virgin

3.     Fatherland

4.     Presentation of the Virgin to the Temple

5.     Annunciation

The following scenes appear in the lower horizontal field:

1.     Ascension of Christ

2.     Shroud of the Virgin

3.     Christ appears to the apostles

4.     Discovery of the Holy  Cross

5.     Assumption of the Virgin

The following scenes appear to the left of the main scenes:

1.     Nativity

2.     Baptism of Christ

3.     Entry into Jerusalem

The following scenes appear to the right of the main scenes:

1.     Visitation of Christ

2.     Transfiguration

3.     Crucifixion

6.  Madonna and Christ

Artist: unidentified Venetian master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 60,5 x 45,5 cm

Date of origin: mid 15th century

Description: The half figure of the Madonna, with Christ on her left arm, is shown beneath a Gothic relief pointed arch decorated on the under wide with semicircular and triangular arches with stylized fleur de lis between. In the upper angles of the icon are circular medallions in relief, containing the Archangel Gabrial and the Virgin in the scene of the Annunciation.  The haloes of the Madonna and Christ are edged with a double row of dots with hexafoil leaves between made with a larger punch.  The entire surface of the gilded ground is covered with engraved rays of light radiating out from the main figure.  To the left and right hand sides of the icon is a decorative band edged with punched dots.

The icon is broken horizontally across the middle.

7. St Nicholas 

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 43 x 36 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The icon shows the half figure of St Nicholas in bishop's robes.  The saint is giving a blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospels in his left.  He has a mitre on his head.  Above his right shoulder is the figure of Christ holding the Gospels, and above his left, the Madonna with omophore.

Signature in the centre of the icon: Figure of St Nicholas.

8. St Mark the Evangelist

Artist: unidentified Greek master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 36 x 30 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: St Mark the Evangelist is shown in the central section of the icon against a blue background, wearing a red robe and yellow ochre cloak. The evangelist is holding a scroll in his left hand and writing the gospel with his right.  He has a gilded halo around his head.  To his left is his attribute, the winged lion.

9.  Baptism of Christ

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: canvas laid on board

Size: 26 x 17,5 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: the scene shows St John the Baptist and Christ.  There are two angels to Christ's right.  In the upper left angle is a hovering angel, and in the central section, above the main scene, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

10. St George slaying the dragon

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 39 x 28,5 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The large figure of St George on horseback occupies almost the entire area of the icon and dominate the small dragon.  The saint is shown holding the reins of his rearing horse in one hand and a spear in the other, which he is plunging into the dragon.  He is clad in the garb of a Roman soldier.  The saint's decorative armour and boots are gilded.  There is an inscription by his halo with the name of the saint.  In the background are a king, queen and princess in a tower, throwing the keys to the saint.

11. Madonna and Christ

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 31 x 18,5 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The hollow painted area, terminating in the upper section in round arches, shows the Virgin with Christ in her arms.  The head of the Madonna is slightly inclined towards the Child, who is shown giving a blessing with His right hand.  They have haloes around their heads.

Note: this icon is the central section of a former triptych.

12. St Petka and st Demetrius

Artist: unidentified Greek master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 24,5 x 18 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The slightly hollowed painted area shows St Petka to the right and St Demetrius to the left.  The upper half of the icon is gilded.  St Petka is wearing a nun's habit and cloak, and is holding a cross in her right hand.  St Demetrius is shown in the garb of a Roman soldier with a spear in his right hand and a cross in his left.  Parts of his clothing are gilded.  Above the haloes is a Greek inscription with the names of the saints.

13.  St Nicholas

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: canvas with board backing

Size: 24,5 x 18 cm

Date of origin: 18th-19th century

Description: St Nicholas is shown in bishop's robes with a mitre on his head, giving a blessing with one hand and holding the Gospels in the other.  He has a halo around his head.  Above his right shoulder is the figure of Christ giving the Gospels, and above his left shoulder, the Virgin with omophore.

Note: the layers of paint on the right hand side of the icon are badly damaged. Minor damage is visible on the other areas as well.

14. St Mitar

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 41 x 30 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The hollow painted area shows the half figure of a saint with a halo around his head, wearing the garb of a Roman soldier and holding a cross in his right hand.  There is an inscription – Saint Demetrius – in the upper part of the icon.

15. Naturally created image of Christ on face cloth, Mandylion

Artist: unidentified local master

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 32 x 27 cm

Date of origin: 18th century

Description: The hollow painted area shows the image of Christ on a facecloth held by two angels.  The figures of the angels are etiolated and clad in red robes.  Christ is facing the observer.  His halo is indicated by a red line.  The frame of the icon is gilded and surrounded by a red line.  In the upper horizontal part of the frame is a damaged inscription in red: «NATURALLY CREATED FACE OF CHRIST», with the Christogram ISHS above the angels' heads.  In the lower part of the icon there is a barely legible inscription in red, probably referring to the artist or benefactor of the icon.

The icon is covered with a thick layer of soot and dust and the painted layer has fallen away in parts.

16. Jerusalem(6)   

Artist: local (Sarajevan) painter «R » (7) 

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 154 x 99 cm

Date of origin: 1795

Description:  The scenes of the Visoko Jerusalem are arrayed vertically, which is unique in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  The square scene of the city of Jerusalem is set in the centre of the canvas.  Below the ramparts of the city, almost in the centre of the painting, is an oval cartouche with a Cyrillic inscription: «A~ Kosta presented to the life bestowing grave 1795».  Above this scene is a scene of the Last Judgment, and below it the Virgin and Christ as a man – Ecce homo.  Similarly, the remaining area to the left is devoted to scenes from the life of the Virgin and the right to scenes from the life of  Christ.  In the narrow space below the Virgin and Christ are five fields showing events from the life of Mary the Egyptian and of St George and St Demetrius.  The artist has inserted various events described in the scriptures at random in the other areas around the main scenes.

The canvas of the painting is completely covered with 87 compositions, about 300 human figures, numerous buildings and landscapes, animal figures and various natural features.  Among them a representation of the city of Jaffa stands out in particular.  The title of each scene is given above it.  In naming the scenes, the artist has used the language of his day as heard in the Sarajevo čaršija, with an admixture of Church Slovene and Macedonian (Mazalić, 1962, 97-112).

17. Jerusalem

Artist: unidentified local artist

Technique: tempera on canvas

Size: 156 x 115 cm

Date of origin: 18th-19th century

Description: The painting is in landscape format, with a standard composition of Jerusalem in the central section. To the right is the Blessed Virgin, and to the left Christ, giving a blessing with one hand and holding the Gospels in the other.  The rest of the area is filled with various scenes and saints, but the painting is too badly damaged (torn in five places) and dirty to be able to describe most of the scenes.

Conservation work on the painting is required.

18. St Luke

Artist: unidentified local artist

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 80 x 41 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The painting is on a semicircular piece of board.  In the centre, in the western iconographic manner, is the seated figure of St Luke with a halo around his head, wearing a white robe and wrapped in a blue cloak.  He is holding a pen in his right hand and his own Gospel in his left.  He is looking up towards the heavens.  His attribute, a calf, is figured beside him, and above him, in the background, there is a painter's easel on which there is a painting of the Virgin and Christ Child.  Above his shoulder is the inscription: St Luke the Servant.

This painting is part of some older iconostasis.

19. St Mark

Artist: unidentified local artist

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 80 x 41 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description:The painting is on a semicircular piece of board.  In the centre, in the western iconographic manner, is the seated figure of St Mark with a halo around his head, wearing a white robe and wrapped in a red cloak.  He is holding a pen in his right hand and his own Gospel in his left.  He is looking up towards the heavens.  His attribute, a lion, is figured beside him.  Above his shoulder is the inscription: St Mark the Servant.

This painting is part of some older iconostasis.

20. St John

Artist: unidentified local artist

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 80 x 41 cm

Date of origin: 19th century

Description: The painting is on a semicircular piece of board.  In the centre, in the western iconographic manner, is the seated figure of St John with a halo around his head, shown as an old, white-haired man wearing a white robe and wrapped in a red cloak.  He is holding a pen in his right hand and his own Gospel in his left.  He is looking up towards the heavens.  His attribute, an eagle, is figured beside him.  Above his shoulder is the inscription: St John the Servant.

This painting is part of some older iconostasis.

21.  St Matthew

Artist: unidentified local artist

Technique: tempera on board

Size: 80 x 41 cm

Description: The painting is on a semicircular piece of board.  In the centre, in the western iconographic manner, is the seated figure of St Matthew with a halo around his head, shown as an old, white-haired man wearing a white robe and wrapped in a green cloak.  He is holding a pen in his right hand and his own Gospel in his left.  He is looking up towards the heavens.  His attribute, a winged figure resembling an angel, is figured beside him.  Above his shoulder is the inscription: St Matthew the Servant.

This painting is part of some older iconostasis.

 

The church library and archives are housed in the room above the diaconicon. The library has about 200 different, mainly theological works such as oktoih (books of Psalms), festival menaion, missal and so on, but also including some works relating to history, and various periodicals.  The oldest register dates from 1880.

Some of the archive material of the church is kept in the church. It has not been classified. Part of it has been taken to priest Miroslav Vujčić in Kakanj.

 

3. Legal status to date

 

The church of St Procopius in Visoko is listed in the Visoko Regulation plan as a cultural monument of Category I.

At a session held in 2000, the Commission issued a decision to add the Church of St. Procopius in Visoko to the Provisional List of National Monuments under serial no. 761.

 

4. Research and conservation and restoration works

 

Routine maintenance works have been carried out on the building on several occasions. Prior to the 1992-1995 war, the church was renovated in 1978, when works were carried out on the facades and roof cladding.  These were done without the supervision of the heritage protection authority, and acrylic paint was used on the facades, traces of which are still visible, particularly on the lower reaches of the walls.

In 1998, with financial assistance from the Greek Orthodox Church, part of the damage to the facades, roof and interior of the church that occurred during the 1992-1995 war was made good, without an approved project or the supervision of the heritage protection authority.

In 2001 the conservator Anika Skrovan carried out conservation and restoration works on three of the icons: Madonna and Christ enthroned, Assumption of the Virgin, and Deisis.

 

5. Current condition of the property

 

The church of St Procopius in Visoko is in good structural condition as regards the quality of the walls and roof frame.  In 1998, with financial assistance from the Greek Orthodox Church, damage caused during the 1992-1995 war was made good – new facades, repairs to the roof, repairs to the guttering, replacement of window glass.  There was no project for these repairs, which were carried out at great speed and to poor standards, as a result of which there is considerable damage to the building:

Roof:

  • the roof construction is in fair condition except that there is visible damage to the roof cladding at the east end of the building
  • the entire guttering system is in poor condition.  On the north side, this has resulted in damage to the facade.

Facades:

There is damage to the plaster on the facades as a result of:

  • poor preparation of the base layer
  • the use of poor quality plaster
  • unsuitable weather conditions during application of the plaster.

In the lower reaches of the wall, there are visible traces of the earlier pink facade which was executed with a combination of cement plaster and acrylic paint, over which a layer of new plaster was laid without prior cleaning.

The lower reaches of the facades are at risk from precipitation falling from the roof of the church and impacting the wall of the church as well as from rising damp from the ground.  This damage is visible over the entire length of the church, and is worst on the north and south sides.  Damage to the plaster from damp is also visible at the west end.

There is active subsidence to the west of the church which poses a direct threat to the building.   The subsidence has already caused cracks to appear in the building.

Interior:

There is damage to the ceiling, or more exactly the plaster, in places inside the church, as a result of water penetrating through the damaged areas of the roof.  The worst damage is above the staircase leading to the gallery, where about 4 sq.m. of plaster has fallen away.

The frescoes are covered with a layer of dirt which makes it hard to discern them, and some of the frescoes on the west wall of the church are largely covered with a layer of salt deposits.

Parish hall:

Part of the parish hall building suffered major damage during the 1992-1995 war, when the roof structure was badly damaged.  Rain and snow entering the building has caused further deterioration, leading to the collapse of the west wall and the floor joists of the first floor.  Since the building is constructed of unbaked brick, it is very likely that lack of maintenance will lead to the entire building collapsing.

Movable heritage items

            The icons of the church of St Procopius are in very poor condition.  They are not being kept in suitable conditions (they are stored on the floor of the gallery of the church and the floor of the room above the proscomidion).  They are covered with a layer of dirt which makes it impossible to recognize the scenes or figures of saints on most of them.

            Three of the icons (Madonna and Christ enthroned, Assumption of the Virgin and Deisis) have undergone conservation and restoration works and are now on display in the Serbian Orthodox Church museum in Sarajevo.

 

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. vi. value of construction

D. Clarity

D.ii. evidence of historical change

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

E. Symbolic value

E.i. ontological value

E.ii. religious value

E.iii. traditional value

E.iv. relation to rituals or ceremonies

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

F. Townscape/ Landscape value

F.ii. meaning in the townscape

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:

o    Copy of cadastral plan

o    Copy of land register entry and proof of title;

o    Photodocumentation;

o    Site plan

 

Bibliography:

 

During the procedure to designate the Church of St Procopius in Visoko as a national monument of BiH, the following works were consulted:

 

1928.    Filipović, Milenko, Visočka nahija, Naselja i poreklo stanovništva (Visoko nahija, Settlements and Origins of Population), Serbian Royal Academy of Science and the Arts, Belgrade, 1928.

 

1962     Mazalić, Đoko, Jedno ranije djelo slikara «R» - evidencija i konzervacija. (An early work by the painter «R» - records and conservation) Naše starine, 1962, 97-112

 

1972     Papić, Mitar, Školstvo u Bosni i Hercegovini za vrijeme Austrougarske okupacije (1878-1918), (Education in BiH during the Austro-Hungarian Occupation 1878-1918),Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo 1972.

 

1972     Papić, Mitar, Školstvo u Bosni i Hercegovini (1918-1941) (Education in BiH 1918-1941), Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo 1972.

 

1982     Various contributors, Osnovna škola u Visokom 1881/82-1981/82 (The primary school in Visoko 1881/82-1981/82) Contributions to monograph on Ognjen Prica Primary School, Ognjen Prica Primary School, Visoko 1982.

 

1988     Šahinović, Nataša, Crkva sv. Prokopija u Visokom – analiza stanja nakon rata 1992-1995. godine u Bosni i Hercegovini, (St Procopius' Church in Visoko – analysis of condition following 1992-1995 war in BiH) Regulation plan of Visoko Municipality, 1998.

 

1998     Rakić, Svetlana, Ikone Bosne i Hercegovine (16-19. vijek) (Icons of BiH C16-19) Belgrade, 1998.

 

1998     Hall, James, Riječnik tema i simbola u umjetnosti. (Dictionary of subjects and symbols in art) Zagreb, 1998.

 

2002     Ševo, Ljiljana, Crkva sv. Prokopija u Visokom. Pravoslavne crkve i manastiri u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1878. godine (Church of St Procopius in Visoko. Orthodox churches and monasteries in BiH to 1878) Banja Luka, 2002.

 



(1) This type of roof cladding was more often used for churches than houses, because it was very expensive to make. A klis is an oak, deal or other wooden board measuring approx. 0,75x0,15x0,07 metres, cut from the heartwood and narrowing to a point or semicircle at one end.

(2) In folk jargon ecclesia – klisa – is a toponym for the place or site where there was a church in the past – a name that survives in local memory even when the building has disappeared.

(3) The Kršić family is descended from the Balšić family of Herzegovina, a forebear of whose moved to Sarajevo before 1889 and was employed by the merchant Krše, from which the entire family took their surname. The Kršić's celebrate St Nicholas (Filipović, 1928, 456).

(4) E.g. the Despić house in Sarajevo

(5) Since the Serbian Orthodox Church in Sarajevo was wealthy, when churches were built and consecrated in smaller towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina it used to give them icons and other articles required for religious worship.

(6) Representations of Jerusalem constitute a large group of popular icons with scenes associated with the holy places of Palestine, brought back by pilgrims as a souvenir of their time there.  During the 18th and 19th centuries the members of the new urban classes, mainly artisans and merchants, set off from Sarajevo and other towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina to join other pilgrims to Christ's tomb in Jerusalem, following which they acquired the title hajji.  They brought back both large canvases with views of the Holy City and a large number of miniature portraits and scenes from the Old and New Testaments.  They would then donate these canvases to churches, where they were hung on the walls to replace the old and expensive technique of fresco painting. The Jerusalems belong to the world of folk art and are a vivid expression of the spirit of Orthodox piety (Rakić, 1998, 296-297).

(7) The artist «R» is thus known in scholarly works because all that survives of his name is the last letter, «r» (Mazalić, 1962, 97).

 

 



Church of St ProcopiusBell tower of the Church of St ProcopiusInterior of the ChurchConstruction of the dome
<i>Hrist sa svetiteljima</i>,icon   


BiH jezici 
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