Reconstruction of the Zitomislici Monastery
by
Erin Barrentine
Contents
- The Path to Reconstruction
- The Reconstruction Process
- Effects of Reconstruction
- National Monument Status
- How to Help
- Sources
- Acknowledgments
The Path to Reconstruction
The proposal
to rebuild the Serb Orthodox monastery in Zitomislici was first formulated
by Dr. Amra Hadzimuhamedovic, a member of the Commission on National Monuments
in Bosnia-Herzegovina and a lecturer in Architecture at Sarajevo University,
in 1997 in conjunction with the reconstruction of two other cultural heritage
sites of particular symbolic value in Bosnia-Herzegovina: the Franciscan
monastery in Plehan and the Pocitelj
mosque (1). These three sites were intended as pilot projects to aid in
the return of refugees and the restoration of religious pluralism to the
region (1). The first stage in the path to reconstruction involved making
phone calls and writing letters in order to solicit support for the proposal,
which was not always received positively (1). In 1998, in a meeting
with UNESCO representatives, Ms. Hadzimuhamedovic proposed the plan to
a representative of the Republika Srpska, who responded that she did not
see the need to rebuild the Orthodox monastery as there were no longer
any Serbs living in Zitomislici and they did not want to return (1). The
project continued to pend within the federal government of Bosnia-Herzegovina
until 2001, when financial funds were allocated to begin the construction
(1, 2). The decision to reconstruct the monastery was then made, although
without the official request of the Orthodox church (1).
Negotiations
with the Church diocese were hampered by their desire to reconstruct a
totally new Byzantine church in place of the old monastery, which included
such foreign elements as large domes and the use of reinforced concrete
(1). After much persistence, Anwaar Azimoy, an adviser to the High Representative,
met with the Orthodox bishop and gave him the ultimatum that unless the
monastery was reconstructed exactly as it had originally existed, no permit
would be issued (1). Finally, the Orthodox church agreed to the proposed
plans and officially submitted the request to the government for a permit
to reconstruct the monastery, which was granted in February of 2002 (1,
3, 4). Additional funds for the reconstruction were provided by the government
of Germany and by the Episcopate of Zahum-Herzegovina (5).
Dr. Hadzimuhamedovic
was surprised to find, however, that even after their formal agreement
, the church once again presented their concrete-reinforced design plans
at a subsequent conference to solicit donations for the reconstruction
(1). She attempted to rally support among scholars and art historians in
order to halt the bishop's plans (1). Milijana Okilj, an architect and
lecturer at Sarejevo University, took two students to the site to begin
survey and to persuade the priests to rebuild the monastery as it originally
was, which they finally agreed to (1).
The Reconstruction Process
The process of reconstruction of the Zitomislic monastery officially began in April 2002, and was marked by a ceremony officiated by the former bishop of the Episcopate, Atanasije Jeftic, who blessed the foundations, and by a reading of a liturgy by the current bishop, Gligorije Djuric (5,6). At this time, the site of the new reconstruction was also visited by the High Representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wolfgang Petritsch, as well as by representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and Serb Orthodox communities in conjunction with a tour of other reconstruction sites in the region (7). Only the Catholic bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, refused to attend (7).
Fortunately, those who had destroyed the monastery had not also felt the need to completely remove the rubble, as was common in the destruction of other cultural monuments in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1). This made the reconstruction of the monastery according to its original plan easier (1).
The first phase of reconstruction involved clearing the site and identifying, measuring, numbering, and recording each piece of stone in order to recompose the structure according to the original plans (1). This preliminary phase of the reconstruction has just been completed, and the actual rebuilding of the monastery is slated to begin soon (1).
Effects of Reconstruction
Father Denillo, the priest currently living at the monastery and the leader in charge of the reconstruction efforts, noted that many Serbs are now coming back to Zitomislici and many houses had been reconstructed (1). In a visit to Zitomislici in May 2001 with the High Representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dr. Hadzimuhamedovic was greeted by a group of Serb villagers who had returned to the town and who wished to express their gratitude for the support of the reconstruction of the monastery (1). The villagers said that the reconstruction was the most important reason for their return, and that without the monastery, they did not feel as if they had truly returned home (1). The monastery was a common place of meeting before the war, and villagers today visit it daily as they did then (1).
National Monument Status
On November 4, 2002, the Bosnia-Herzegovina Commission to Preserve National Monuments made the decision to add the church and its surrounding structures, including both the new and old inn, kitchen, farm, school, hut, cemetery in the churchyard and also the nearby cemetery at Gorica, to the List of National Monuments (3). Such status will provide legal protection against the destruction of the building or interruption of the reconstruction process and provide aid for the reconstruction of the other individual buildings of the monastery complex not yet included in the reconstruction plans (3).
How to Help
Under Construction. Check back later for updates on how to make contributions to the reconstruction of the Zitomislici monastery.
Contributions to aid in the reconstruction of another cultural heritage monument of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Careva Mosque in Stolac can be sent to:
Committee for the Reconstruction
of the Careva Mosque in Stolac
DEUTSCHEBANK AG/FM
Vakufska Banka DD Sarajevo
Glavna Filijala MO
MOSTAR KTO 936 5357
SWIFT: Vakuba 22; SWIFT: Deutdeff
Sources:
1) Hadzimuhamedovic, Amra. Personal interview. November 11 and 14, 2002.
2) Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(BHC). 2001, December 15.
FaxLetter. Vienna: International
Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), no 116.
http://www.bh-hchr.org/faxlett/1998/no116.htm
Cited December 17, 2002.
3) Commission to Preserve National Monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Group of Buildings - Monastery at Zitomislici. Sarajevo: No. 01-279/02, November 4, 2002.
4) "BiH Media Round-up: 2/1/2002." Press Office BiH Media
Reports. Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina. January
2, 2002.
http://www.ohr.int/ohr-dept/presso/bh-media-rep/round-ups/default.asp?content_id=6677
Cited December 17, 2002.
5)"Reconstruction of Bosnian Serb monastery south of Mostar
begins." 2002, April 9. British
Broadcasting Corporation.
6) Southeast European Times. "Cultural Roundup:
15/5/02-22/5/02" May 22, 2002.
http://www.balkantimes.com/html2/english/020521-GEORGI-000.htm
Cited December 17, 2002.
7) "BiH Media Round-up: 9/4/2002." Press Office BiH Media
Reports. Office of the High Representative
in Bosnia-Herzegovina. April 9, 2002.
http://www.ohr.int/ohr-dept/presso/bh-media-rep/round-ups/default.asp?content_id=7354
Cited December 17, 2002.
Acknowledgments:
I would like to thank Dr. Amra Hadzimuhamedovic for taking the time during her visit to Haverford College to provide me with an account of the efforts to reconstruct the monastery at Zitomislici, as well as a draft of the decision to include it on the List of National Monuments in Bosnia-Herzegovina. She was most kind in allowing me to use her photographs on this web page. This page was completed as part of a project for Religion 305: Seminar in Religion, Ethics and Society at Haverford College, Haverford, PA taught by Professor Michael Sells in the fall semester of 2002.
Last updated December 18,
2002
by Erin Barrentine
Email: ehbarren@brynmawr.edu