| Sarajevo’s catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Katedrala Srca Isusova) stands on a small square just outside the old Ottoman bazaar area of the city, Baščaršija.
As the seat of the upper Bosnian archbishopric, it’s the centre of catholic worship in Sarajevo, and being less than a minute’s walk from the orthodox cathedral, synagogue and the city’s largest mosque, it’s one of the monuments that helped earn Sarajevo the nickname "European Jerusalem" for the close proximity of so many faiths. The Cathedral’s twin bell towers and facade are often used as a symbol of Sarajevo, and along with the Latin bridge and the Miljacka River, they are even featured on the coat of arms and flag of the city.
The cathedral was built in the late 1880s in the neo-Gothic style so popular in the lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. The stonework has all been left exposed, and the patterns and gentle colour variations in the sandstone and limestone make the otherwise plain exterior actually quite beautiful. The stone also changes colour when it rains and we noticed that the cathedral seemed to be a different colour almost every time we walked past it, depending on whether it was raining, snowing, the sun was shining, or the floodlights were on. We walked past quite often, too. Ferdahija is the main pedestrian artery leading from the old Turkish quarter into this newer part of town, and it leads right through the small square in front of the cathedral. The square is a natural meeting point for people in this part of the city and the steps of the cathedral are often covered in people just hanging out or waiting to meet friends.
The carved stonework round the main entrance features a sculpture of the holy trinity, and the beautiful rosette window directly above forms a halo behind a stone Jesus, who is either flipping gang signs or holding up one hand in blessing and showing the location of his sacred heart with the other. The cathedral was targeted during the war, but the damage has now been repaired. The square itself is marked by several Sarajevo roses; which are the flower-like gouges in the pavement made by the impact of Serbian shells and now filled in with red resin to symbolize the bloodshed caused by each one.
If you’re interested in visiting the memorial for the Markale market massacre (which killed 68 ordinary people going about their grocery shopping, wounded 200 more, and eventually swung foreign public opinion far enough to allow NATO to intervene in the Bosnian war), the cathedral is your best signpost. Just walk along either side of the cathedral, cross the street at its rear and the market is the large covered area to your left.
Whatever your purpose and interests in Sarajevo, the catholic cathedral is sure to become an integral part of your memories of this remarkable city.
Peace demonstration in front of the cathedral on September 1991 prior to the Bosnian war.
The building was damaged during the Siege of Sarajevo, but was not completely destroyed, and the damage has since been repaired. The building is often used as a symbol of the city: The design above the door to the Cathedral is part of the flag and seal of Sarajevo Canton and the Romanesque towers are featured on the flag and coat of arms of Sarajevo. |