Church of Pentecost ( hr, Hram silaska Duha svetoga, sr-Cyrl, Храм силаска Духа светога) in

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...

is a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous ( ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population ...

church in eastern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

. The church is one of two in the Eparchy of Osječko polje and Baranja that is dedicated to

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers ...

. The original church, built in 1793, was destroyed in 1991 during the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yug ...

, and an identical church was rebuilt in its place, in the period between 2007 and 2012.

History

Construction of original Church of Pentecost in Vinkovci was completed in 1793. In Vinkovci Serbian Orthodox Church in 1821 was baptized Josif Runjanin, composer of Lijepa naša domovino ''(Croatian national anthem)'' and Sava Šumanović.

Destruction and rebuilding

After war planes of the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...

bombed targets in the center of Vinkovci on 24 September 1991, they badly damaged the local Catholic rectory. A day later, in

retaliation Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

, the old Church of Pentecost was mined and razed to the ground after being robbed. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed a ...

and inventory was stolen and the church bells were missing for a long period of time. A parking lot stood in the church's place until the beginning of reconstruction. During the initial phase of negotiations on the renewal with the local authorities, a wooden cross was erected at the location of the old church. In 2007, the building of a new, identical Church of Pentecost began. The final blessing and reinstatement in function happened in 2012. In the meantime, the church restored a part of its looted original iconostasis, and an anonymous source reported the location of the old bells, which were then put in function.

References

{{Authority control Vinkovci Churches completed in 1793 Churches completed in 2012 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Croatia 18th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings 21st-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Destroyed churches in Croatia Rebuilt churches 1793 establishments in Europe

History

Destruction and rebuilding

See also

References