The Žitomislić Monastery ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Манастир Житомислић, Manastir Žitomislić, ) is а
Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to the
Annunciation
The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...
and located near
Mostar
Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina.
Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
History
Building
In 1566 the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
, as represented by the kadija (
qadi) in
Nevesinje, granted the
Miloradović-Hrabren family a permit to build monastery at Žitomislić over the ruins of an older church. The monastery took more than forty years to complete with the first reference to monks at Žitomislić in 1606. The monastery boasted a highly artistic
iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...
, and housed a
scriptorium of considerable activity and renown in its time. At the height of its existence the monastery was supported by large land holdings worked by the monks themselves.
Modern history
Early in the 19th century, the prior, Simeon Miljković, took on improvements to the monastery that included guest quarters, local water, and a new vineyard. A seminary was opened in 1858. The entire brotherhood of Žitomislić monastery was arrested by the
Croatian fascist Ustasha on 26 June 1941, and driven to the village of
Blizanci, where they were tortured and killed, some being thrown alive into the Vidonja cave-pit.
The monastery was plundered and the entire compound was destroyed with the sole exception of the monastery church. The bodies of the monks were recovered from the pit in 1990 and buried on 3 February 1991, with
Serbian Patriarch Pavle (Paul) officiating at the service.
In 1992, Žitomislić was destroyed by the
Croatian Defence Council (HVO) as part of the ongoing warfare after the collapse of
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
.
At that time the library contained dozens of old manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries including a small archive of Turkish documents. The treasury was plundered and the buildings, including the cemetery were dynamited and bulldozed to the ground. The stones were left where they fell, however, and when reconstruction of Žitomislić officially began in April 2002, its prior architecture was meticulously reconstructed. In May 2005, the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church began in the fully restored Žitomislić Monastery.
See also
*
List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries
*
Serbs of Mostar
References
External links
Official page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zitomislic Monastery
Buildings and structures in Mostar
Churches completed in 1606
16th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings
Christian monasteries established in the 16th century
Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Attacks on churches in Europe
National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Attacks on religious buildings and structures during the Bosnian War
16th-century establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Attacks on religious buildings and structures during World War II
Anti-Christian sentiment in Europe