The Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus ( cyrl, Црква Пресветог Срца Исусовог, Crkva Presvetog Srca Isusovog) is the only

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the city of

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. It was built in 1969, replacing the city centre church which was destroyed during the

bombing of Podgorica in World War II The bombing of Podgorica in World War II was carried out by the Allies from 1943 to 1944 at the request of the Yugoslav Partisans. Background Between the two World Wars, Podgorica had a population of 13,000.

. The church is a unique example of

brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

, and is located in the

Konik The Konik or Polish Konik, pl, konik polski, is a Polish List of horse breeds, breed of pony. There are semi-feral populations in some regions. They are usually dun gene, mouse dun or primitive markings, striped dun in color. The Bilgoray, p ...

neighborhood.

Construction

The cathedral was built in 1969, three years after the renewal of the city's Catholic parish. It was designed by prof. ing.

Zvonimir Vrkljan Zvonimir is a Croatian male given name, used since the Middle Ages. During Yugoslavia, the name became popular in other ex-Yugoslav republics like Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of ...

of the Faculty of Architecture,

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

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 = , capit ...

, and was built to resemble a ship. It was consecrated on June 29, 1969, by Aleksandar Tokić, the then-Archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar ( cnr, Барска надбискупија, Barska nadbiskupija; sq, Kryepeshkopata Katolike Romake e Tivarit; la, Archidioecesis Antibarensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Montenegro.

. The church has a freestanding bell tower, with concrete spiral staircases. From the dark interior, a tower sticks up, filtering light to illuminate the main altar. Its facade was never finished.

References

{{Podgorica Roman Catholic churches in Montenegro Roman Catholic churches completed in 1969 Christian bell towers Brutalist architecture Buildings and structures in Podgorica Tourist attractions in Podgorica Towers completed in 1969 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings

Construction

See also

References