Saint Mary's Church, Jajce
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Saint Mary's Church (), later Sultan Suleiman's Mosque (''Sultan-Sulejmanova džamija''/ Султан-Сулејманова џамија) or Fethija (Фетхија, from the Turkish word ''fethetti'', meaning "conquered"), was a place of worship in
Jajce Jajce ( sr-Cyrl, Јајце) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wi ...
,
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 ...
. Along with the remnants of the adjoining Saint Luke's Bell Tower (''Zvonik svetog Luke''/Звоник светог Луке), it is a
national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The buildings are located in the historic centre of the city of Jajce, at the foot of the citadel.


Origin and description

The building has undergone a series of redesigns, which makes difficult establishing its age and the original appearance with certainty. It is assumed that the church was first built as a simple Romanesque-style basilica in the 12th century. It had deteriorated significantly by the end of the 14th century, when it was restored and dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. It is not clear who commissioned the restoration of the building; circumstantial evidence points to either the Franciscans who had settled in the area or, somewhat less likely, to
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (c. 1350–1416) was a medieval Bosnian nobleman and magnate, Grand Duke of Bosnia, Knez of Donji Kraji, and Duke of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Hrvatinić noble family, and one of the major feu ...
, the
Kingdom of Bosnia The Kingdom of Bosnia ( / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and evolved out of the ...
's leading magnate and founder of the city of
Jajce Jajce ( sr-Cyrl, Јајце) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wi ...
. The church was re-adapted to the more popular
Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...
in the early 15th century, after the kings of Bosnia acquired Jajce in connection to King Ostoja's marriage to Hrvoje's widow, Jelena Nelipić. The surviving
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s, dating from the first half of the 15th century, are typical of the Late Gothic art; the most significant
composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
depicted the
Last Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...
, a common theme in contemporary Europe.


Royal church

Following his loss of Serbia to the Ottomans in 1459, King Thomas's son,
Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...
, returned to Bosnia with his wife Maria, and her family. Maria brought along the relics of
Luke the Evangelist Luke the Evangelist was one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Prominent figu ...
, and a
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
, bearing the saint's name, was erected next to the church. On 17 November 1461, the church served as the place of
coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...
of King Stephen; it was the last coronation in Bosnia. The
Ottoman conquest of Bosnia The Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a process that started roughly in 1386, when the first Ottoman attacks on the Kingdom of Bosnia took place. In 1451, more than 65 years after its initial attacks, the Ottoman Empire officially es ...
took place two years later, commencing the centuries-long Ottoman rule over Bosnia. King Stephen was executed in the process, while Queen Maria took the relics and sold them to the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
.


Mosque

In 1528, Saint Mary's Church was converted into a mosque and named after the Ottoman sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
. The building burned on several occasions. The most devastating fire occurred in 1658. The last fire, in 1832, left behind nothing but walls, and the building has not been used since.


References

{{coord, 44.3394, 17.2690, type:landmark_region:BA, display=title Buildings and structures in Jajce Church ruins Gothic architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina Former mosques in Bosnia and Herzegovina Former Roman Catholic church buildings Mosques converted from churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina History of Jajce