CATHEDRAL OF THE SACRED HEART OF SARAJEVO

This Catholic cathedral (Katedrala Srca Isusova) is one of the symbols of the city, where Popes John Paul II and Francis have celebrated Mass three times in 1997, 2003 and 2015 in the presence, each time, of Sarajevans of all confessions. Consecrated in 1889 and completely restored in 1997, it is distinguished by its facade topped by two towers rising to 43.20 m high. It is the work of Josip Vancaš (1859-1932), to whom we owe more than 70 churches in the country. The Croatian architect was inspired by the Cathedral of St. Benigne in Dijon for the building and the Church of Our Lady of Týn in Prague for the towers. The richly decorated interior was designed by the German painter Alexander M. Seitz (1811-1888) and executed by his followers. The project was initiated in 1881 by Josip Štadler (1843-1918), the first archbishop appointed in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century. He made the building the "heart" of the Catholic revival in Bosnia and Herzegovina and chose to be buried there. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna, which covers all Roman Catholics in the country (with the exception of the parish of Zavalje, near Bihać) as well as those in Northern Macedonia. On the square stands since 2014 a 3 m high statue of John Paul II. The Pope was one of the first heads of state to recognize the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1992, and subsequently made numerous calls for peace.