Franciscan Church of St. Jakov in Medjugorje

The Church of St. James is a Catholic parish church of the pilgrimage site of Medjugorje and the municipality of Čitluk in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is dedicated to the apostle St. to Jacob. The parish is cared for by Franciscans from the Hercegovina Franciscan Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, based in Mostar.

The construction of the old parish church was completed in 1897, shortly after the foundation of the parish in 1892. It was a spacious church for its time. However, since it was on an unstable foundation, cracks soon began to appear. Right after the end of the First World War, the parishioners started thinking about building a new church. This construction lasted from 1934 until January 19, 1969, the day of its dedication. The design for the Medjugorje church was made free of charge by the famous Zagreb architect Stjepan Podhorsky. The works continued even after the blessing in 1969, because the interior was not decorated, the bell towers were not built, etc. The church was completely decorated by 1980.

The two towers of the church have a square floor plan and end with tent-shaped roofs. Between the towers there is an entrance with three doors, and in the tympanum above the central entrance there is a relief depicting St. Jacob. The appearance of the church is based on the classic basilica.

The nave is divided into seven vaults, which are divided internally by beams and pilasters, where the seventh vault is separated towards the semicircular apse by a round triumphal arch.

Due to the increasing number of pilgrims, the church and the area around the church have been constantly adapting to new needs since 1981. Church of St. Jakov's focal point is also the center of the sacramental life and prayer life of parishioners and pilgrims to Medjugorje.

The fenced park to the east of the sanctuary is a memory of the place where the old parish church used to be.

The outdoor altar, built in 1989, and the surrounding prayer area (with about 5,000 seats) serve as a place for large liturgical celebrations during the summer months, when thousands of pilgrims gather in Medjugorje.

The first parish church was built by the parish of Međugorje in a short time after the foundation of the parish. The church was built by Father Nikola Šimović with the help of the parishioners in the period 1896 to 1897. This was a very big event in those times of poverty of this nation. The church was beautiful both outside and inside. Unfortunately, it was built on a terrain that was not favorable, so the church already had major damage after 10 years. It was repaired several times, but in the end there was no other solution but to start building a new church.

OLD CHURCH- the foundations of the old church, which was built in 1897 and demolished in 1978.
*Bishop in 1935. gave permission for the construction of a new parish church, after many years of negotiations and agreements. Work on the foundation excavations began in June 1935. The design for the magnificent Medjugorje church, which he called the "basilica", was made free of charge by the famous Zagreb architect Stjepan Podhorsky. He worked on the restoration and construction of several sacred buildings in Herzegovina, among which is the magnificent basilica in Tomislavgrad and the Catholic church in Subotica - Vojvodina. The Međugorje church has three naves. The front part was planned with two towers in carved stone. "The design was taken according to old Croatian basilicas in a modern style, in a simpler but still strictly church style." Although there was a lot of controversy about the proposed dimensions and the need for two bell towers.

NEW CHURCH – The construction of the new parish church began in 1935. By the beginning of II. During the World War, 2.5 m high walls were built, and after that the work on the construction of the church stopped until the 60s. 1966 work on the church continued and the work was completed in 1969. The church was blessed on January 19, 1969. The interior decoration of the church was completed in 1980.
After the beginning of the apparitions, the interventions that were carried out on the church are: breaking the side doors, stained glass windows, new church bells and an organ.
For the Assumption of 'Veliku Gospu' in 1987, stained glass windows were installed in the church according to the design of the artist Branimir Dorotić from Samobor. The realization was carried out by the famous Italian company Domus Dei from Rome. He vividly painted biblical and contemporary motifs on 28 windows of around 64 m2. On the right side, the stained glass windows show events from Our Lady's life, and on the left side, the stained glass windows show the most important messages of Our Lady in Medjugorje.
The new Way of the Cross, a work by the Italian artist Carmelo Puzzolo, was installed in the church on Good Friday, April 13, 1990.
In June 1988, in addition to the existing three doors on the front of the church, four more doors were broken through on the side aisles of the church.

 THE PARISH CHURCH IN MEDJUGORJE has been a gathering place for believers for 49 years. The new parish church in Medjugorje was blessed on January 19, 1969. Work on its completion and interior decoration lasted until 1980. Just one year later, this beautiful church became a gathering place for a large number of pilgrims from the homeland and the whole world.  

The construction of the Medjugorje church and the entire history of this parish are topics of great interest to all those who have been coming to this place on pilgrimage for years.

The parish of Međugorje was canonically founded on May 1, 1892 by the decree of the Bishop of Mostar-Duvanj, Fr. The patron saint of the parish is St. James, the apostle.

 The foundation stone for the parish church in Međugorje parish was blessed by Bishop Buconjić on the Feast of the Ascension in 1896. The church was built within a year and was the pride of this parish. Unfortunately, cracks and damage were noticed in a short time, which posed a danger for its use, since it was built on unsafe and soft ground. Jakov, and the side altar of St. Ante. Despite the many repairs that were made, the church was still unsafe for use. That is why it was decided to build a new church. The old church survived until the day when the authorities of the municipality of Čitluk decided to demolish it, on November 14, 1978.

 *In 1935, the bishop gave permission for the construction of a new parish church, after many years of negotiations and agreements.

 The design for the magnificent Medjugorje church, which he called the "basilica", was made free of charge by the famous Zagreb architect Stjepan Podhorsky. He worked on the restoration and construction of several sacred buildings in Herzegovina, among which the magnificent basilica in Tomislavgrad and the Catholic church in Subotica, Vojvodina stand out.

 The Međugorje church consists of three naves. The front part was planned with two towers in carved stone. "The design was taken according to the old Croatian basilicas in a modern style, in a simpler but still strictly church style." There was a lot of controversy about the proposed dimensions and the need for two bell towers. The sketch offered by the architect in 1931 proposed that the dimensions of the church should be 30.10 meters long and 15.30 meters wide. The bishop's review of the dimensions of the church is interesting: "According to the proposed floor plan, the church is quite spacious." That's how it should be. Medjugorje needs a bigger church!"

 The construction of the new parish church began on June 21, 1935. In two days, June 21 and 22, the people dug all the church foundations with great joy.  Until the beginning of II. During World War II, 2.5 m high walls were built, and it is interesting to note that the nave of the church was extended from 20 to 28 meters. Due to the circumstances of the war, work on the construction of the church stopped. After the war, nothing was done on the church until the 60s. After the arrival of the new pastor, Fr. Radovan Petrović, in 1966, work on the church continued.

The construction of the new church caused misunderstandings among the parishioners from the beginning, but to everyone's joy, its completion united them and brought a new harmony. People would call and offer help from all over the hamlets. This is also how the students are mentioned, who, in order to set an example of unity, came to work on the church. They poured columns on the front of the church, which were called "student columns". In order to be with the people and show how much they care, priest Fr. Radovan Petrović and chaplain Fr. Vlado Kozina would work with the people all day. In October 1968 , the work on the roof was completed.

This was followed by preparations for the ceremonial blessing of the newly built church, which the parishioners had been waiting for for 34 years. It took place on January 19, 1969. It was a big celebration in the parish, which was also written about by Glas Koncila. The priest, Fra Radovan, thanked everyone who contributed in money and work. In addition to the money they donated, over 2,000 wages were paid. After the blessing, there was still a lot of work to complete the bell tower, and the construction of the external and internal facade. The interior decoration of the church was completed in 1980.

The plan for the interior decoration was made by artist Ante Starčević and architect Pio Nuić.

After Fr. Radovan, a new parish priest, Fr. Luka Sušac (1974-1980), came to Medjugorje, who continued with the interior decoration of the church. The floors are paved with Brač stone. An altar slab, also made of Brac stone, weighing 650 kilograms, was ordered. The tabernacle and baptismal font were installed and everything was completed in 1978. Statue of St. The statue of Jacob and Our Lady were transferred from the old church.

 The benches were still missing, and in January 1980, the collection of money for them began, and they were already ready in July 1980, and they were made by Ivan Čilić Križanov.

Source: monografija “Župa Međugorje”, fr Robert Jolić