MUSEUM OF THE HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL CHURCH OPENED IN MOSTAR

MOSTAR, MAY 2 /SRNA/ - His Eminence Metropolitan of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and the Littoral, Dimitrije, this evening officially opened the Museum of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church in Mostar.

Until the restoration of the cathedral is complete, the museum will be temporarily housed in the Bishop's Palace in the city on the Neretva River.

According to the renovation project for the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church, the museum will be housed in the church's bell tower.

At the opening, Metropolitan Dimitrije spoke about people as icons of God, about faith, unity, and the significance of this moment for the Mostar community.

''I'm glad that this place we call the Bishop’s Palace is increasingly becoming a true bishop's home.

With joy and at the initiative of the Mostar community, we have made this a place of encounter, where our spiritual wealth can be seen,'' said Bishop Dimitrije at the opening of the Museum.

The museum was opened with the support and assistance of the National Museum from Banja Luka, which designed and set up the entire exhibition, and financial assistance for the project came from the Republika Srpska Secretariat for Religions.

The Cathedral Church is one of the most important symbols of Mostar, and the city has included this church and the Museum among its most significant tourist attractions, with which it presents itself to the world.

The opening of the Museum was also attended by the Mayor of Mostar Mario Kordić, who said that the Cathedral Church is one of Mostar's landmarks and that everyone is eagerly awaiting the moment it will rise in full glory above the city.

Kordić emphasized that he has excellent cooperation with the clergy in Mostar and that the Cathedral Church has been ranked among the three most important landmarks of Mostar in terms of tourism.

"With the restoration of the Cathedral Church, we are sending a message of unity from Mostar.

Recently, we have witnessed serious problems hindering Mostar, and now it is necessary to send a message of peace, coexistence, and forgiveness," said Kordić.

The head priest of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church Duško Kojić said that the opening of the Museum restores part of the collection and cultural heritage of Mostar which belonged to the Serbian Orthodox Church /SOC/ Municipality of Mostar.

He said that this is one of the more valuable collections within the Serbian Orthodox Church, as evidenced by icons dating from the 15th to the 19th century.

Liturgical items and books that belonged to Metropolitan Leontije, and a very rich treasury, are also included.

''The icons displayed here are not merely works of art, but holy objects that, together with our people, endured fire, destruction, and persecution, and yet they did not disappear,'' said head priest Kojić.

He said that the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral Church, which were completely destroyed, now stand again, not as a sign of defiance, but as a symbol of hope, not to provoke, but to call for reconciliation and understanding.

Academic Milivoje Unković, a world-renowned professor and painter, spoke about the Museum's collection.

Unković, whose roots are in Herzegovina, said that one can feel here the full strength of a people’s genetic code, their ability to, time and again, rise from the ashes and restore their cultural and religious identity.

The Cathedral Church in Mostar is the cathedral of all of Herzegovina, a national monument of BiH, and the heart and symbol of the Serb people's identity in Mostar, as well as of the centuries-old coexistence in the city on the Neretva River.

The Museum of the Cathedral Church, the Cathedral Church, and the Old Church will be part of Mostar’s tourist offerings.

In addition to the Mayor of Mostar, the opening of the Museum of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Church was attended by the Mayor of Bileća Miodrag Parežanin, the Speaker of the Trebinje City Assembly Zdravko Butulija, the Consul of Serbia in Mostar Vaso Gujić, the Consul of Turkey in Mostar Fatih Ekinci, representatives of the Republika Srpska Government, the Catholic Church, the old Mostar families Dokić and Peško, and many others.