 | |
  Location within Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
 Interactive map of Monastery of Saint Luke | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Franciscan |
| Established | 1885 |
| Dedicated to | Saint Luke |
| Diocese | Banja Luka |
| Controlled churches | Church of the Assumption |
| Site | |
| Location | Jajce,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Coordinates | 44°20′28.2″N17°16′26.1″E / 44.341167°N 17.273917°E /44.341167; 17.273917 |
Franciscan monastery of Saint Luke is aFranciscan monastery inJajce,Bosnia and Herzegovina. The construction began in 1877 and finished in 1885. In 1934-1935 the monastery was renovated by Karel Pařík. Franciscans in the 1970s tried to return the bones ofSt. Luke in Jajce, and since then the monastery carries the name of this evangelist.[1]
Franciscans were present in Jajce from theMiddle Ages, it is known that they had theSt. Mary's Church with theSt Luke's bell tower in the 15th century. The church was turned into a mosque at the arrival of theTurks. The bell tower is fully preserved, while the church was burnt down many times and now it is just a ruin.[2][3]
In 1888, the archeologistĆiro Truhelka excavated a male skeleton with the skull separated from the body. The excavation was made on a hill that is calledKraljev grob (King's tomb) inZastinje nearJajce, under astećak. Although there is no direct evidence, it is believed that the skeleton belongs toStephen Tomašević, the lastking of Bosnia, who was executed in 1463. The skeleton lies in the monastery.[4][5]
The monastery has many artworks, like theSt. Family with St. John the Baptist picture that was made in the 17th century by an unknown Italo-Greek artist. Also, there are many other items that are culturally and artistically significant. In particular there is the oldGothic silver chalice from the 16th century.[6]
There are also historical items, such as manyRoman monuments found inŠipovo and manyEarly Christian andMedieval monuments.
The monastery has a small library with many valuable books, magazines and manuscripts from the 18th and 19th century.
The monastery has suffered during theBosnian War. The monastery church was completely destroyed, it is also missing a lot of valuable monuments, artworks and books. Currently, the old part of the monastery is being renewed.[7][8]