Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Old Serbian Orthodox Church
While fully Orthodox inside and out, this 16th-century church has features that resemble a
synagogue or a mosque—hinting at the mingling of faiths that has characterized Sarajevo
for most of its history. Stepping inside, notice that the church (which was built on the site
of an even earlier one) is set about three feet below street level. Because the Ottomans
wouldn't allow churches to be taller than mosques, the builders went down instead of up.
Also notice how—with its split-level design and upstairs gallery—it feels like a synagogue
with an iconostasis. Upstairs in the gallery (another feature more commonly seen in syn-
agogues and mosques than in churches), you may see worshippers making a fuss over a
small coffin, which contains the body of a child; this is believed to have healing power, es-
peciallyforinfertilewomen.Acrossthesmallcourtyardisamuseumwitholdicons,incense
burners, vestments, and manuscripts in Cyrillic. Look for the document in squiggly Arabic
script—a written confirmation from the Ottoman sultan permitting worshippers to practice
the Orthodox Christian faith here. The wine shop keeps up the Bosnian tradition of Ortho-
dox monks doubling as vintners.
