The old Orthodox church, also called the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Baščaršija was built in 1539. The church is built of hewn stone, which does not fit into medieval Byzantine structures because the church has a rectangular base and elements of Islamic architecture. For centuries, valuable relics have been brought to the church from all around the world, among which was a gift of special value from patriarch Arsenije IV Jovanovic who donated the relics of St. Tekla to the church (St. Tekla was a martyr from the first century of Christianity). Within the complex of the church there is a museum with a rich collection of frescoes, paintings, books and manuscripts, richly decorated prayer suits and other valuable exhibits.
There is an interesting story about the construction of the Old Orthodox Church. The legend says that Gazi Husrev-bey agreed to the request of the Orthodox people from Sarajevo to build a church, under one condition - the construction must be simple and cover only space as large as an ox's skin. One wise old man realized that if he cuts the skin into thin belts (tapes) and mark with it the surface for the new church, he would fullfill the sultan's condition and still have the church large enought for all orthodox believers. Bey accepted the old man's ingenuity and allowed the church to be built.
It is also mentioned that an Ustasha soldier, a member of Ante Pavelic's forces at the time, tried to take out a suitcase with his hand in a diamond glove, which was a gift from the Russian Orthodox church. However, before he walked through the door, he fell and died at the spot. Following this incident, Parhoh Jovanovic testified that the Ustashas were no longer trying to rob the property of the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel.
Museum of Old Orthodox Church
The Museum of Old Orthodox Church was built by Jeftan Despic in 1890. The museum houses a Sarajevo stern from 1371 that governs the church's rules of conduct, and Siloan's Gospel from the fourteenth century decorated with drawings on the right side.
On the wall of the museum there is a valuable icon of"The Last Supper" from the eighteenth century, and at the very entrance gilded imperial door is placed, which serves to separate the altar from the main part of the church, made in the woodcut from the seventeenth century.
The Museum of Old Orthodox Church possesses over 700 works of art, exhibiting fermans, i.e. decrees of four different sultans: sultan Mustafa's ferman from 1695, which tells how houses in Sarajevo were donated to the monasteries of the Mount Athos, sultan Ahmed's decree from 1729, sultan Mahmut I decree , from 1742, which speaks of the ban on the sale of alcohol in Latinluk, as well as the decree of Sultan Mahmut II from 1794. Among the manuscripts there is the manuscript of the Russian emperor Peter I from 1715. Very interesting items in the museum are ibrics and pots where priests wash their hands before worship. The pots are similar to those used when taking abdest (it is typically done in preparation for formal prayers) in Islam.
Tourists consider the Old Orthodox Church a must-see destination.
The ticket prices for the museum of Old Orthodox Church
Ticket price for the museum is 2 KM.
The entrance to the church is FREE of charge.
Working hours of the museum of Old Orthodox Church
Museum is open every day from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
Museum is closed on Mondays and on Orthodox holidays.
The Old Orthodox Chruch is open every day from 08:00am to 5:00pm.
