Djamila
Bosnjakinja
MUSLIM VOICE - Gallery of the Franciscan Monastery of Blagaj was opened in 1990 and re-opened, enriched with new exponents, in June of 2006, on Blagaj Day, in front of hundreds of visitors from around Bosnia and other countries.
The area of 800 square meters is divided into three halls and contains collections of pictures and sculptures, ethnological and numismatic collections, as well as a treasury of Church metals, attire, and books. This is the only high-level gallery in Blagaj, presenting a journey through centuries.
One of the especially significant exponents of the gallery, among another 32 canvasses, is the portrait of St. Pashkal Bojlonski and a canvas depicting laying of Jesus Christ into a tomb drawn by famous painter Ivan Tisov.
The largest number of exponents are aquarette paintings, drafts, and graphics created by well-known representatives of the native Roman Catholic arts. Such as Ivan Lackovic's "Village woman with a flower", Davor Runtic Sivi, Ivan Vecenaj, brother Blago Karacic, Ljubo Lah's "Anja", Hamo Ibrulj, Edo Murtic, Lazar Drljaca's "Black Walls", Zlatko Sulentic's "Woods" and "Dish with fruit", Zlatko Prica's "Navigation", Josip Crnobori's "Monastery of St. Marija at Mljet".
Among the nine exhibited wooden and brozen sculptures, three are also the work of famous Fran Krsinic.
The ethnological collection contains jecerma (waistcoats), caksire (pants), tozluci (docked socks), priglavci (slippers), mosur, gargas, rasak, belegija (sharpening stone), scythes, butter-making cylinders, bukara, canak, sinija (rolling pan), fucija (wooden water bucket), dugum (long stick used for carrying buckets), sahan, copper and clay pots, and other forgotten household items.
The ethnological collection consists of sections dedicated to wooden, metal and textile items, wool-processing equipment, pieces of clothing, items used for processing milk and corn, dishes for food and drinks, patterns of folk arts, woodcarving, and so on.
Here you can see a collection of woolen items used for spinning, winding, scribbling, and tightening of woolen yarn along with several handmade clothes for newborns and fabrics, embroidered shawls and hankerchiefs, wooden and metal items used for harvesting of wheat, as well as items used for additional milk processing and production of cheese.
Patterns of folk woodcarving are especially significant. Beside such items as a cradle, stand, various boxes and containers, cups for drinks, one can see diligently decorated chests for women's garments. The exhibition includes several woodcarving works with animalistic motifs as well as works by Slavko Vidackovic.
Among several metal items used for various purposes, there are examples of artistic works related to neo-baroque style of 18th and 19th centuries. The gallery's treasury displays gold plated chalice with encryption by master Josip Vasiljevic, ancient books, and Church garments dating back to the past century as well as photographs of a wooden sculpture of St. Katarina (Last Queen of Bosnia), work by the Italian master from the end of the 15th century, which now is located in the museum of Kresevo Monastery where it was moved from Muslim town Konjic in the 16th Century after a trade for certain Muslim relics.
"We, brothers, are very proud that we have managed to preserve parts of our common cultural heritage. The gallery embodies a wish to nurse cultural legacy and awareness as well as a stimulus for further development of love towards arts, collection of exponents, guarding and preservation of cultural and spiritual essense of men and women in this country. The gallery is constantly enriched with new exhibits. We also wish to buy works by famous artists from Konjic, such as Zuko Dzumhur and others," said brother Petar Dmic.
He also wished to mention those, who can take credit for the opening of this gallery: brother Luka Maric and brother Dane Karacic, who donated to the gallery two Roman urns dating back to the 1st Century along with a prayers book, reprinted in Rome in 1842.
The significance of this gallery increases with every passing day, since it is not just a museum, it is more of an education centre, the place that has captures time, the place that cradles respect towards our common ancestors, towards beauty, values, the place to learn about oneself and others. This product of the galley's existence is especially important for Roman Catholics in mainly Muslim-populated Blagaj regions.
The goal has been fully accomplished - to preserve this part of cultural heritage in which men reflected most important values of life. All those objects gradually disappear, current youth and the town require such a place where they could see and learn about life of their forefathers.
Due to its woodcarving museum, this gallery is valuable and most beautiful place in the city for Muslims as well, who traditionally were responsible for woodcarvings even for Christian homes and institutions. It is a must-see destination.
The modern catalog will prolong memories about Konjic, while gallery continues its mission of connecting and bringing closer people and epoques.
The area of 800 square meters is divided into three halls and contains collections of pictures and sculptures, ethnological and numismatic collections, as well as a treasury of Church metals, attire, and books. This is the only high-level gallery in Blagaj, presenting a journey through centuries.
One of the especially significant exponents of the gallery, among another 32 canvasses, is the portrait of St. Pashkal Bojlonski and a canvas depicting laying of Jesus Christ into a tomb drawn by famous painter Ivan Tisov.
The largest number of exponents are aquarette paintings, drafts, and graphics created by well-known representatives of the native Roman Catholic arts. Such as Ivan Lackovic's "Village woman with a flower", Davor Runtic Sivi, Ivan Vecenaj, brother Blago Karacic, Ljubo Lah's "Anja", Hamo Ibrulj, Edo Murtic, Lazar Drljaca's "Black Walls", Zlatko Sulentic's "Woods" and "Dish with fruit", Zlatko Prica's "Navigation", Josip Crnobori's "Monastery of St. Marija at Mljet".
Among the nine exhibited wooden and brozen sculptures, three are also the work of famous Fran Krsinic.
The ethnological collection contains jecerma (waistcoats), caksire (pants), tozluci (docked socks), priglavci (slippers), mosur, gargas, rasak, belegija (sharpening stone), scythes, butter-making cylinders, bukara, canak, sinija (rolling pan), fucija (wooden water bucket), dugum (long stick used for carrying buckets), sahan, copper and clay pots, and other forgotten household items.
The ethnological collection consists of sections dedicated to wooden, metal and textile items, wool-processing equipment, pieces of clothing, items used for processing milk and corn, dishes for food and drinks, patterns of folk arts, woodcarving, and so on.
Here you can see a collection of woolen items used for spinning, winding, scribbling, and tightening of woolen yarn along with several handmade clothes for newborns and fabrics, embroidered shawls and hankerchiefs, wooden and metal items used for harvesting of wheat, as well as items used for additional milk processing and production of cheese.
Patterns of folk woodcarving are especially significant. Beside such items as a cradle, stand, various boxes and containers, cups for drinks, one can see diligently decorated chests for women's garments. The exhibition includes several woodcarving works with animalistic motifs as well as works by Slavko Vidackovic.
Among several metal items used for various purposes, there are examples of artistic works related to neo-baroque style of 18th and 19th centuries. The gallery's treasury displays gold plated chalice with encryption by master Josip Vasiljevic, ancient books, and Church garments dating back to the past century as well as photographs of a wooden sculpture of St. Katarina (Last Queen of Bosnia), work by the Italian master from the end of the 15th century, which now is located in the museum of Kresevo Monastery where it was moved from Muslim town Konjic in the 16th Century after a trade for certain Muslim relics.
"We, brothers, are very proud that we have managed to preserve parts of our common cultural heritage. The gallery embodies a wish to nurse cultural legacy and awareness as well as a stimulus for further development of love towards arts, collection of exponents, guarding and preservation of cultural and spiritual essense of men and women in this country. The gallery is constantly enriched with new exhibits. We also wish to buy works by famous artists from Konjic, such as Zuko Dzumhur and others," said brother Petar Dmic.
He also wished to mention those, who can take credit for the opening of this gallery: brother Luka Maric and brother Dane Karacic, who donated to the gallery two Roman urns dating back to the 1st Century along with a prayers book, reprinted in Rome in 1842.
The significance of this gallery increases with every passing day, since it is not just a museum, it is more of an education centre, the place that has captures time, the place that cradles respect towards our common ancestors, towards beauty, values, the place to learn about oneself and others. This product of the galley's existence is especially important for Roman Catholics in mainly Muslim-populated Blagaj regions.
The goal has been fully accomplished - to preserve this part of cultural heritage in which men reflected most important values of life. All those objects gradually disappear, current youth and the town require such a place where they could see and learn about life of their forefathers.
Due to its woodcarving museum, this gallery is valuable and most beautiful place in the city for Muslims as well, who traditionally were responsible for woodcarvings even for Christian homes and institutions. It is a must-see destination.
The modern catalog will prolong memories about Konjic, while gallery continues its mission of connecting and bringing closer people and epoques.