St. James Church (Međugorje)
The St. Jacob's Church is the Catholic parish church of the pilgrimage town of Medjugorje and the municipality Čitluk in Bosnia and Herzegovina .
It is subordinate to the patronage of the Apostle James the Elder . The parish is looked after by Franciscans from the Bosnian Franciscan Province .
Construction of the old parish church was finished in 1897, soon after the parish was founded (1892). It was a spacious building for its time. However, since it was standing on an unstable foundation, cracks soon began to appear. Immediately after the end of the First World War , the parishioners began thinking about building a new church. This construction lasted from 1934 to January 19, 1969, the day of its consecration .
description
The two towers have a square floor plan and end with tent roofs. The three-door entrance is located between the towers and in the tympanum above the central entrance there is a relief depicting the church's patron .
The church is based on a classic basilica .
The nave is divided into seven bays , which in turn are subdivided inside with girders and wall pillars, with the seventh yoke being separated from the semicircular apse by a round triumphal arch .
Because of the increasing number of pilgrims , the church and the area around the church have been constantly adapted to new needs since 1981.
The Church of St. James is now the center and center of the sacramental life and prayer life of parishioners and pilgrims.
An enclosed park east of the sanctuary reminds of the place where the old parish church once stood.
Exterior altar
The outer altar, which was erected in 1989, and the surrounding prayer area (with around 5000 seats) serve as a meeting place for large liturgical celebrations during the summer months when thousands of pilgrims gather in Medjugorje.
Web links
Coordinates: 43 ° 11 ′ 26 " N , 17 ° 40 ′ 39" E