The area has been inhabited since the Roman era,
Medjugorje is a town located in southwestern Bosnia and
Herzegovina, about 40 km southwest of Mostar and 12 km east of
the border with Croatia. The town is part of the Čitluk
municipality and geographically part of Herzegovina.
The name Međugorje literally means "between mountains". At an
altitude of 200 m above sea level it has a Mediterranean climate.
The town consists of an ethnically homogeneous Croat population
of 2,500. The Roman Catholic parish includes four neighbouring
villages: Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci.
Early history
Until 1878 part of the Ottoman Empire it became part of Austria-Hungary
- War of 1878, Annexion 1908. In 1882 the railway line between
Mostar and the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia was built, with a
station in the hamlet of Šurmanci, through which the village
gained access to the railway network.
The Catholic parish of Sveti Jakov (Saint James) was erected in
1892 by the Bishop of Mostar Paškal Buconjić. The twelve-metre
tall crucifix on the mountain called Križevac (Cross Mountain),
completing the parish's Stations of the Cross (križni put), was
completed in 1934.
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Parish and church |
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| Medjugorje 1981 |
Medjugorje
2017 |
St. James’ parish (where the present church is located) was
founded in 1892, and is still served by the Franciscan friars.
The first church was built in 1897, but after the First World
War, due to the unstable ground, it became unusable. Then, the
parishioners began plans to build a new church, with two pointed
towers, near the site of the old one. The new church was
consecrated on January 19, 1969.
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| Old church |
Old church |
It is believed that the building of the new church was part
of the Mary’ plan all along. At the time, the parish only
consisted of 400 families, but St. James’ Church can accommodate
more than two thousand people. Why did the parishioners build
such a big church, and have it dedicated to the apostle Saint
James the Greater (buried in Santiago de compostela), the patron
saint of pilgrims? The answer points to the possibility that the
Virgin Mary was preparing the parish of Medjugorje for its
special role in the spiritual world. St. James’ Church is now
the centre of sacramental and prayer life, not only for its
parishioners, but also for pilgrims from all over the world.
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| Building a new
church |
Confession in 1981 |
http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/parish/history/
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