SASA Gallery of Science and Technology Presents: ‘Wooden Churches of Republika Srpska – Guardians of Spiritual Life and National Identity’
The exhibition of photographs titled ‘Wooden Churches of Republika Srpska – Guardians of Spiritual Life and National Identity’ by Stanko Kostić officially opens on Thursday, 6 February, at 6 p.m., at the SASA Gallery of Science and Technology. It represents the next part in the research series on Serbian national architecture which commenced in late 2023 with the exhibition ‘Wooden Churches – Guardians of Tradition’. The event will be inaugurated by Professor Darko Tanasković, PhD, with Academician Zoran Petrović, the Gallery’s director and the exhibition’s author Stanko Kostić also addressing the audience.
As SASA Corresponding Member Igor Borozan highlights, from a photographic perspective, these photographs are an important contribution to a more profound understanding of artistic styles related to the church domain in the territory of Republika Srpska, the subject which, until recently, has not been more thoroughly explored by the expert and general public.
‘A significant number of wooden churches across the territory of Republika Srpska, which are under the auspices of the Serbian Orthodox Church and within the jurisdiction of the Dabro-Bosnian Metropolitanate and the eparchies of Banja Luka, Zahumlje, Herzegovina and the Littoral, and Zvornik-Tuzla, represent an important testimony to the spiritual and national identity of the Serbian people and the Orthodox community on the other side of the Drina.’
‘Particularly noteworthy are the wooden churches from the 19th and 20th centuries since they are unique material as well as religious symbols, testifying to the continuity of vernacular master building craft over an extended period. These, frequently modest in size structures, over time have become unique places of memory. Thus, they reaffirmed the strength of vernacular master building and established the cultural legacy of the Serbian people, in frequently unfavourable political circumstances, so that their role as places of worship has transcended the exclusivity of temples.
‘Kostić’s contribution, captured through the lens of his camera, serves as an invaluable resource for further study of researchers and cultural experts from diverse fields. For the first time, the entirety of wooden churches and the artworks within them, documented across the territory of Republika Srpska, highlights the profound cultural and historical significance of these structures for the Serbian and Orthodox communities in that region,’ stated SASA Corresponding Member Igor Borozan in the exhibition catalogue.
The exhibition is on display at the SASA Gallery of Science and Technology until 1 March 2025.