Old Orthodox Church
Old Orthodox Church is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Mostar audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~25 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~25 min
- Mostar Mostar guide
About Old Orthodox Church
A small, half-sunken Serbian Orthodox church on the eastern slopes of Mostar, its present building from the 1830s, mined and burned in 1992 and rebuilt and re-consecrated in 2004.
The Old Orthodox Church, dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God and known locally as the Old Church, stands on the eastern slopes of Mostar, in the Bjelušine quarter, beside the site of the larger Orthodox cathedral. A national monument, it is a small, simple Herzegovinian church, its floor set below street level and its west wall carrying a bell-gable. A church has stood here for centuries; the present stone building dates from the 1830s, built under an Ottoman permit, with a renovation inscription of 1863.
By agreement with the authorities the church was kept deliberately small, no larger than the one it replaced. Before the 1990s it held a wooden iconostasis with icons from the 15th to the 18th century. In June 1992, at the start of the war, the Old Church, like the neighbouring cathedral, was mined and set on fire, its roof and burning interior destroyed. It was rebuilt after the war and re-consecrated on 17 October 2004. The great domed cathedral next to it is still being reconstructed.
How long should you spend at Old Orthodox Church?
Plan about ~25 min at Old Orthodox Church. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Old Orthodox Church worth visiting?
Old Orthodox Church is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Mostar, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Mostar
Day 1 of the Mostar in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Old Orthodox Church
Preview the Mostar tour free in the Gingerguide app.