DEKRET ZA OBNOVU CRKVE U GORICI KOD LIVNA IZ 1853. GODINE I PISMO ZAHVALE SULTANU OD STRANE TRI GVARDIJANA SAMOSTANA U BOSNI
DECREE FOR THE RENOVATION OF THE CHURCH IN GORICA NEAR LIVNO IN 1853 AND A LETTER OF GRATITUDE TO THE SULTAN FROM THREE GUARDIANS OF THE MONASTERIES IN BOSNIA

Summary/Abstract: The original sources from 1853, preserved in the form of two valuable historical documents, shed light on the complex dynamics of obtaining permits for the construction of churches in Bosnia under Ottoman rule. These documents not only provide insight into the intricate administrative procedures but also reveal the relationships between local authorities, religious communities, and the central Ottoman administration. The first document, provided by the administration of the Franciscan Museum and Gallery in Gorica-Livno, is a bujuruldija– a decree issued by the Bosnian governor Hurşid Pasha. Issued on February 28, 1853, the bujuruldija served as a temporary approval for the construction of a church, emphasizing the need for an official firman, an imperial decree from the Sultan. The second document, a letter discovered by the author of this paper during a visit to the State Archives in Ankara on October 7, 2022, was displayed in the archive’s museum exhibit. Dated May 20, 1853, this letter conveys the gratitude of the guardians of the Franciscan monasteries in Fojnica, Kreševo, and Kraljeva Sutjeska to Sultan Abdülmecid for issuing imperial firmans that approved the construction of churches.

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