Interactive Project Records Wartime Destruction of Orthodox Churches

BIJELJINA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — A new online initiative aims to document the destruction of Orthodox churches and chapels during the Bosnian War, providing researchers and the public with an interactive record of damaged religious sites across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The project, titled "Discovering the Truth: Destroyed Christian Heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina," was presented June 18 by the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Serbs in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Committee president Djordje Radanović said the effort was created to preserve evidence of wartime destruction and to challenge claims that religious monuments were broadly protected during the 1992–1995 conflict.

According to Radanović, the database currently contains information on Orthodox churches, monasteries, and chapels destroyed or damaged in 42 of the 126 populated areas that were under Bosnian Army control during the war. He argued that the collected material contradicts recent public statements asserting that religious and cultural sites belonging to other communities were safeguarded throughout the conflict.

Speakers at the presentation also addressed broader demographic and historical issues. Demographer Stevo Pašalić and sociologist Drago Vuković discussed the declining Serbian population in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which they said has fallen to between 2.5% and 3%. Both emphasized the importance of documenting historical events as a means of addressing competing interpretations of the war.

Organizers said the digital archive will continue to expand as additional information and documentation become available.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Abp. Michael led a pilgrimage across Serbia.