The Ambassador of the US to BiH Patrick Moon visited Blagaj (near Mostar) for the occasion to mark the completion of the restoration of the Serbian Orthodox Church Saint Basil of Ostrog and the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity.
The value of the project is 70,500 USD, which is implemented by the Commission for the protectin of national monuments in BiH with the help of funds from the Special Fund of the American Ambassador to BiH for the protection of cultural heritage.
The Ambassador of the US to BiH reminded how in the past few years 15 projects in BiH were financed from the Special Fund of the American Ambassador for the legacy in BiH, and it was used for the building of bridges, monuments and sacred objects in Banja Luka, Stolac and Trnovo in the amount of nearly 600,000 USD.
‘’Restoring these two churches that were destroyed in the war strengthened the common commitment of our two countries that are committed to building a lasting peace’’, said Moon.
He expressed hope that the restoration of these two churches, together with the Blagaj Mosque, will promote awareness of the cultural heritage of BiH, and especially the legacy of multiethnic existence.
He added that he was happy that the Commission for the Protection of National Monuments started a comprehensive plan that these two buildings and sacred objects are included in the tourist guide. In this way, it will open doors to tourist development.
‘’BiH is a country filled with rich cultural tradition and that is why we are proud to have contributed to the fund for the preservation and conservation of mosques, jewish cemeteries, necropolis Stecci in Šabić and in Trnovo and other BiH monuments’’, concluded Moon.
As part of the ceremony, an exhibition of national monuments with photographs of all projects financed by the Special Fund of the American Ambassador for heritage was opened, included artworks by students from nine elementary schools (Blagaj, Bune, Mostar, Čapljina and Ljubinja), which participated in the educational component of the project “My BiH-My Heritage”.
