INTERESTING RECORDS FROM THE WOODEN CHURCH IN JELIĆKA

In the Church Museum in Sarajevo, an old Serbian psalter contains a record mentioning Priest Ninko from Timar in 1699. In 1742, priests Lazo and Damjan from Timar are noted, and in a prayer book from Gomionica Monastery, a Russian edition from the time of Empress Catherine II, the following is inscribed on the first lower corners of the pages: "This is the book - the Prayer Book - the property of mine, Priest Ilija Damenović. Timar, July 23, 1785."

PHOTO: Mladen Trivunić

Later, Gomionica monk Gavro Stojnić wrote on the cover: "Written by Priest Gavro Stojnić, village Timar." In Jelićka, also known as Timar, two families provided priests and monks for this church and its surroundings: the Popović and Jelić families, after whom the village is named. Throughout the 19th century, numerous records mention priests in Jelićka (Priest Nikola Jelić in 1838, Gomionica monks Meletije and Neofit in 1816, Priest Mikajlo Popović in 1764 and 1821, and many other records from the 18th and 19th centuries), indicating that the church life in this region was very intense during that period.

Based on data from church books in Jelićka and Gomionica Monastery, it can be assumed that this area had an older church than the current one, likely built of wood, as there are no records of any stone church. According to tradition, it was located on the left bank of Gomjenica at a place called Kućiština.

According to folklore, the church was built over three years. The builder was Jovo Čanak from Prijedor. The church was named "Radiša" or "Radiša's Church" after Knez Radiša. The construction date of the church is evidenced by the inscribed year above the western entrance: 1841.

Due to the dilapidation of the wooden roof, a new cover was made in 1978. A detailed renovation of the interior was carried out in 2010, which included a new iconostasis, the restoration of icons, and the refurbishment of a small choir gallery.

In addition to the old wooden church, a new church dedicated to the same saint was built between 1965 and 1991. The wooden church in Jelićka was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2005.