The Temple of Christ the Savior
Title:: The Temple of Christ the Savior
Date of Issue: 29.05.2025.
Author: Tanja Kuruzovic
Type edition: commemorative
Printing techniques: multicolour offset
Sheet: 8
Paper: muflep 100g
Printing House: Blicdruk, Sarajevo
Motive: The Temple of Christ the Savior
Catalogue no.: 998
Perforation: 13 3/4
Face value: 1.20 BAM
Quantity: 8 000
The construction of the Temple of Holy Trinity began in 1925. The foundations were consecrated on October 5 by Metropolitan Vasilije (Popovic) of Banja Luka. The church was completed in terms of construction by 1929, and the first service was held on September 15 – a thanksgiving service in the memory of the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki Front. The temple was consecrated by the priest Metropolitan Dositej (Vasic) of Zagreb – administrator of the Diocese of Banja Luka, on the Spasovdan, May 18, 1939. The honor of godfather of the church deserved the former ban of the Vrbas banovina – Svetislav Tisa Milosavljevic.
During the April War, on Lazarus Saturday, April 12, 1941, the temple was hit by three bombs, which caused considerable damage to the church and completely destroyed the inventory. In the reality of the Independent State of Croatia, by decision of the occupation administration, the church was completely demolished and consigned to oblivion.
After the liberation of the country from the occupiers, the church was attacked by the new local authorities. First, a pillar with a five-pointed star symbol was erected on the site of the temple, and later a simple monument was built to commemorate the fallen fighters in the National Liberation War, which signaled to the Church that it should not consider rebuilding. In the time that followed, a new temple of the Holy Trinity was built next to the Episcopal Palace, which was consecrated in 1972
In the circumstances of democratic changes, in the whirlwind of war, an initiative was launched to restore the destroyed church. The foundations of the Temple, dedicated to the Christ the Savior, were consecrated on October 17, 1993 by His Holiness the Patriarch of Serbia, His Holiness Pavle (Stojcevic), the competent Bishop of Banja Luka, His Holiness Jefrem (Milutinovic), with the prayerful participation of several Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The renovated church was consecrated on the Spasovdan, May 28, 2009.
Author: Tanja Kuruzovic
Publisher: Poste Srpske a.d. Banjaluka
Cooperation: Elder of the Temple of Christ the Savior Dragan Maksimovic, Dario Drinic, Republican Secretariat for Religions