Crkvina, place in Trebinje will be like Mount Athos

The famous movie director, Emir Kusturica, begins a new construction project in which Crkvina, the most famous religious and touristic destination in Trebinje, will be transformed into the new Mount Athos.

The idea, according to Kusturica’s words, relates to the exterior of Mount Athos architecture of the hill, which, when viewed from all sides, is dominating over Trebinje.

“We want to Crkvina be girded with fragments of the architecture of Mount Athos, meaning that facade will be done like on Mount Athos, and Trebinje will become a unique city in the world,” says Kusturica.

He will, with experience of building Andrićgrad and Drvengrad (Mećavnik), decide on the arrangement of the rest of the Crkvina complex, together with well-known architects and clerics, such as Bishop Grigorije and abbot Sava, who will be members of the committee of the competition, which was announced for the best plan of the Crkvina complex in the sense of spiritual, cultural, commercial and tourist purposes.

The competition requires harmony of Herzegovinian and Mediterranean architecture with modern architectural expression and clearly defined relationship with the traditional building of this region, and in particular is expected use of traditional materials such as stone and wood.

Although he announced that the construction of the new old Mount Athos he sees in the context of using stone from the Austro-Hungarian towers collapsed around Trebinje, for which some people disapproved transportation of that stones to Andrićgrad a few years ago, and they said that they had no objection if with that stone would be built something in Trebinje, Kusturica still does not known whether or not will that stone be used.

He says that he is aware that “watchtowers from which Schutzkorps in June 28, 1914 were running out and in the city center hanged the most respected citizens from Trebinje – do not have any historical value,” but approval for the use of this stone has not arrived yet.

“That’s an important question because I do not know whose property is it and who can give the  permission, but, as these towers are more or less already collapsed, it would be logical that they be used for something else, and not to be left for further disintegration, therefore it should be used for something else or to be reconstructed,” says the movie director.

However, what is entirely certain is that the new look of Crkvina and its future view and way of looking at this area from different positions in the city, but also the vistas and the view from the complex to the city.

“Crkvina will, in any case, look like a lofty hill, where the Mount Athos facades will be copied, placed next to each other in a separate schedule, which will determine architects,” adds Kusturica.