On the influence of Islamic art on the orthodox church in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The life of the Serbs under foreign goverment was characteristic for its imitation of the inherited tradition. The Serbian revival which started after the establishment of the Peć patriarchate in 1557 was evident in the restoring of the medieval forms and spirit. In architecture, painting and various forms of written art, the authors repeated the already seen motives of the inherited tradition, trying to preserve the spirit of the Serbian people from alienation.
However, the Serbian cultural being could not remain forever untouched in its civilizational isolation. The penetration of that hermetic isolation in the sphere of jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church will be most evident in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the XVth century, under the influence of the great building epoch of Gazi Husrev-bey. Elements of Islamic art can be seen in the architecture of Orthodox churches, in sacral objects rnade of metal and wood, in ornaments and bindings of certain Serbian books, and even in painting.
Art of the Orthodox church with ingredients of Islamic influence did not loose any thing of its beauty in serving the common Holy Father.