The last catholic church in Mostar, the church of St. Anthony of Padua, was torn down in 1563 and the
Franciscans were expelled from
Herzegovina. However, in 1862, at the request of the
apostolic vicar of Herzegovina Rafael Barišić and at the behest of
Omar Pasha, the Ottoman sultan
Abdulaziz gave away
Ali-pasha Rizvanbegović's garden in Zahum for the construction of a church. The
cornerstone of the church was laid on March 7, 1866 and construction lasted for six years. Italian friar Matteo Lorenzoni was the architect. In 1890, conscrution of the monastery began and it was officially opened on December 6, 1894. The architect of the monastery was Miloš Komadina. In 1917, the stone floor in the church was replaced with ceramic, and in 1927, bells were placed in the bell tower. During
World War II, the church and monastery were bombed several times by the
Allies, causing severe damage. During the
Siege of Mostar, on the night of May 9-10, 1992, the
Yugoslav People's Army shelled and burned down the church. It was rebuilt after the
war. The church has the tallest bell tower in
Bosnia and Herzegovina (107 meters). ==Gallery==