Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

St. James Church in Me?ugorje, Bosnia and Hercegovina. Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to six Croats at 24 June, 1981 near this place.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

St James Church complex

Bosnia & Hercegovina


Međugorje's central focus is this rather functional double-towered 1969 church and the parklike grounds behind it. The main daily service is a 6pm rosary followed by a 7pm Mass, which in summer is celebrated in the huge outdoor arc behind the church. From here an avenue, lined with mosaics representing the rosary's Luminous Mysteries, leads to a garden showcasing a mesmerising 5m-tall bronze statue – the Resurrected Saviour (1998) by Ajdo Ajdić – of Jesus standing crucified yet without a cross.

A small army of priests are on hand to hear confessions in a variety of languages throughout the day.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Bosnia & Hercegovina attractions

1. Apparition Hill

1.05 MILES

A white statue of the Queen of Peace marks the site of the original 1981 visions on the hillside, 2km from central Međugorje. If you're fit you could nip…

2. Cross Mountain

1.15 MILES

Erected in 1933 for the 1900th anniversary of Christ's crucifixion, the giant cross on the top of this 520m mountain has been a place of Catholic devotion…

3. Kravica Waterfall

4.24 MILES

There's a slightly unreal Disney-esque quality to this outstanding natural attraction, where the Trebižat River plummets in a broad 25m-high arc into an…

4. Hajji Alija Mosque

4.75 MILES

Built in 1563, this large, beautiful mosque had its dome and minaret wantonly destroyed by Bosnian Croats in 1993, but it has been meticulously rebuilt,…

5. Narona Archaeological Museum

8.01 MILES

In 1995 archaeologists in Vid made the extraordinary discovery of an Augusteum, a temple dedicated to the cult of the Roman Emperors, built around 10 BC…

6. Partisan Memorial Cemetery

12.06 MILES

Although this cemetery is sadly neglected and badly vandalised, fans of 20th-century socialist architecture should seek out this magnificent memorial…

7. Mostar Peace Bell Tower

12.14 MILES

While some might ponder whether this disproportionately large church bell tower (along with the whopping great cross on the hill above) speaks more of…

8. Crooked Bridge

12.2 MILES

Built around 1558, this pint-sized bridge crosses the tiny Radobolja River amid a layered series of picturesque millhouse restaurants. The original bridge…