Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo tickets: which one to buy

The Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart stands on Ferhadija, the pedestrian street that runs from the Austro-Hungarian part of Sarajevo into the Ottoman old town, and entry is free. It is the largest Catholic church in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the seat of the Archbishop of Sarajevo. Walking tours of Sarajevo almost always stop in front of it, because it marks the meeting point of the city's cultures, a few minutes from the Orthodox cathedral, the Gazi Husrev-beg mosque and the old synagogue, and because the pavement nearby holds one of the Sarajevo Roses, the scars of mortar shells from the siege filled with red resin.

The statue of Pope John Paul II, who visited in 1997, stands beside the cathedral. The church is active and busy with worshippers, and visiting pauses during mass. Modest dress is expected. Nothing needs booking, and the cathedral fits into any walk through the centre. A small shop by the side door sells candles and religious souvenirs.

Visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo: what to see

The cathedral was built between 1884 and 1889, shortly after Austria-Hungary took control of Bosnia from the Ottoman Empire, and it was designed by the architect Josip Vancas, who shaped much of Habsburg Sarajevo. Its neo-Gothic style, with twin towers and a rose window, was inspired by Notre-Dame in Dijon, and it introduced the look of a central European city to a townscape of mosques and wooden houses. The towers appear on the flag and coat of arms of Sarajevo Canton.

Inside, the cathedral is tall and bright, with painted decoration, stained glass windows made in Innsbruck, and a marble altar. The walls carry frescoes painted by the Slovene artist Ivan Zajec. The building was damaged by shelling during the siege of 1992 to 1995 and has been restored. Its front steps are a meeting point for local residents, and the square in front is lively throughout the day. Side altars hold statues of saints carved in Tyrol, and the organ gallery above the entrance carries an instrument rebuilt after the war.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, and visiting is restricted during masses, which are frequent on Sundays. Mornings are quiet. Sarajevo is pleasant in late spring and early autumn, hot in summer and cold and snowy in winter. The Sarajevo Film Festival in August fills the city with visitors, and Christmas and Easter bring large congregations. The cathedral is floodlit in the evening, when Ferhadija is busy with people strolling and sitting in cafes.

The Bascarsija old bazaar, the Latin Bridge and the City Hall are all within fifteen minutes' walk. Allow about twenty minutes for the cathedral, and look for the Sarajevo Rose on the pavement before walking east into the old town, where the architecture changes abruptly at a line marked on the ground as the meeting of cultures. Trams along the river stop at the Latin Bridge and at the Bascarsija, a few minutes from the cathedral.