Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A Holy Trinity Church was built during interwar Yugoslavia in the center of Banja Luka. The construction of the temple lasted from 1925 to 1929, and was solemnly consecrated on the Day of Salvation in 1939. During the German bombing on April 12, 1941, the temple was hit and the altar section (apse) was significantly damaged. In May of the same year, the Ustashas declared the temple a 'mound of the city' and ordered the Serbs, Jews and Roma to completely demolish it, brick by brick.

During socialist Yugoslavia, while many buildings were rebuilt, the demolished Cathedral was not allowed to be reconstructed. During the Bosnian war, Eparchy of Banja Luka was granted permission for the destroyed temple to be rebuilt, and the monument to fallen soldiers was moved to a nearby site, also owned by the church. The erection of the new temple began in 1993 when the foundations were sanctified. This solemn act was performed by Serbian Patriarch Pavle with the bishops and clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The temple was rebuilt under the name of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, because, in the meantime, a temple was named after the Holy Trinity in Banja Luka (1963-1969), as a memorial to the demolished one, which the Orthodox Serbs thought would never be able construct again.

The cathedral is built of red and yellow travertine stone, originating from Mesopotamia, whose quality (excavation and processing) is guaranteed by prof. Dr. Bilbija, an expert from the Belgrade Institute for Material Testing. It is built with a three-layer wall: stone, reinforced concrete, brick. The domes are covered with golden stainless steel, brought from Siberia. Exterior construction work on the temple was completed on September 26, 2004, when the first liturgy was also served. The liturgy was served by 8 bishops with the clergy and deacons of the Diocese of Banja Luka, with the presence of tens of thousands of believers.

The present temple is architecturally identical to the previous one and is the tallest religious building in Banja Luka, with a bell tower 47 meters high and a 22.5 meter dome. The Bishop's Temple was consecrated by Bishop Ephrem on Salvation Day in 2009.

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

Alfredo Lucas (8 months ago)
Beautiful orthodox church.

Tosin Fabusuyi (9 months ago)
Very beautiful church, small but I love the murals.

Gligi (9 months ago)
Nice Church with a nice Place. Icons are beautiful and it is the heart of Banja Luka.

Drazana (3 years ago)
Amazing place, you can really feel spirituality there.

Karol W. (4 years ago)
A place worth seeing. Inside it is beautiful, gold and rich - like in almost all Orthodox churches. However, one should remain calm and serious, because first of all it is a place of worship and there are many believers in it. In the vicinity of the entrance is (available from outside) a point of sale of Orthodox devotional articles, books and icons.

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