Three and a half decades after it was built on church land, the city chapel in Budva will be demolished and moved to a new cemetery, about a hundred meters from its current location, so that the Serbian Orthodox Church can build the largest temple on the Montenegrin coast.
This is foreseen in the Draft Urban Project for the complex of the Orthodox Cathedral in Budva, which was approved three days ago by the Government at a session presided over by the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.
By the New Year, the municipality should adopt the budget, as well as the Investment Plan for the following year, when it will be known whether money will be allocated for the construction of the new chapel.
On the site of the church of Saint Petka, the construction of the temple of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark is planned, which was announced by the late Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral for "Vijesti" four years ago. Amphilochius, stating that it will be the decoration of the city.
"God willing, we will build the temple of Apostle Mark, and now that depends on the people of Budva. And it should be built, because it is the oldest temple that was. It is time to restore that temple. Apostle Mark is over that lion (St. Mark is usually depicted with a winged lion in paintings, because he emphasizes the power of resurrection and overcoming death - prim aut.), and the lion is in the coat of arms of Montenegro. If we want to sanctify the coat of arms of Montenegro in the right way, then we should also build the temple of the Holy Apostle Mark", said the Metropolitan...
Even two decades ago, when Amfilohije and the then city fathers from the DPS ordered the completion of the chapel, the city authorities were aware that it would have to be removed when the time came for the city to become a temple.
Belfry, plateau, parking lot
And from the new Government, it was explained that the planning basis for creating the UP "Orthodox Cathedral Complex" was given in the Detailed Urban Plan "Podkošljun", which also defined the expansion of the cemetery.
"Ambient and functional connectivity, as well as urban disposition, point to the necessity of planning consideration of blocks 18 and 29 as a single unit of about 3,3 hectares", announced the Government.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property is tasked with organizing a public discussion and after that preparing and submitting to the Government the Proposal of the Urban Project, with the Report on the conducted public discussion.
As written in the Urban Project, the main goal to be achieved is the provision of planning prerequisites for the construction of the temple. It is stated that at the same time it is necessary to create planning preconditions for the relocation of the existing city chapel from block 18 to the neighboring block 29, considering that it is necessary to be in operation before the construction of the temple begins.
In block 18, a temple with an accompanying building, a bell tower and a plateau is planned. A parking space with about 170 spaces is planned, the preservation of the Main cemetery and the preservation of the complex of the Church of Saint Petka in accordance with the Cultural Heritage Protection Study, the relocation of the existing city chapel from block 18 to block 29, the completion of the construction of a residential and commercial building in accordance with the conceptual solution on which was approved by the city architect...
In Block 29, the construction of a new city chapel with a plateau is planned in accordance with the project of the existing city chapel, access service road, expansion and arrangement of the existing cemetery.
The existing chapel is the author's work of the architect Slobodan Bob Mitrović from Budva.
The municipality announced a competition for the chapel in 1986, when Mitrović won the award. That was decided by the jury Tupa Vukotić, Kana Radovic i Stevan Luketić. The main project was done by RZUP and in 1987 the building was roughly completed, when it stopped, so that the chapel would be completed in 2005...
Narrow majority, HDL, SPC...
Two years ago, the then Minister of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism Ratko Mitrović he informed the mayor of Budva Marko Tsarević that the government department started the development of an urban project that will include three hectares of land of the Metropolis of Montenegro and the Littoral - the property of the church of Sveta Petka on the bypass, in order to create opportunities to build the largest cathedral on the Montenegrin coast.
In the summer of 2020, the Metropolis handed over to the then Acting Chief City Architect Mladen Ivanovic request for consent to the conceptual design of the future temple. Ivanović, referring to the valid DUP "Podkošljun", presented to the Metropolis that it is necessary to prepare an urban plan for the church complex, which was then the responsibility of the Ministry of Sustainable Development.
Back in 2019, the municipality announced a public call for the creation of the conceptual and main project of the chapel in Budva, for which it allocated 14.950 euros. However, nothing has been done since then, although the new city administration from the ranks of the former DF was full of mouths that they would do everything to remove the chapel and enable the construction of the temple.
The decision to start the construction of a large temple was certainly influenced by the business arrangement of the SPC with the HDL company, because the Metropolis leased the adjacent plot, next to the chapel, for two decades to a shopping chain, which built a two-story hypermarket on that site and four more floors with 59 apartments.
In order for HDL to be able to build a supermarket, it was necessary to complete the plot, so at the beginning of November 2018, the Assembly, by a narrow committee majority, gave the green light to the supermarket chain to sell 154 square meters of municipal land to them for 483 thousand euros.
The green light to build a supermarket was given by ten councilors of the then ruling coalition - six from DF, three from Montenegro, SNP, and an independent councilor Stevan Džaković. Nine councilors were against it - seven Democrats, an independent councilwoman Dragana Vujović and councilor of URA Bozena Jelušić.
Mitrović: There is no place for a temple next to a supermarket
Architect Mitrović wrote a letter to the Metropolitan two years ago to Joaniki and the chief state architect Vladan Stevović, but claims he never received an answer.
In the letter, which "Vijesti" had access to, Mitrović informed the Metropolitan that the construction of a temple on the site of the current chapel would represent a continuation of Budva's urbanization, which, as he stated, now includes the church.
Mitrović mentioned Bečići as the ideal location for the construction of the temple, and that it should be dedicated to Saint Stefan Štiljanović...
"This letter of mine aims to reconsider some earlier decisions, so please accept it and understand it in good faith. I feel the need to analyze some issues of the construction of the temple in Budva and point out the completely neglected area of Bečić and St. Stefan Štiljanović. When it comes to the location Sveta Petka - Sv. Friday was the Main-Braić Cathedral. The post-war authorities did not respect this, but instead carried out burials around it, contrary to the canons, because there are no burials around the Cathedral. That's right, St. Petka became a cemetery church. St. Mark's Baptistery was built unscientifically, without historical data, stylistically alien to the Orthodox churches in this area, by an architect Slobo Dragović, and disturbed the harmony in the space... The authentic Main and Pashtro coastal ambience was alienated, by introducing an inadequate type and style of construction, without sacredness. Konak St. Petke is oversized, contrary to conservation conditions (which I wrote in 2003-2007). An environment has been created where approaching the church cars and graves dominate, which disturbs the act, when the faithful come to the liturgy", stated Mitrović in a letter to Joniki.
The town chapel in Budva is my project from 1986. I won the competition. My writing is not motivated to save it from demolition. Of course, let it be demolished, but to get a better and better solution, which such a location makes impossible. I hope that this analysis of the construction of the temple in Budva is not superfluous. I am at your disposal for any further need
As he stated, the city chapel was enclosed in a green buffer, located on the road, and is functional for expressing condolences and a short stay.
"A large supermarket (HDL) with a large parking lot made that part of Budva the most frequent, especially from May to November, and created an area of all kinds of conflict. Calm and God-inspired believers with their families and children collide with citizen shoppers, traders, carts, suppliers, exhaust fumes, etc. In 50 meters, two completely divergent contents, in a small space of opposing contents and purposes. The planned magnificent temple is squeezed between the parish house and the supermarket, and no matter how it is placed (east - west), only one side is open to the road and approach, and on three sides it is closed and inaccessible and invisible. You will admit that a temple that does not dominate the space to be seen from a distance, to radiate its divine mission, must first of all have a good location, visible from everywhere".
He also stated that "the Church of St. Vasilij Ostroški in Nikšić is a positive example", and the opposite in the Podmaine monastery "where instead of approaching the portal - the face of the church, you approach from the back only because the project implementers did not take into account micro-urbanism and the approach to the monastery".
"All these details are important for the psychological state of the believers, as well as for the mission and visual radiation of the church in the city area, which also affects those who are not believers. To all this, let me add that a magnificent temple has no place next to a cemetery, and the church of St. Petke and the Podmaine monastery at a distance of 500 meters have pretty much formed the habits of the surrounding population for liturgies on Sundays and holidays. This location does not have any advantages that would satisfy the planned grand temple".
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