St. James Church

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During Mass	The Altar	In the Distance	Steeples	St James & Statue

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Exterior Work	Interior Work	St James 11/95	St James 11/95	St James 11/95

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St. James Church

The story of St James church began in 1897, only five years after Medjugorje became an independent parish, with the construction of a small place of worship. Not only was it small, but it was built on sinking, quake-prone earth. The building soon began to crack, and its tower came to lean more than Pisa's.

A new, larger church was designed right after World War I, yet various delays kept the foundations from being laid until 1936. Construction did not get under way until 1940. World War II and Yugoslavia's bloody civil strife prevented anything more being done on the church until 1966. Even though the interiors were not yet finished, St. James was finally blessed January 19, 1969.

Intriguingly, the church was much larger than it needed to be. All that, of course, changed on June 24, 1981. Within days of the first apparitions, the Franciscans of the parish managed to focus attention on Mass and the Eucharist. The location of the apparitions was moved to the church in 1982, after a government crackdown on outdoor gatherings.

International attention has brought to St. James the ability to make many improvements. The church itself has been covered with a sheet of copper, with stained glass windows by Branamir Dorotic being added in 1987. Looking to the altar from the main doorway, the 14 windows on the right show events from Mary's life, and the 14 windows on the left describe her role in the church. There is one special window that shows a heavenly lady gazing down on six simple peasant children of Medjugorje.

The spacious paved square in front of the church was completed in 1988, with a beautiful statue of Our Lady in Carrara marble by Italy's Dino Felici. The statue was created from descriptions given by the visionaries.

The central event of every day in Medjugorje, takes place at St. james. The Rosary begins at 5:00pm, stopping for silence during the apparition at 5:40pm and leading into the Croatian Mass at 6:00pm. This is a powerful Mass, even to pilgrims who speak no Croatian. The abundance of priests, from all over the world, makes possible Masses in English, German, French, Italian, and other languages throughout the day.

Last Modified 01/14/97