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Rama
through History
Rama spans the area of valleys and canyons
encircled by mountains on all sides, by Ivan and
Bitovnje from the east, Radua from the north,
Ljubua and Vran to the west and vrsnica to the
south.
Behind the Name
Since time immemorial the name Rama has
been used to denote a river and its valley. The
river Rama rose near the village of Varvare and
flew into the Neretva River near the village of
Ustirama. The river was flooded after the
development of the artificial lake, and today
Rama denotes the area split into Upper and Lower
Rama. The Upper Rama includes parishes of it,
Rumboci, Prozor and Uzdol, and the Lower Rama
includes Graac and Doljani. The administrative
center of this region is the town Prozor, and one
part of Lower Rama belongs to the municipality
of Jablanica.
The origin, meaning and the first mention of
the name Rama have been shrouded in mystery
until this day. The fact that the same name
repeatedly appears in the Old Testament of the
Bible and even Hindu literature does little to shed
light on it.

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Rama prije potopa

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Ancient History
Material remains found in the early 20th century bear witness to a very old settlement at the
source of the Rama River, in archeology known
as Velika Gradina (the Great Hill Fort). This site
seemed to have been settled as early as the early
Stone Age. According to archeologists, there was
a settlement in the village of Ometala in the
Brozne Age.
By all indications, Pre-Roman settlers of Rama
were Illyrian Derriopes. There are remains of a
number of buildings from the Roman era around
Velika Gradina in Varvara. This settlement was
situated at the crossroads of major Roman roads.
One of them led to Duvno, and further to Salona,
the other led to Blidinje, and the third road ran
along the Rama and the Neretva river valley
towards Konjic. Among the buildings in Varvara,
there was also a basilica-shaped church. The
church dates from the late ancient period (IV-VI
Dolina Rame, 1928.

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Samostan i crkva na itu, 1928.

century) and thus represents an important

monument of the early Christian period. The
settlement with a church had been identified as
Bistue Vetus and it was assumed to have been the
bishops seat. This assumption, however, has been
abandoned and today experts agree that the
settlement with the church in Varvara was not
after all the bishops seat. It is equally unclear
whether Varvara was named after St. Barbara,
who was tortured in 306 and on whom the
Christian tradition bestowed the title of the
patron saint of miners.
The arrival of Slavs in the 7th century and the
destruction of the church in Varvara heralded the
era of which we have no credible testimony.
Christian community in Rama, however, still
existed as witnessed by an old tradition and
reference to the ancient church of St. Peter.

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Spomen obiljeje poginulima

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Fra Luka Tei, dr. Luka abraji, dr. fra Kazimir Ivi i fra Bono Boi,
it, 1928.

Medieval Parish

16

Historical sources indicate that medieval Rama was an important historical and geographical
area. The Chronicle of the Priest of Doclea mentions the parish of Rama, as a part of Primorje.
Dubrovnik sources also state that Prozor was a
marketing town. In the 12th century Rama is
found in the title of common Hungarian and
Croatian rulers. The true meaning of the name
Rex Ramae (the king of Rama) is hard to
decipher, but the fact is that from this period on
Rama shared the fate of Bosnian state.
Circumstances in Bosnia in this period very
much depended on the plans of Hungary and the
Byzantine Empire, since both of them laid claim
to Bosnia, or at least some parts of it. In the 14
century Bosnia achieved a high level of indepen-

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dence. Accordingly, in 1345 Ban (medieval ruler)

Stjepan Kotromani calls himself banus Bosne,
necnon terrarum Usure, Salis, Dolmine, Crayne,
Rame. Some noblemen from Rama were
respectable members of bans court. One charter
mentions prince Ostoja of Rama who was Bans
attendant.
The center of Rama parish in the 14th and 15th
century was Prozor. In August 1366 Ban Tvrtko I
wrote a charter at our town Prozor and it was
in Prozor that Tvrtko II received a delegation
from Dubrovnik in 1433.
The Franciscans in Rama
After Bosnia fell under the Turkish rule in
1463, Rama was faced with utterly changed
political and religious circumstances. Even before
the Turkish conquest, there was a Franciscan
monastery and a church of Sts. Peter and Paul in
Rama. The fact that the chalice, which people of
it, 1941.

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Rama brought to Sinj (Croatia)

in 1687, has the year 1402
inscribed on it indicates that
the monastery existed as early
as in 1402. Numerous Franciscan sources unequivocally
acknowledge the existence of
the monastery in Rama in late
15th century. By all accounts,
the original site of the monastery was precisely on it, as
witnessed by the graves recently found around the present
day Church and the Monastery. This finding is also a witness to the old
custom of churchyard burials among Catholics.
During the entire period of Turkish rule, the
Franciscans were the only spiritual counsels as
well as guardians of the Catholic community.
Monastery chronicles give ample accounts of
sufferings of Catholics and Franciscans. The
Monastery and the Church were burnt down in
Izletnici iz Rame (fra Kazimir Ivi, fra Vitomir Jelii)
kraj planinskih atora na Draevu

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Sinj, 2008.

1557 for the first time. Franciscans who happened

to be in the Monastery at the time were tortured
and killed, as borne out by the gravestone
inscription found later on: Iam justificati in coelis,
quamvis corpora eorum jacent in terris: (Though
their bodies may lie underneath, righteous they
shall be in heaven). The Rama Monastery met
similar fate several times, in 1667 and in 1682.
Tragic Exodus
The greatest tragedy for Catholics and Franciscans in Rama happened in 1687. The Church and
the Monastery were burnt down again and the
Franciscans together with the people fled to Sinj.
This exodus happened as a consequence of
Turkish oppression as well as Venetian politics
that tried to settle and secure the border areas in
the Dalmatian hinterland. The Franciscans also

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Gospa Ramska - Majka

od milosti - bez nakita,
danas Gospa Sinjska

brought to Sinj a painting of the Virgin Mary,

which had been the subject of particular worship
in Rama. Today the painting is known as the
Blessed Virgin Mary of Sinj. It is hard to give even
rough estimates of the number of Catholics in
Rama at the time as well as the number of those
that fled to the Cetina region. Those who stayed
behind faced new tribulations, they would hide
in the woods, but their faith was preserved.
Even in such harsh circumstances, the Franciscans of Rama made major efforts to provide
education to their young generations. Apparently
in 1626 there was a school within the Monastery
and in 1674 an institution of higher education
and the Franciscan novitiate.
Staying Power

20

After exodus to Sinj, the Franciscans from the

Monastery in Fojnica would come to tend to
those who remained in Rama and who gathered
around burnt Church and Monastery. As at first

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Na Krupiu: Fra Kazimir Ivi i Ilija Faletar na kerepama (splavu)

u pohodu bolesniku

they didnt have a permanent place to stay in

Rama, they would come occasionally to visit
parishioners. According to a tradition recorded
by friar Jeronim Vladi, the Franciscans soon
settled in Rama, first in Proslap and then for
some time in Jaklii. In 1773 they established
parish registers ensuring their regular and
thorough keeping. However, the registers were
destroyed in fire in 1942 when the chetnicks
burnt down the house where they had been put
away.
Despite many hardships, during the 18th and
the first half of the 19th century Rama was visited
on multiple occasions by bishops vicars apostolic. Records also show that Fr. Marijan Bogdanovi and Fr. Grgo Iliji visited Rama in 1768 and
1797 respectively. During their missions, the
bishops celebrated mass with the people and
regularly administered the sacrament of confirmation. Believers usually gathered on it,
around ruins of the Church and Monastery, but

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masses were celebrated in other Rama villages as

well. According to records of Jeronim Vladi, on
26th September 1779 in a church in a place called
it(ovo) in Rama, the eternal and complete
forgiveness was bestowed on those who came to
visit this church and who confessed and received
communion there. Some of the particularly wellknown and remembered parish priests from this
period were Fr. Ludovik Filipovi, Fr. Jako
Krianac, Fr. Marko Grabovac, Fr. Franjo Dobreti, Fr. Mijo ui Younger, Fr. Bono Perii
Construction of the Church and
Monastery on it
The second half of the 19th century saw the
beginning of a more favorable climate for the
Catholics and Franciscans in Rama. In 1855 Fr.
Franjo Franjkovi managed to redeem the
Samostan iz 1857. (lijevo), crkva Uznesenja BDM i samostan iz
1930. (desno), snimljeni 1928.

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formerly Franciscan-owned land on it from

Bey (provincial ruler in the Ottoman Empire)
Dugali. The construction of the new Monastery
on old foundations was initiated by Fr. Pavao
Vujii. Soon after that a spacious house with
twelve rooms, kitchen and parish office was built.
Up until recently, the following was inscribed
above the front door: To Gods fairness and use
by brethrens, I have built this with the help of folks
by Fr. Pavo Vuii, parish priest. Ano Domini
1857. This Monastery served its purpose until
the construction of the new Monastery in
1930ties, after which the former has been transformed into the House of Peace. The people in
Rama used to call the old Monastery the Old
Chapel. Since at the time masses were celebrated
in a twig hut, church construction was considered. The number of parishioners increased and
in 1870 the parish had around 2700 members. It
took three years to get the construction permit.
it, 1928.

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In 1873 on St. Anthonys day the foundation stone

was laid, mostly owing to the efforts of Fr. Ante
Vladi. The construction was going slowly due to
key political milestones: the Congress of Berlin
placed Bosnia and Herzegovina under the
administration of Austria and their army came to
Rama from Duvno on 4th October 1878.
In the next two years, the main works were
completed. Four bells were procured and in 1903
the main church altar was finished. The same
year archbishop Stadler consecrated the new
church on the day of celebration of the Assumption. As a memory to church construction there
is still a tablet in the church with the following
inscription: To the glory of God and purity of
Blessed Virgin Mary with the help of His Highness,
King Franz Joseph I and efforts of Venerable Fr.
Ante Vidi, together with folks built by O. Josip
uri in 1880.
In 1913 the Franciscans decided to build a new
monastery designed by entrepreneur Franjo Holz.
However, hard times set in again: the First World

24

Franjevaki
samostan na
itu iz 1930.

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U crkvi Uznesenja
BDM na itu,
Velika Gospa,
15. 8. 1936.

War broke out in 1914, bringing diseases such as

Spanish influenza and pneumonic plague. Despite all of this, the monastery was roofed in 1920. In
the next decade the works were carried out at a
slower pace so that the monastery was consecrated in 1930.
Calamities of World War II
Further calamities of Catholics and Franciscans in Rama happened during the war as well as
the postwar period. As early as 1941, various
armies marched through Rama. Yugoslav Partisans attacked Prozor and it on 13th July 1942.
They burnt down the Church on it, whereby
the sacristy and the library with valuable church
vestments and large book collections were lost in
the fire. Later on, parish registers, which had been
put away in a house on it, were also destroyed
in fire. The Partisans then also killed Guardian
Fr. Julijan Jurkovi. The location of his grave still
remains unknown.
After this unfortunate event, curate Fr. Viktor
Slikovi remained in the Monastery. Soon after,

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OSTACI
ZAPALJENE
CRKVE NA
ITU

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1942.

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the Partisans arrested, questioned and forced him

to make false statements. He was killed in Prozor
on 16th or 29th September 1942. The parish priest
of Prozor Fr. Petar Peri met the same fate.
The greatest tragedy however befell Rama in
the fall of 1942. In early October, Montenegrin
chetnicks arrived in Rama through Sovii. They
burnt down several villages, and killed all adult
men who hadnt managed to escape. Records
show that around a thousand people were killed
in Rama during World War II. The Franciscans
of Rama, though falsely accused, imprisoned and
wounded, stayed with their flock. They served
not only it parish, but also two other in Prozor
and Uzdol. The Monastery was bombarded but
without major damages. In the fall of 1943 the
Franciscans decided to build a church. The next
year a log cabin was built which they called
basilica. It was only in 1956 that they tore it down.

Panorama Rame prije potapanja

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Drvena
bazilika baraka

Postwar period
On 20th June 1956 works on reconstruction of
the destroyed church on it began. On 4th of
November of the same year the mass was celebrated in the reconstructed church. Three years later,
the church was largely completed. In this period
Franciscan Sisters from the Herzegovina Franciscan Province returned to the Monastery. Since
some of the works on the Church had been
poorly done, in 1965 some improvements were
made. The middle aisle was elevated, the roof was
replaced, the foundations were improved, a new
choir was built and the tower repaired.
From 1966 to 1970, the church amassed valuable art works, the most important of them being
fresco Mary the Patroness of the People of Rama,
by painter Josip Biffel. In early 1960ties large
number of people left Rama to work as guest
workers in the Western European countries. This
to a large extent improved the economic situation
of the families. New family homes were built and

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Obnova crkve na itu, 1965.

the hosts with their financial contributions participated in the reconstruction and construction of
churches.

30

In 1968 a new ordeal ensued for Rama. The

construction of the dam and artificial lake was
completed, flooding several villages and fertile
lands and forcing people to migrate. Most of
them migrated to Zagreb and the surroundings,

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to Popovaa, Pleternica, Rovie and a number of

families settled in Stup, a suburb of Sarajevo. The
parish of it was reduced by half. Every year on
Sunday following the celebration of the Nativity
of Mary, Rama expatriates organize a gathering
in Zagreb.
Recent times
Apart from the regular pastoral activities,
Franciscans of Rama have put major efforts in the
fields of both construction and culture. A new
wing was added to the Monastery on it and the
House of Peace was opened in the old one. In the
extended and redesigned Monastery courtyard a
number of outstanding works of art have been installed including: The Cross of Rama, the Last
Supper and the Mother of Rama.
On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of
migration to Sinj, historical and theological symposium was held on it in September of 1987,
and on the celebration of the Nativity of Mary, a
solemn mass was celebrated by the archbishop of
Zagreb cardinal Franjo Kuhari. For this event
the people of Sinj brought the painting of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and returned it to Sinj two
days after it.
Celebration marking the 700th anniversary of
the arrival of Franciscans to Bosnia was held on
it in early June 1991. Though the patronage of
the church and the parish is the Assumption of
the Virgin Mary, every year the Nativity of Mary
is also solemnly celebrated with a large number
of pilgrims.

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The War of 1992-1995

Just as the whole country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rama was also hard hit by consequences
of the recent war. At first there was an immediate
danger posed by Serbian Army that in April 1992
occupied Kupres. A front line was established
towards Kupres municipality where several young
men from Rama were killed. Majority of Rama
people then had fled to other areas, but soon after
almost all of them returned. In August 1992 Serbs
bombarded Rama from Kupres, killing a number
of civilians, mostly in town area of Prozor.

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In October 1992, the conflict between the

Croats and the Muslims began in Rama. Apart
from soliders on both sides, civilians were killed,
in particular in Uzdol and Doljani in the summer
of 1993. In total 163 Croatian soldiers and civilians
were killed in the last
war in Rama, including the village of
Doljani, which belongs to the municipality of Jablanica.

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New parishes
Despite hard circumstances endured as a result
of willfulness of the Ottoman bureaucrats, in the
early 19th century the Rama Franciscans wanted
to establish new parishes. The congregation increased and in 1834 decision was made to
establish a new parish in Lower Rama.
a) Graac
Two years after this decision, the land was
purchased and the house was built in Trijeani
(Triani), at first having a status of chaplaincy
and in 1860 it was proclaimed a parish. Fr. Bono
Milii purchased the land in 1888 in Graac,
Crkva na Graacu iz 1893., nova crkva iz
1959. godine i upna kua (dolje)

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K. Kovai: Sv. Anto, 2009.

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Crkva na Graacu iz 1893. godine

since this village was more suitable as a parish

center. The construction of the house and church
began in 1892 during the tenure of Fr. Andrija
Tomi. The church was completed and consecrated on 21st April 1901. As the Neretva Dam was
built, Jablanica Lake flooded the church and the
parish house. The new house was completed in
1957 and the church in 1959. The present day
parish house in Graac was built in late 1980ties.
The church recently received valuable works of
art. The patron saint of the parish is St. Anthony
of Padua.

Potapanje upne kue na Graacu, 1956.

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b) Doljani
The new parish in Graac also included
villages of Doljani and Sovii. As these were quite
distant from the parish center, the establishment
of one more parish was considered. Tradition has
it that the Rama Franciscans used to celebrate
mass at Elias cave at the entry into Doljani. The
new parish was founded in 1882. Soon after, the
parish house was built, which also served as the
church for some time. In 1893 the parish church
was completed and it was used until 1973 when

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Stara crkva u Doljanima

the new one was built. The tower was completed

in 2002. The old parish house was used until
1989. This parish also includes the site Kedara
(Turkish: girl) on Vran mountain, location of the
grave of Diva Graboveva (The Maiden of
Grabovac). The patron saint of the parish is St.
Elias the Prophet.

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Grob
Mijata Tomia

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c) Uzdol

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Nova i stara crkva na Uzdolu

The parish of Uzdol was founded in 1856.

Three years later the church was built, the only
one at the time in Rama area. The present day
church was built in 1985. The Franciscans
surrendered the parish to diocesan priests in
1907. The grave of Fr. Stjepan Barii, killed in
WWII, is located in Donja Vast in this parish. The
patron saint of the parish is St. John the Baptist.

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Stara crkva na Uzdolu

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d) Prozor
In the summer of 1906, Prozor with surrounding villages was separated from the it parish.
The new parish was given to diocesan priests. The
present day church
was completed in
1964, and the parish
house in 1980ties.
The parish is dedicated to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.

Stara crkva snimljena

1940. i nova crkva u
Prozoru

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e) Rumboci
The artificial lake was the main reason to establish one more parish. This was the subject of a
conversation with the Archbishop of Vrhbosna.
In accordance with the contract between the Ordinariate and the Provincial signed on 15th March
1971, the parish was given to the Franciscans, and
the new parish priest took over on 6th May of the
same year. The construction of the
new parish house and church in
Rumboci started in October
1972. The church foundations
were consecrated in July the
following year. The works of
art in the church include in
particular a stained-glass window on the southern wall of
the church done by Draen
Trogrli. The patron saint of the
parish is St. Francis of Assisi.

Crkva sv. Franje u Rumbocima

J. Poljan: Sv. Franjo

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