In the text that follows, we provide a detailed description of the book "Church of Saint Luke the Apostle" recently promoted in the church treasury, as part of the program of the celebration of 185 years of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" (1839) Kotor.

The photo guide "Church of Saint Luke the Apostle" was published in 2024, the texts were prepared by priests Milivoje Bakić and Nemanja Krivokapić, Prof. Ljiljana Čolan and Prof. Stevan Kordić, who also edited the book for printing and is the author of all the photos in this guide.

Work on the book began in the fall of 2023, thanks to the archival materials prepared for us by Father Milivoje Bakić, then we used the Proceedings from the scientific meeting The Church of Saint Luke through the Ages from October 1995, and we ourselves directly investigated the interior of the temple .

The printing of the book was helped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RS, the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the region, within the framework of the Otac Momo project, which we are implementing for the 4th time in a row.

(Within the framework of the "Father Momo" project, which we are implementing with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, the following editions were published as a special form of commemoration of the archbishop of Boko Kotor, parish priest of Kotor, archpriest Stavrophora Momčilo Krivokapić:

The book "FATHER MOMO" (texts about a blessed father, two editions) was promoted as a tribute to Father Momo in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kotor in 2021 and in the Crypt of the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade in 2022; at the Trg od knjije fair in Herceg Novi, the book received recognition for the best design and quality, the editors of the book are Prof. Dr. Mihajlo Pantić and Ljiljana Čolan, and the design and layout was done by Dušan Šević.

The brochure "The blow finds a spark in the stone" - the reaction of painters and writers regarding the demolition of Njegoš's chapel in Lovćen (it is a kind of catalog for drawings created in 1971, which Father Momo received when he consecrated the church of St. Peter Cetinje in Prčanje in 1982. year); the catalog was promoted in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotor in May 2022, editors for the press are priest Nemanja Krivokapić, Ljiljana Čolan and Novica Zečević;

As part of this project, a lecture by Prof. Dr. Dragan Milin "Translation of the Old Testament" was held in May 2022, as well as an evening of talks "Father Momo and Cuce" where the song about Father Momo, by the young fiddler Nikola Krivokapić, was promoted in June 2023.)

The architecture has largely preserved its appearance from 1195, when the church was built.

In a typological sense, the Church of St. Luke in Kotor is one of a series of single-nave, single-domed churches, which were built in western Serbian countries starting from the end of the 11th century. It is similar to the single-nave, single-domed churches in southern Italy, and their origins are in Byzantine architecture. The peculiarities of the classicism of the Byzantine architecture of that time are: flat stone facades, rhythmically built, deliberate use of spolia, window and door frames.

The dome system of the Church of Saint Luke in Kotor is distinguished by the shape of the arches, which have a pronounced break in the crown, similar to Gothic architecture. Arches of such shapes are rare at that time, not only in Romanesque in the eastern Adriatic area, but also in Italian Romanesque. Milka Čanak Medić believes that similar forms were represented in the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (first half of the 12th century). The dome has a two-tiered base in the form of a prism, similar to churches in Raš. On its eastern side there is a semicircular apse with a biforum. The architecture of this Kotor church thus combines in its key spatial form the solutions taken from the rural architecture of Apulia with the forms characteristic of the churches of Raš (starting from Studenica).

In the founding inscription, the area of ​​Kosna or (Hvosna) is mentioned, which is related to Metohija, and the construction of the Visoki Dečani church.

Translation of the inscription:

 † In the name of Christ, the year since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, one thousand ninety-five, the thirteenth indict, I, Mavro, son of Andrije Katsafrangi, together with Buona, my wife, daughter of Prior Vasilij, erect a church in honor of God and Saint Luke, the apostle and evangelist, for the healing of our souls and of all faithful Christians. During the time of Lord Nemanja, the great prefect, and his son Vukan, king of Duklja, Dalmatia, Travunia, Toplica and Kosna. All of you who are reading, may it be worthy of you to pray for us, that Christ may be our eternal life, amen.

The leafy vine from the doorpost of Saint Luke can be found on the parapet slab of the monastery from Miholjska Prevlaka, which is most similar to the parapet slab from Saint Michael in Kotor in terms of motif repertoire, type of stone and stonework.

The interior architecture is almost completely preserved.

The entire church was frescoed, which can be seen from the fragments in several places in the church, and today only one fresco on the south wall has been preserved. Other frescoes were destroyed over the centuries.

In the preparation of the book, the already mentioned collection of works from the scientific conference Sveti Luka through the Ages from 1995 was used, as well as the archive material of the Church Municipality of Kotor.

The following reflections on the preserved fresco were found in the works of the anthology:

"The fresco is located in a niche on the right side of the only ship. In the recess of the niche, a religious painting of prayer is presented, in the center of which is the (arch)bishop with two female saints, while the inner side of the arch and the lower parts of the niche are decorated with stylized plant motifs, with an imitation of drapery at the bottom.

Of the two saints, the one on the right side of the bishop (on the left for the observer) is marked with an attribute of royal dignity, a crown, which is matched by the richness of her clothes. Along with the arabesque border around the neck, embroidered patches on the upper arm and wide beads decorated - used by the other saint as well - the aristocratic origin of the saint is also emphasized by a wide band, with arabesque and beads, longer down the middle of the dress to the feet. Both saints must have been depicted as martyrs, given that before the restoration, at least one of the two noblewomen had visible traces of the cross in her left hand." (Valentino Pace: Fresco in the Church of St. Luke in Kotor and the memory of the Roman church, Zbornik papers from the scientific conference Church of Saint Luke through the ages, 1997)

In the identification of the three saintly characters, scientists had several different opinions. Thus, Anika Skovran (in the work "Newly discovered frescoes in the church of Saint Luke in Kotor, Zograf 4, 1972, 76-77) believed that the central figure was Saint Basil, and she saw Saint Helena in the saint with the crown. Vojislav J. Đurić, however, suggests identifying the archbishop as the Pope of Rome, St. Sylvester, and the two saints as martyrs, Katarina and Varvara (in the work "Fresco in the Church of St. , 225-238).

The painter who was entrusted with this work was most likely of local origin. Original and visible in the painter's manuscript is the use of shadow, insistence on decorative drawing, ornamental repertoire, heart-shaped and cruciform border on the archivolt. If it had been found on Italian soil, the fresco from Kotor would have been evaluated as a typical testimony of the "Maniera Greca". The omophorus and the gesture of blessing represent the Greek symbols of the saint, while the miter and bishop's staff represent the Latin symbols. In art culture, the fresco is associated with the time in which it was created as a "late chimney". Other frescoes were destroyed over the centuries.

The iconostasis of the Church of St. Luke consists of valuable icons created in the period from the 16th to the 18th century, and they are mostly the work of the famous Bokokotor school of icon painting, Dimitrijević-Rafailović.

Archpriest-stavrofor Momčilo Krivokapić states in his work "History of Icons and Iconostasis in the Church of St. Luke in Kotor" (Proceedings of the scientific conference Church of St. Luke through the Ages, 1997) that we have the first concrete trace of the iconostasis on the now existing "kemer (to the butler) above the southern altar door where the year 1689 is inscribed. Undoubtedly, the "kemer" above the northern altar door was made by the same hand.

Over the centuries, the iconostasis changed its appearance. Some of the icons that previously belonged to him are now kept in the Treasury of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Kotor. There are three doors on today's wooden iconostasis. The middle two-leaf door - the imperial door was made in 1777 in gilded carving. On them are the icons of the Annunciation, the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the icon of Saint George, which are most likely the work of the Rafailović-Dimitrijević-Daskal school of iconography from Boko Kotor. The imperial doors were a gift from Per Joketić or Jovetić, as is written on the preserved inscription on the doors themselves. There are some indications that the doors existed even before 1777, namely in the Register of the Dead from 1772 it is written that someone was buried in 1722 "in a coffin in the middle of the imperial doors".

The floor of the church is composed of 17 numbered tombs. According to some assumptions, over 3,000 people were buried in them, while Kotor was under siege. Priests were buried in tombs with inscriptions. In one, a millenarian stonecutter was buried with his wife, 1351 (western aisle, along the northern wall). On the opposite side is most likely the tomb of the founder of the church.

Between the doors are placed four throne icons, which, looking from left to right, show: St. John the Baptist, the Virgin with Christ on the throne, Christ as the great Hierarch and the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. The enthroned icons of St. John the Baptist and Christ as the Great Hierarch are considered to be the work of the same master. Together with the throne icon of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, they are the work of Italo-Cretan masters.

Above the three doors, icons are placed, looking from left to right: Holy Trinity - Hospitality of Abraham, Deisis in wood carving and gilding, Unsleeping eye. A carved deisy is above the imperial doors, also carved and gilded. In terms of dimensions, it is slightly narrower than the imperial doors, which may indicate that they were not created at the same time and that they were not painted by the same hand. Due to their stylistic features, the three icons above the door are probably the work of the Rafailović-Dimitrijević-Daskal school of iconography from Boko Kotor. The Sleepless Eye icon contains an inscription stating the year 1689, which indicates that it is probably the work of Dimitrije Rafailović Daskal himself, the founder of the Boko Kotor iconographic school. There is also an opinion that these icons are the work of Maksim Tujković's painting school.

The Great Crucifixion of Christ on top of the iconostasis was vividly painted in 1708. Looking from top to bottom, there is a large icon of Christ on the cross and smaller icons depicting the Holy Mother of God and the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, two angels, the Sun and the Moon, a spear and a reed, and all on two nemanas very similar to fish. The entire composition of the Great Crucifixion, except for the painted part, is carved and gilded. Judging by the Greek insignia, the icon of Christ on the cross was made by a Greek master, while the rest of the icons are compositions of the Crucifixion of Christ, probably the work of Dimitrije Rafailović Daskal, which is indicated by the year of creation.

The famous icon Christ Elkomenos is the work of a skilled Cretan craftsman from the 18th century, and was formerly in the altar of the Church of Saint Luke. Today it is kept in the Treasury of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Kotor.

It should also be noted that a part of the icons, which previously belonged to the Church of St. Luke, was transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas. Unfortunately, some of them perished in the fire that destroyed the old church of St. Nicholas in 1896.

In the church, as a special relic, a fragment of the relics of the Holy Apostle Luke, as well as a part of the relics of the Holy Five Star Martyrs and a fragment of the relics of Saint Barbara are kept.

Silver lamps (XVIII-XIX century) are the handiwork of Kotor craftsmen. The stone baptismal font near the front door is from the 19th century.

Next to the church of St. Luke, there is a small chapel dedicated to St. Spyridon the miracle worker, which was added in the 17th century, initially as a monk's cell, and from the 18th century as a church. Its iconostasis is from the 18th century, it is the work of the Italo-Cretan school of icon painting. On the wall next to the iconostasis, there are silver shackles from throne icons.

The throne icons are: Jesus Christ, the Virgin with Christ and Saint Spyridon. In the middle are the imperial doors (single-winged) on which Jesus Christ the Great Hierarch is depicted. The throne icons were chained with silver chains in 1786 and 1791 (founders Ilija Vlastelinović and Niko Ognjenović). Above them are the compositions: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Laying of Christ in the tomb and Presentation of Saint Spyridon. In the plinth, below the icon of the Virgin, there is a representation of the Virgin – the Life-giving Spring and a large flower of bright colors, and under the throne icons of Christ and Saint Spyridon is the Sacrifice of Abraham.

Both in the church of St. Luke and in the chapel of St. Spiridon, services are held regularly. Both buildings bear witness to the faith of the people of Kotor throughout the ages. This faith, apart from its spiritual dimension, also expressed itself physically in the need to build these churches as harmonious and successful works of medieval architecture, and then to decorate them with frescoes, icons, carvings, and works of silver and gold. Combining foreign influences, primarily from Byzantium and Italy, with local architectural and artistic traditions created in Kotor and its wider surroundings, the Church of Saint Luke belongs to the Mediterranean culture of the Middle Ages. Its spiritual mission, as well as the beauty that adorns it, make this church, together with the chapel of Saint Spyridon, one of the most significant monuments of Kotor.

The prayer to Saint Luke was read at the promotion by Elena Simović, a third-grade student at Kotor Gymnasium.