Fethija mosque

About

The Fethija Mosque (Serbo-Croatian: Fethija džamija) is a mosque and former Catholic church, located in the town of Bihać, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina political division of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Built in 1266 as a church, it is the oldest Gothic building in the country.

It was originally built as a Catholic church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, and was subsequently transformed into a mosque following the 1592 conquest of Bihać from Habsburg Croatia by the Ottoman Empire. The building was originally accompanied by a Dominican monastery, which was also mentioned in a 13th-century charter of the Croatian nobility.

The Gothic bell tower of the building served as a minaret until 1863, when it was so dilapidated that it was pulled down and a new minaret was erected. During World War II the mosque was damaged – the roof and all the wooden elements in the interior were burnt, and there was damage to the minaret. After World War II conservation works on building commenced.