Crkva sv. Ante Padovanski

In the tapestry of Bihać's history, the parish unfolds its story, rooted in the ancient soil since the 13th century. Picture a medieval Bihać adorned with six or seven churches — St. Anthony, St. Elizabeth, St. Mary, St. Lucy, St. James, Holy Spirit, and St. Mary Magdalene. Traveling to the mid-17th century, the Bihać parish takes center stage, its church weathered by time. It fades into the shadows during the tumultuous Vienna War (1683 - 1699), reappearing only in the echoes of 1741. Then, a whisper in 1768 speaks of a humble mission, tended to by a devoted priest. The parish records begin their tale in 1771. The 19th century dawns with a parish priest's dream to build on the sacred land of Križ. Yet, Ottoman authority forbids the dream's realization. It takes the breath of freedom in 1885 to see the construction of the parish church, standing proud in 1891. Bombed in 1943, it endured, a testament to resilience. The current octagonal beauty, crowned with a bell tower, rose from the ashes in 1972. The parish house, a silent witness to centuries, took form in 1900 and, with each passing year, stands as a sanctuary. The Franciscans, custodians of faith, danced on the edges of Bihać's embrace. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, their dwelling whispers in the winds of Kralje; by the 1840s, it finds solace in Vedro Polje. The priest's steps ascend Križ's hill in 1855, where a home blooms in 1860. Now, cast your gaze to the sisters of devotion. Since August 24, 1894, the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ have graced Bihać. Their convent of St. Joseph, a sanctuary of faith and knowledge, echoes with a story of service. World War II shadows their school, a beacon of enlightenment, nationalized post-war but resilient in purpose. In 1991, the Bihać parish, a living testament to time, counted 3,620 faithful hearts (1974: 4,200). Today, its embrace shelters 2,961, a community eternally intertwined with the vibrant threads of Bihać's narrative.