the church of st. filip and jacob

After visiting many beautiful and vibrant places across Croatia, I found Vukovar to be the sad point of my trip. Even though the war ended years ago, there are still reminders of the damage caused. Seeing the pictures and relics of the damage caused to this church, I was amazed at how beautiful it now looks.

I struggled to rate this place as to rate it high could be interpreted as glorifying war. But this is not the case as I believe if you want an appreciation of the devastation that war can bring this is a must. The devastating story that is Vukovar, Croatia was so difficult for us to comprehend coming from a country that has very little war within it. We felt for the people and even today over 20 years later the signs of devastation are obvious for all to see. What is not obvious though is the physiological damage that will continue for much longer. The Church of St Filip and Jacob give hope for the future. It is a must to visit on your way to the water tower destroyed by the bombing.

I have been to this church several times since 2004 and have heard alot of stories from people who have actually been there during the war. It is unbelievable to see the destruction that has been done to this once beautiful city and what was gained from it. Over the last year every time I came back another bit of the church was redone which is very nice to see. The church as it sits right now isnt the prettiest one you will ever see but the background story makes it worth the visit. The pictures at the entrance of the church, where you can see how it was before the war and how it was after the war are very impressive.

We went to the Church of Sts. Philip & Jacob and heard a talk about the Croatian-Serbian war of 1991(through an interpreter) by one of the priests . The talk and slide show was presented in the Auditorium. The Church was severly damaged during that war and the pain felt by this priest was still very evident. Then we went into the Church passing by photos of what the church had looked like before the war and how it looked immediately after. The church at this time has been restored but not at all to it's previous condition. The priest continued his talk from the pulpit, describing how the Serbs drilled big holes in the walls of the Church after they had basically destroyed the interior. They had planned to put dynomite in these holes to totally finish the destruction but the United Nations troops came and prevented that. One of the holes was left for us to see. It was very sad to see how hatred between people can lead to such destruction. But the tour was very informative and this place is NOT to be missed if you are near Vukovar.

Elle a beaucoup souffert de l'offensive serbe. Elle est maintenant complètement rénovée, seul l'impact d'un obus a été conservé. La foi demeure pour les catholiques vukovarien, et pourtant ....