Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos is the largest Orthodox church in Sarajevo and one of the largest of its kind in the Balkans.

The foundation-stone was laid on June 25, 1863 and construction was completed 11 years later in 1874.

The designer of this lovely structure was Andrija Damjanović, who came from Veles (Macedonia) and was a member of the reputable Renzovski family. They had designed and embellished churches all over the Balkans – from Macedonia to Bulgaria and from Turkey to Bosnia.

There is an anecdote that tells of how Andrija had a discussion with the Sarajevo Orthodox Church Council about building the new structure. When they asked him to show some plans or sketches, he told them that there were none, for they need only look to the churches in Niš or Smederevo – the same church would be built in Sarajevo, only more beautiful.