Life project of the hrvoje stonemasons from Gradac: ‘With mules I renew the church on the top of Biokovo!’
I believe that will In this church, Mass was once again served in the future, it is a great wish for me. My renovation is my life project, I look at the top of the mountain from a young age, Paškal, to that church, Hrvoje Andrijašević, a stonemason from Gradac, who began a large and demanding project of renovating the old church located at the top of the mountain plan, on the slopes of Biokovo, more precisely at 712 meters above sea level, without access to the car.
– As a kid, I was climbing upstairs, and now in adulthood, I forged plans to renew it one day. That day he finally arrived. But it’s not easy, there is a need for great renunciations, all other jobs have stopped, private life is suffering, my family does not see me. I leave at 6 o’clock in the morning, return late in the evening – Hrvoje is honest.
– The church was made by the old people from Gradac because there is a arable land in Graca Mountain. Every Sunday, Mass was used for shepherds, because the village was lower, closer to the sea. My late grandfather was baptized in that church, and the Mass was served in it until 1937 or 1938 – says Hrvoje. The church was already in poor condition.
– I estimate that it was built in the late 17th century or early 18th, based on the years I found carved on the stone in it – Hrvoje is grateful for having the opportunity to fulfill her desires.
And this was greatly assisted by the Tourist Board of the Gradac Municipality, as well as the municipality of Gradac, which fund the whole project.
– The first idea About the reconstruction of the church of St. Paskala came to me when I graduated from a stonemason’s school, and in 2009 she was in a derunal state. Then I started working in Makarska, so I cooled a little from the idea, but every time I went upstairs, the desire would increase – he recalls.
Recently, the time has finally come, so he shared his idea and vision of renovation with others.
– I presented the idea to the Mayor of Gradac Matko Burić and the director of the Tourist Board Jelena Mateljak, and they were delighted – says Hrvoje. He was already ready to start operating because he sought old records and photographs of the church in advance because the idea is to bring it back to the original state.
– I searched the old writings about the church in the monastery in Zaostrog, but I could not find the specific years or more accurate descriptions – says Hrvoje.
– I have pictures and footage from 2000, which I shot as a kid when I climbed Pagal with my friends, while the church was still somewhat in good condition. Fortunately, I recorded just about everything from the inside and out, as if I had already known what I was going to do after 25 years – Hrvoje is happy for a mix of those circumstances.
But as the beginning of the works approached, he experienced disappointment.
– The director of the Tourist Board with a letter sought the help of the MOD, to transfer the necessary material and tools to the top of the helicopter in a few hours. The helicopter is not approved to us – Hrvoje is honest. Still, this did not hesitate, so he started his renovation in mid -November last year.
– From the shepherds I borrowed Ivana Zecic. With the car, I brought the necessary material as long as I could, and then I would have poured it to the mules and went up and down with mules and burden several times a day. This lasted more than five months, only as I switched the necessary material and tool, and I always miss something further – laughs Hrvoje, holding on to the still painful back.
– I carried a concrete mixer all the way all the way, all the way to the top, more than 700 meters. Aggregate also. I had to clean the branches before starting the material and the path to clean the path, because my bags of cement on mules often broke through. I always had a large sticky ribbon with me, so I would stick when the bag cracked and torn apart. Because in vain your effort to transmit everything to the top when half of the necessary material is spilled over – Hrvoje says and emphasizes that it is not easy to catch and harness the mules.
– After five days of work, I let them rest for two days to rest up in the hill. But the animal feels freedom and goes wherever it has to fall. Then after two days I barely find them. It’s an agony, I go miles around the mountain to catch them again, they are stubborn. And without them I can’t do anything – he describes us. He adds that the whole church renovation project is not even harmless.
– There are no signals above, and I’m alone, no one anywhere. But since I am a member of the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, the mayor approved me to use communication equipment in case of need. So I helped a shepherd who seriously injured his knee and couldn’t call help because there was no signal. I found him and invited a helicopter to transport him to a hospital in Split. Everything, fortunately, ended well – recalls Hrvoje that event from November 2024.
However, something significantly more dangerous is hidden among the stones.
– The biggest concern I was a minefield, which I knew was not far from the church, while I did not locate it exactly, so I found several mines from the church from the church from the 2nd World War – says Hrvoje. Mine, in coordination with the MUP, was deactivated. Still, there is no end to danger.
– On the south and northern sides of the church, the Italians made two large bunkers during the 2nd World War, and they were completely overgrown over time, so no one knew exactly where they were – Hrvoje explains.
« I assumed from the old people where they could be, so I found them and now I keep the tool in them, » he says, adding that, while he went to save the tool after a busy day, he experienced a close encounter that he did not hope.
– I spent a while in the bunker, arranging the tool, and when I raised my head, I cried out the jump. He began to fall for me, I hit him with his hand not to fall on my head, and he cut me on my muscle. I still have a trace of tooth on my hand. I have experienced such a strong attack by adrenaline, and now I get rid of it when I remember it – Hrvoje is honest. Bunkers are not the only marks from war times. And the church also suffered damage.
“I found traces Genate geler, I saw that the front entrance was demolished during World War II. People tried to regain all that stone again, but they were not expert, so it all started to collapse – he reconstructed Hrvoje what happened.
– At the time of the war, the Italians stayed up and made defensive walls around the church. I found more than 40 m3 of stone that I had to look at to determine that belonged to the Church, which defense walls – explains Hrvoje. The church served as a shelter during the Homeland War.
– There were our soldiers on Pascal. They brought a stove to the church, which damaged the stone. When I started digging under the church, I dug one meter of the embankment into the depth until I reached the bottom of the church, to the foundation from stone slabs. Then I found a very nice stone from the altar – it doesn’t hide the happiness of Hrvoje.
– I only use the old stone in renovation. From the excess stone I had to remove, I agreed to a small sub -rose because immediately in front of the church was a slope. Now there is a small plain that people will be able to stop, take pictures, enjoy the view – he is proud.
“I think everything will be over in a minimum of half a year. It depends most on the weather conditions. Upstairs, the storm blows very often, they are strong hits, even when it is down by the sea of bonacas – he describes his working conditions. Still, nothing is hard for him.
– I’ve been looking at Paškal all my life. Whenever I got out of the house, my gaze would run upwards, I would look at what it was like, if a new part collapsed – Hrvoje recalls.
Although the church of St. Paškala, otherwise the patron saint of shepherds and cattlemen, is quite small, she has to lure her eyes.
– The outer dimensions of the church are 4.20 mx 3.20 m and the walls are 60 cm thick. Old people say that a statue of St. Paška. When the church was in a prelozing state to serve mass, the statue was transferred to the monastery in Zaostrog, but we could not find a written record about it – says Hrvoje, who had to make a well with the church.
– I need water to work, and if I carry it on the mules, I would lose another month. First I brought in the rainwater barrels, about 800 liters were collected, but then cows came and drink everything. So I dug a well, it’s almost full of water now, almost 4,000 liters – it’s proud.
And the whole project is proud of the director of the Gradac Municipality Tourist Board Jelena Mateljak.
– The tourist potential of the church certainly exists, but the greatest value is for the locals, that is, for the community, that we can convey this cultural and religious value to our children and descendants. Because if we do not keep our heritage ourselves, no one will guard us – says Jelena.
