The Vrhbosna Archdiocese, whose official name is Vrhbosna or Sarajevo (Vrbosnensis seu Seraiensis), feels a moral obligation to make a statement on the occasion of the announcement that the City Council of the City of Sarajevo would declare February 1^st, 1462, as the day of the founding of the City.

Namely, in contrast, it is quite clear that the conquerors of that time occupied the settlement (city) of Vrhbosna (civitas Vrhbosna), which existed under that name on the site of Sarajevo for centuries before that. (https://www.ktabkbih.net/ : "The Old Cathedral of St. Peter in Vrhbosna", January 6^th, 2011; Marko Vego and others). The official name of the Archdiocese, which dates back to the Middle Ages: Vrhbosna, also preserves the memory of this.

I. In old Vrhbosna, there was also the Cathedral of Saint Peter, founded in 1238. And based on archaeological findings, regarding the place where it was located in the area of today's Sarajevo, the discovery of five Romanesque capitals discovered in Podtekija and an altar dedicated to the apostle Peter, discovered near the former Kemaludin mosque, helps. Both findings date back to the 12^th/13^th  century.

The discovery of five capitals in the immediate area of the former Skenderpasha tekija indicates the existence of some sacral object in pre-Turkish times at that location. Since Skenderija is located at the foot of Debelo Brdo, on the left bank of the Miljacka River opposite medieval Vrhbosna, it is possible to locate the Cathedral of Saint Peter in that area, which the charter of King Bela IV from 1244 places (Marko Vego) "in supra Vrhbozna Burdo = on the Hill above Vrhbosna". This would be one of the possible locations.

Another monument, the altar from the Cathedral of St. Peter in Vrhbosna, also contributes to the location of this cathedral, but in a different place. This altar was discovered in the harem of the Kemaludin (Ćemaluša) mosque, deep in the ground. It is a fragment of an ancient pillar, used in the Middle Ages as an altar, on the upper surface of which is carved a partially damaged dedicatory inscription:

(apost)OLI PETRI VERB(osnensi)

This altar finding, places the old Vrhbosna cathedral at the intersection of Ćemaluša and Ferhadija streets. Its original is kept in the National Museum in Sarajevo. Its copy is placed as part of the pulpit in the current Vrhbosna cathedral, and its stylized design is found in the coat of arms of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese.

II. In addition to the archaeological findings, some written documents about the cathedral in Vrhbosna should also be mentioned. Thus:

1. On April 26^th, 1238, Pope Gregory IX ordered the Cuman bishop to consecrate the new Bosnian bishop, Ponsa (or Povša), after Bishop Ivan had thanked him for his service. The letter also contains this sentence: "Ceterum quod ipse, postquam loco prefuerit, necnon instituendi per te prepositus et capitulum future cathedralis ecclesiae, ac terrae clerus..." = Furthermore, as for himself, after he is appointed to the position, as well as the appointment by you and the chapter of the future cathedral church and the clergy of the land..."

2. On December 22^nd, 1238, Pope Gregory IX ordered the Dominicans in Pécs to hand over to Bishop Ponsa the money that governor (ban) Ninoslav had deposited with them for the construction of the cathedral.

3. Also on December 22^nd, 1238, that is, the same day, the same Pope ordered the Benedictine abbot in Varadin to hand over the money that governor (ban) Jula of Slavonia had left with him for the construction of the cathedral in Vrhbosna.

4. Then on December 7^th 1239, Pope Gregory IX confirmed to the Bosnian bishop and chapter the properties that Duke Koloman and other people had given them. The letter was addressed to: "Venerable brother bishop and dear sons of the chapter of Saint Peter in Bosnia". The bishop then received possession of, among other things, Brdo in Vrhbosna and Đakovo in Slavonia. This grant was confirmed once again in 1244 by King Bela IV.

5. Then on December 27^th 1239, Pope Gregory IX ordered the Bosnian Dominicans to hand over to Bishop Ponsa the money that governor (ban) Ninoslav "quondam apud vos pro cathedrali ecclesia construenda in Bosne partibus deposuerit" = "once deposited with you for the construction of a cathedral church in parts of Bosnia".

6. On July 20^th 1244, King Bela IV confirms the grant of Duke Koloman from 1239, after the donor had died in the meantime and the land had been devastated by the Tatars. It explicitly lists the possessions of the Bosnian bishop, including: "in supra Vrhbozna Burdo, cum omnibus pertinentiis, ubi ipsa ecclesia cathedralis sancti Petri est fundata" = "on the hill above Vrhbosna, with all its belongings, where the cathedral church of Saint Peter itself was founded".

III. The stone remembers, and the documents record it equally. Everything else is against the truth. Or, simply put: Contra artefacta et documenta non sunt argumenta! Besides, Vrhbosna is not the beginning of the City either, because the area of Sarajevo has known settlements continuously since ancient times. Numerous archaeological sites testify to this. Vrhbosna is also in that series. And when it was founded, only God knows. But it had to be some kind of organized settlement because the Catholic Church, according to ancient rules, only in such places founded dioceses and built cathedrals.

Sarajevo, February 17^th 2025

Archdiocese of Vrhbosna