The holy place of Krstivoda

The holy place of KRSTIVODA is located in the area of Dobro Selo in the parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Ploče-Tepčići, Čitluk Municipality, about 10 kilometers from Međugorje.

The thorough renovation of Krstivoda was opened for the 700th anniversary of the memory of Krstivoda (2008), and the renovation continues as a special pride for new generations.

HISTORY

The first Franciscan monasteries on Croatian territory were founded during the lifetime of St. Francis of Assisi (1181 – 1226).

By 1230, the Franciscans were already in Herzegovina. They built monasteries, houses and churches building strong connections and relations with Catholic believers of this area. In 1308, Fr. Petar Bakula mentioned Krstivoda, specifying that the parish priests of Brotnjo have lived for a long time in area of Dobro Selo, before the Zubac-Radmanović family in Gradnići granted some land to the parish house (in 1429).

Also, the great historian Ph. D. Fr. Dominik Mandić states that “in Dobro Selo, on a sunny hill, there are two old cisterns, where in the olden days the water at Vodokršće (Epiphany) was once blessed for the entire parish of Gradnići”.

After the Turkish invaders demolished the church and the monastery, the cisterns still remained.

These cisterns stayed as a permanent memorial to the former religious buildings and Franciscan presence, but they have also become a gathering place for the faithful believers and a source of blessings.

There, the faith was kept and preserved despite all the persecutions.

Krstivoda Dobro selo eng language