The Re/Construction and Repair of Franciscan Churches in Ottoman Bosnia during the Nineteenth Century: Old Regulations, New Challenges

Abstract Based on the presence of Franciscans and their church establishment in Bosnia, this study focuses on the complaints and requests of the Bosnian Catholics in relation to their churches, and how they were treated by Ottoman centre. The study first examines how the Bosnian Catholics legitimized their demands regarding their churches with reference to the Ahdname , and how the Ottoman centre evaluated these demands until 1856. Then, focusing on the new regulations introduced by the Reform Edict about non-Muslim places of worship, the study discusses how these regulations were implemented, what the expectations of the Catholic people were and to what extent they were taken into account by the Ottoman centre.