…the oldest printing presses in Bosnia and Herzegovina…
St. George’s Church is located four kilometers north of Goražde in the settlement of Donja Sopotnica. Situated in the Drina Valley, on the left bank of the river, at the foot of Gradina Hill, it stands at the point where the northern slope transitions into a gentle plateau. In close proximity to the church lies the main road connecting Goražde and Višegrad.
This church, dedicated to St. George (known as “Sopotnica Church” among the locals), dates back to the mid-15th century, specifically to the year 1446. It is a legacy of Stefan Vukčić Kosača, historically renowned as the benefactor of numerous Orthodox monasteries and churches in the former region of Herzegovina.
Adjacent to St. George’s Church, a monastery was established where one of the oldest printing presses in Bosnia and Herzegovina operated. Between 1519 and 1526, the printing press of Božidar Goraždanin supplied religious books to churches and monasteries shortly after the Ottoman occupation. Under the auspices of the church, three books were printed in the 16th century: the Servant (or Liturgical Book), Psalter with Commemoration, and Horologion 1521, as well as the Prayer Book (or Trebnik). Following the relocation of the printing press to Wallachia, Romania, in the 1530s, transcription work was carried out in the monastic complexes of the Sopotnica church. It is known that in 1550, the Four Gospels were transcribed at the Temple of St. George in Goražde.
The church suffered damage during the 1992-1995 war and underwent restoration between 2000 and 2002.
