Josip Vancaš, a Hungarian architect, took his inspiration for the design of Sarajevo’s cathedral from the Notre Dame Cathedral in Dijon, France and St. Teyn Cathedral in Prague.

Thanks to Vancaš’ great talent, Sarajevo’s cathedral ended up becoming an entirely new and authentic building, and also fits in beautifully with its surroundings, with Gazi Husrev Bey’s Hamam (Turkish bath) in the background.

The interior of the church is richly decorated and it was the famous Italian-German painter, Alexander Maximilian Seitz, who did the frescos.

The Cathedral of Jesus’ Sacred Heart also houses the tomb of Josip Stadler, who served as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna at the beginning of the 20th century and initiated the cathedral’s construction.

There is also a statue in front in honor of Pope John Paul II, who visited Sarajevo in 1997, soon after the war had ended, to send a message of peace and tolerance from BiH’s capital city.