In 1911 the sisters of the “Daughters of Holy Love” built their own church, which was to be at the same time a church for the Catholic schools run by them.

Catholic Educational Center “St. Josip”

It was designed by the architect Josip Vancas, with dimensions of 31 x 27 m area, and a height of 13.5 m.

With a baroque style, it has a choir space and above it a gallery. The main altar and sanctuary are raised by six steps above the church floor.

Catholic Educational Center “St. Josip”, Vrigin Mary Church

The interior is shaped in three basilicas, illuminated with six large windows plus six oval windows. It is considered by some to be among the most beautiful of the Catholic churches in Sarajevo. It has been richly decorated with the paintings and statutes.

It also has two church bell towers, which are electronically controlled. Beside this church, there was established a school for girls of different faiths which was run by the Sisters of Divine Love, and which was later transformed into a teacher’s school of the St. Josip Institute.

After World War II, the Second Gymnasium was situated in this building, and later the Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević primary school. Only recently it has been returned to its orignal purpose as the St. Josip Catholic Educational Center.