St. Mary’s Church with St. Luke’s Belltower, Medieval church ruins in Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina

St. Mary's Church with St. Luke's Belltower stands at the foot of the Jajce citadel. The church, first built as a Romanesque basilica in the 12th century, was rebuilt in Gothic style in the early 15th century, when a rose window was inserted in the west wall. Its surviving walls are in ruins, but the adjacent St. Luke's Belltower is fully preserved, with a Gothic lower section and three upper galleries in Romanesque style.

A Romanesque basilica of the 12th or 13th century, the church was restored and dedicated to the Virgin Mary around 1404, when the Franciscans built their monastery beside it. In the first decades of the 15th century it was rebuilt in Gothic style, with a rose window set in the west wall. On 17 November 1461 King Stephen was crowned here, the last coronation in Bosnia; after the Ottoman conquest the church was turned into a mosque in 1528.

The surviving wall paintings include a Last Judgment, a theme common in Franciscan medieval churches; some sources attribute the painting to Martin Petković. The Croatian source instead describes the preserved composition as a Dance of Death. The church also kept the relics of Luke the Evangelist, brought by Queen Mara, before they were sold to Venice.

Visiting requires coordination with the JU Agency Jajce, particularly for group visits and photography. Best visited on clear days to see the stonework details and views of the surrounding area clearly.

The bell tower is named after Saint Luke because Queen Maria brought the relics of Luke the Evangelist to Jajce; after the Ottoman conquest she sold them to Venice, where they are kept in the church of San Giobbe. The tower's lower section is Gothic, while its upper three galleries show Romanesque features.