Monograph Hospital with a Seal – a valuable testimony of a difficult time

The monograph Hospital with a Stamp by author Velimir Bugarin and editor Fr. Zoran Livančić will be presented on Tuesday, May 27, at 7 p.m. at the Gallery of Queen Katarina Kosača in Mostar. In addition to the author and editor of the monograph, the presentation program will include academicians Dr. Ljerka Ostojić, Jakov Križanović, Dr. Snježana Šušnjara and Željko Kocaj, while Ivo Jandrić will perform in the musical part. The event is organized in cooperation with Matica hrvatska Mostar and Matica's Vitez Branch and is part of the literary program of Mostar Spring 2025.

ABOUT THE MONOGRAPH…
Much has already been written about the Franciscan Hospital "Dr. Fra Mato Nikolić" in Nova Bila, but there is never enough writing and remembering the great wisdom of those who founded it and the great sacrifice of those who worked there, and especially those who were cared for there. The book "Hospital with a Seal", authored by Velimir Bugarin and edited by Fra Zoran Livančić, is a monograph that, in words and pictures, on 280 pages,
photographs and copies of documents, tells about the founding and activities of the Franciscan Hospital "Dr. Fra Mato Nikolić" from Nova Bila, whose activities during wartime made an immeasurable contribution to the survival of the Croatian people of the Lašva Valley in their homes.

The Franciscan Hospital "Dr. Fra Mato Nikolić" in Nova Bila, as one of the bright spots in the defense of these areas, was created simply out of the need for survival, out of the great need for treating the wounded and sick, but also for the birth of new lives. The church in Nova Bila was, in addition to being a place of prayer, also converted into a hospital.
That is why many rightly say that it was a church-hospital for the soul and body. With the escalation of the war, this hospital in the church became the only medical institution to which more than 80,000 Croats were referred, of whom more than 12,500 were children. From October 9, 1992 to April 1, 1994, more than 11,500 people were cared for in various ways. In very difficult conditions, 156 surgical procedures were performed under general anesthesia, and 2,134 under local anesthesia. During the same period, 700 newborns were born in a nearby makeshift maternity hospital in a private house.
The monograph "Hospital with a Seal" is a valuable testimony of a difficult time. The book, among other things, brings us the testimonies of witnesses of that time. Numerous testimonies of participants in the activities of this hospital during that wartime clearly speak of the great dedication of the medical and support staff and the great sacrifice of those who sought their help. It was a hospital that was our light and hope in those difficult times. In these areas, we still live in that hope today..."