Construction of Patriarch Varnava Square has begun in Pljevlja, Montenegro, with the investment valued at 531,000 euros, Mayor Dario Vraneš said. The project will create a new public space beside the Church of St Petka, combining a plaza and park areas with a monument to Patriarch Varnava.
Pljevlja-based company VING is carrying out the work. The contract sets a completion period of 120 days from the contractor’s introduction to the site, while the project will also permanently close the upper part of Tršova Street in the square area to motor vehicles.
The start follows an administrative process that lasted two and a half years. The Municipality of Pljevlja prepared a preliminary design and main project, reviewed the project documentation and obtained the required approvals, including consent from the chief state architect. “We did everything in accordance with the law,” Vraneš said.
Plans provide for a large marble plaza, park and green areas, urban furnishings, a fountain, a public drinking fountain and a ramp for people with disabilities. Stone for the marble plaza has already been ordered in Jablanica. Vraneš said a separate preliminary design would be prepared for the drinking fountain.
The lower part of the street will be surfaced with concrete paving blocks, while the square will use natural stone and concrete blocks. The architectural design uses a single level so the square extends the grounds of the church, with a fence separating part of the square from the church area. The design team included architects, civil engineers and artists.
Monument and historic district
The bronze monument has been completed and is in Novi Sad. Designed by academic sculptor Sara Nikolić, it was cast at the Stanišić foundry in Čenej, near Novi Sad. The 3.5-metre figure will stand on a one-metre-high pedestal, and its production cost 112,000 euros including VAT.
The new design places the monument centrally beside the Church of St Petka. A plan from 2008 had proposed a less prominent site below the Šećerović house. Vraneš called the square one of the municipality’s most important projects and probably its most significant in the past 50 years.
The wider plan for Pljevlja’s historic district covers the area around the church and green space in front of the Šećerović house. A smaller park with benches, public lighting and greenery is planned there, with views towards the fountain and public drinking fountain. The architects sought to preserve the area’s character and provide space for everyday use, according to Vraneš.
The completed square is intended to host cultural events, concerts, ceremonies and other public gatherings. The project is being prepared ahead of 2027, when the centenary of the construction of the Church of St Petka will be marked.
Under the original schedule, the square could be completed in March 2027. Vraneš expects weather conditions typical of Pljevlja could extend construction by one or two months beyond that timetable.
