Fra Marijan Šunjić – apostolski vikar i pisac
Fra Marijan Šunjić - Apostolic Vicar and Writer

Author(s): Petar Jeleč
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, History, Cultural history, 18th Century, 19th Century
Published by: Franjevačka teologija Sarajevo
Keywords: Marijan Šunjić; Franciscans; vicar; writer; literature; culture; language;
Summary/Abstract: Fra Marijan Šunjić is an unavoidable figure for each researcher of the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main features of his character were good education, tenderness and decisiveness in implementing drafted plans. While studying in Vienna and Rome he achieved very high results and he could have stayed there, but he came back to his Bosnia and Herzegovina burdened with different problems. Šunjić was touched and moved by the situation and he decided to dedicate his entire life to easing these difficulties. Knowing several foreign languages, skillful in befriending and communicating with foreign diplomats were all very facilitating in the success of his work. In order to give people a place for prayer and education, he built churches and established schools. His small steps announced wide changes. He imposed these tasks on himself of building churches and schools throughout Bosnia, but his weak health shadowed him from his youth and it slowly grew worse. He had most famous people of his time as friends, but he knew he could only be happy by loving the most simple people. After all, he had donated his whole life to these people. The people recognized that and they repaid him with a magnificent funeral procession in Guča Gora. He enjoyed special respect by members of all religions in Bosnia of that period. Therefore during the funeral procession in 1860 more than five thousand people, among them Catholics, Muslims, and others, said their farewell to the late fra Marijan Šunjić. After the funeral in Guča Gora Dervish-beg Teskeredžić said, “I am very sorry for erudite bishop Šunjić. I remember six late people that were my relatives, but, please, believe me, I have lamented no one like the bishop.” And the bishop from Đakovo, Josip Juraj Strossmayer. said about Šunjić, that he was “greatest and most reputable man Bosnia had had in recent times.”

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