After the Pope’s decree to build a church and a monastery in Herzegovina in 1844, the Franciscan herzegovinian regional authorities headed by father A. Kraljević and the bishop father R. Barišić, decided to build a church and a monastery at Široki Brijeg. As Herzegovina was a part of the Turkish Empire at the time, the approval came from Istanbul in 1845, and was endorsed by Ali pasha Rizvanbegović, vizier of Herzegovina, and the cadi of Mostar. The guardian, father A. Kraljević, turned to the European church and civic authorities asking them to contribute in the building of the first church and monastery in Herzegovina under Turkish rule. Father Filip Ćorić collected alms in Rome. On St Apollinaris Day, on Thursday July 23rd 1846, the bishop father R. Barišić, together with his Franciscan brethren, local authorities and a lot of local population, blessed the corner stone of the new monastery church, consecrated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and of the monastery. A plaque was later placed above the entrance of the monastery , with the inscription: SEPARATED FROM BOSNIA WITHOUT BREAD OR SHELTER, WITH TRUST IN GOD, THE FRANCISCANS OF HERZEGOVINA BUILT THIS MONASTERY AND CHURCH ON JULY 23RD, 1846, UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF OUR LADY’S ASSUMPTION INTO HEAVEN.
This was a great and significant event for the Croatian catholic population of Herzegovina and for their Franciscans. The monastery was to become “the cradle of Christian learning and of better future for all Catholics in Herzegovina.” The construction started soon after the corner stone was laid. The size of the church was modest – 22 m long and 10 m wide, as stated in the Sultan’s approval. Adjacent to the church were four rooms that were the core of the new monastery. The west wing of the monastery was completed in 1849, and ten years later the east and south wings of the monastery and the kitchen were completed. In 1871, a bell tower was built close to the church. Father Paškal Buconjić conducted the construction works. The old monastery church was destroyed in 1905, and was replaced by a new church. After the Second World War, the monastery was completely renovated.
