mediate vicinity of the town, in the hamlet of Krćevac, on the eve of the uprising. After becoming the Grand Vožd [Leader], Karađorđe made Topola his capital and the centre of state life in the liberated Serbia. In order to enable the direct defence of Topola and military ma- noeuvres, a fortified town was built there in the peri- od between 1811 and 1813, surrounded by a moat and with three-storey towers and ramparts. A family residence and guest house were built within the confines of the fortified town, along with the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, which is better known as Karađorđe’s church. The church’s belfry was housed in the fortress’s southeast tower, while its three bells – cast in the Bel- grade Fortress’s Lower Town – were the first bells to ring out in the liberated Serbia. However, with the collapse of the First Serbian Uprising, Karađorđe’s town was razed to the ground. With the rise of Prince Miloš and the as- sassination of Karađorđe, Topola understandably lost its original importance. This area would only experience a new moment to shine with the rise of Karađorđe’s son, Prince Aleksan- dar, who took special care to restore his father’s vineyards and orchards on the eastern slopes of Oplenac Hill, con- structing a spacious house and wine cellar for himself. In restoring his father’s legacy, Prince Aleksandar attracted the arrival of wealthier and more prominent people from the region, which led to Topola quickly developing into a pretty town with houses and shops of solid construc- tion. The 1858 return to power of the Obrenović family, who would continue to rule Serbia until 1903, marked a new period of prolonged stagnation in the Topola area. With the crowning of King Peter I in 1903, Topola – as the home region of the Karađorđevićs – experienced a new period of prosperity, and the king soon dedicated himself fully to realising his parents’ will by building a large temple in Topola that would serve as a burial spot for all Karađorđevićs. Oplenac Hill, overlooking the town, was seemingly made for the realisation of this life’s dream. CHURCH OF ST GEORGE The king chose a site at the very top of the hill known as Little Oplenac, which – at 337 metres above sea level and with picturesque views extending far into the dis- tance – almost naturally imposed itself as the ideal spot for the future temple. On 27 th September 1907, with no- table dignitaries in attendance, the cornerstone was laid, with the founding charter built into the foundations of the future church of St. George on Oplenac, which were then consecrated. Five years later, on the eve of the out- break of the Balkan Wars, with the church’s construc- tion almost completed, it was consecrated by Archbishop Dimitrije. And King Peter found himself on the battle- field just a few days later. Upon returning to his liber- ated homeland, King Peter didn’t get to see his endow- ment finally completed, as he died on 16 th August 1921. His successor, King Aleksandar I Karađorđević, person- ally oversaw the temple’s completion. In parallel with the clearing of the eastern slopes
to make way for vineyards, the intensive afforestation of dense woodland began, progressing swiftly and soon serving to further highlight the perfect contrast of the whiteness of the temple walls against the green of the surrounding park. Following the restoration of the crypt, which was conducted by Kosta J. Jovanović, the temple was decorated lavishly, under the experienced supervi- sion of architect Nikolay Petrovich Krasnov, King Alex- ander’s leading state architect and a former architect of imperial Russia. On 8 th September 1930, with the King, other members of the royal family and guests in attend- ance, the church was consecrated by Patriarch Varnava, af- ter which the mortal remains of Karađorđe himself were ceremoniously transferred to the dynasty’s mausoleum. The Church of St. George was painted with repro- ductions of the most beautiful medieval frescoes from around 60 monasteries and churches, making it a veri- table treasure trove of the sacral art of the era. The main dome’s mosaic of Jesus, based on the example of a fres- co from Gračanica Monastery, has a massive span of nine metres. The central chandelier was cast from weap- ons used by victorious Serbian soldiers during the 1918 breakthrough of the Salonica Front. It weighs approxi- mately three tons and was cast in the shape of an invert- ed crown, to signify lamentation over the fall of the me- dieval Serbian kingdom to the Ottoman Turks. Occupying a place of honour in the church are the mortal remains of Grand Vožd Karađorđe, whose relics were transferred in 1930 from his endowment church in Topola. Opposite his final resting place is that of his grandson, King Peter I.
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