RITAM GRADA / RHYTHM OF THE CITY
suring it can be understood by children and tourists without a religious education or religious proclivities. And everyone walks out of this temple with the same conclusion: that it is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen. Or that this mighty building on Vračar is at least the equal of Istanbul’s spectacular Hagia Sophia. CHURCH OF SAINT MARK Designed in the spirit of Serbian medieval archi- tecture, its structure was based on the example of the church of Gračanica Monastery. This Serbian Ortho- dox church has an extremely rich treasury of icons and religious writings. Located in the city’s beautiful Taš- majdan Park, it was erected on the site of a previous church of the same name, with construction lasting from 1931 to 1940. The Church of Saint Mark is dis- tinctive due to its interior surface area, which can ac- commodate a congregation of approximately two thou- sand believers, while the height of the main dome up to the cross is as much as 60 metres. Occupying the main entrance to the church is a mosaic icon of the Ho- ly Apostle and Evangelist Mark that was completed in 1961. One of the largest mosaics of the Virgin Mary in the world, entitled ‘Holy Virgin Wider than Heav- en’, also forms part of Belgrade’s Church of St. Mark. The church interior is remarkably impressive, so it comes as no surprise that many consider it an equal rival to other famous places of worship around the world. Also making this church unique are its three altars. Apart from the central one, there are two side altars dedicated to Saint Despot Stefan Lazarević and the Transfiguration of the Lord. Located on the right side, along the southern wall, is a copper sarcophagus containing the mortal remains of Emperor Dušan. They were transferred from the Monastery of the Holy Arch- angels in Prizren, Kosovo, which was his own endow- ment. On the northern side is a white marble tomb that holds the remains of Patriarch German. Adorn- ing the very centre of the church interior and making it extremely special is the throne of the Serbian Patri- arch and King, which is located in front of the altar. The
Church of St. Mark is also unique as the home of the miraculous icon of the Virgin Hodegetria of Belgrade. This church’s baptistry also preserves a rich col- lection of Orthodox icons and writings from the 18 th and 19 th centuries, while its crypt marks the final rest- ing place of the last king of the Obrenović dynasty, King Aleksandar Obrenović, and his wife Draga Mašin. CATHEDRAL CHURCH At the very centre of the city, below Kneza Mihailo- va Street (on the corner of Kralja Petra and 3 Kneza Sima Marković Street), rises the gilded tower of the Orthodox Cathedral Church, Belgrade’s oldest place of worship. It preserves a legacy dating back centu- ries and the Orthodox tradition of the city of Belgrade and the Serbian nation. The site of today’s cathedral has been occupied by a church dedicated to the same guardian angel – the Archangel Michael – since the 16 th century. It survived destruction and looting by foreign invaders, was razed to the ground in 1728, on- ly to be reconstructed, before Prince Miloš Obrenović ordered the construction of a new temple on the same spot in June 1836. Designed by Franz Janke on the basis of the Serbi- an church in Sremski Karlovci, it was built in the classi- cal style, with the inclusion of late Baroque elements. It ranks among the most important ecclesiastical, cul- tural and artistic monuments of the Serbian people, while its architecture marked Belgrade’s shift towards European architectural and artistic tendencies. Repre- senting a special value of the Cathedral is its treasury, which preserves works of gold from the 18 th and 19 th centuries, vestment robes, crucifixes, icons and other
Belgrade » Beograd | 71
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator