St. Michael Cathedral (Belgrade)

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Cathedral of St. Archangel Michael in downtown Belgrade
Frontal view

The Cathedral of St. Archangel Michael , also just called the cathedral (Serbian: Саборна црква / Saborna crkva ), is a Serbian Orthodox church in Belgrade , Serbia . The cathedral is the seat of the Archeparchy of Belgrade and Karlovci of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in Belgrade is located in the old part of the city, at the intersection of Kralja Petra and Kneza Sime Markovića streets, the former Bogojavljenska and Dubrovačka streets.

The cathedral in Belgrade is an outstanding cultural monument with its architecture, works of art and rich treasure chest. It is a priceless historical monument of the fate of Serbian Belgrade in the first half of the 19th century. This was just emerging in the area around the cathedral around, which became his ecclesiastical, administrative and cultural center. In the time when new social and political circumstances gradually emerged in Serbia, the cathedral became a focal point in the struggle for independence from Turkish centralism until the final liberation from centuries of servitude.

With the resolution of 1979, the cathedral was declared a cultural asset of particular importance for the Republic of Serbia.

history

The Protestant pastor and travel writer Stephan Gerlach writes in his valuable travelogue about the imperial embassy to Constantinople 1573–1578 how it looked. Although spacious, it could not accommodate the numerous Christian people of the Belgrade city with all the necessary liturgical vessels and furniture.

Later dates on the existence of this church * have mainly been noted by travel writers from the 17th and 18th centuries, who give us detailed reports on its fate. The church was destroyed during the Turkish-Austrian conflict at the beginning of the 18th century. However, after the Austrian government was strictly in its order that destroyed Serbian houses of worship may not be rebuilt, the then Metropolitan Mojsije Petrović , awaiting the support of the Russian Tsar Petar the Great, who died in the meantime, started the renewal of the church Build it up and decorate it with a new iconostasis. Unfortunately, the difficult historical circumstances have again affected the existence of the church, so that this was not its last renewal.

With the Peace of Belgrade, which was concluded in 1739, the Turks got Belgrade back, among other things, and “as soon as they came into the city, they also showed their anger against both the Serbs and the Serbian shrines on this occasion” . The magnificent residence of the Serbian metropolitan was destroyed and the church "they plundered and tore down the vault" . A few decades later, in early 1798, the church suffered damage again, this time from a fire. Repaired for worship, it was used until the beginning of 1813, when the Turks desecrated and plundered it after the First Serbian Uprising was put down. The necessary repairs were carried out after the Second Serbian Uprising. 

With the release of the Reform Edict Hatt-ı Şerif  on Andrew's Day 1830, which ensured the freedom of worship, the prince was on the order of Miloš "next to the old church built a wooden belfry" , in which the bells were installed. To pour the bells, a large fire was lit, which burned for three days. People walked past it and threw various objects made of silver into a mold with bronze that had been melted, so that the bells would have a "more silver" sound.

The people of Belgrade at the time wanted this event “to be something big and incredible. The sound of the bells was not just a simple ritual of faith for them, bells were a symbol of the victory that had been awaited for centuries ” . The Turks viewed Prince Miloš's decision with disbelief and threats. To this day the anecdote is that the Belgrade vizier Husein-paşa Gavanozoglu (1827-1833) turned to Petar Cukić, because he was responsible for the erection of the bells, and threatened that he would be punished for it. The courageous voivode replied : “I know, I know, Effendi-pasa, if I put it on, I will die at the hands of the Turks. And if I do not put it on, I will die at the hand of my lord, Prince Miloš. I would rather die by the Turkish hands than at the hands of my Lord as his disobedient servants. " .

Today, in the bell tower of the Church of the Assumption of Christ (1863), among the five bells of different sizes and origins, there is also the bell of the old cathedral, which rang for the first time on February 15, 1830, when the Principality of Serbia gained its independence.

The destroyed and repaired old church struggled with bad times until June 22, 1836. Then, after numerous discussions, Prince Miloš issued the order to finally demolish it and build a new church.

The construction of the new cathedral began on April 28, 1837. The consecration of the foundation of this "Belgrade Cathedral Church" on July 15, 1837 described a contemporary as an outstanding event in which Metropolitan Petar Jovanović, the highest ecclesiastical dignitaries, Princess Ljubica and the Heirs Milan and Mihailo, laborers, children and “people of both sexes” were present. Cannons thundered and the people "blessed this happy and overjoyed time in the Church" . On the day of the slava (feast of the patron saint) of the church of St. Michael the Archangel, on November 8th, 1845, Metropolitan Petar Jovanović consecrated the finished church and held his first liturgy.

The cathedral was one of the tallest church buildings in the Principality of Serbia and after the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Topčider Park (1832/34) the oldest church in Belgrade. Although the originator of the architectural plans for the construction of the church has long been a dispute, it is clear that they were built by master builders from Pančevo according to the project of Friedrich Adam Querfeld. It was built on a hill near the dam and was therefore visible from all sides, especially the high bell tower with a large golden cross, which "attracts every stranger's eye, especially from Zemun" . 

The church has a single nave with a semicircular eastern apse and a narthex on the western side, above which a tall bell tower rises. The interior is divided into the altar area, naos and narthex, where the baptistery and the staircase to the bell tower are located. In contrast to the north and south facades, which are identical and simple in design, the west facade - the main facade - stands out with a representative entrance and a wide stairway. In terms of its structure and fine proportions, the architecture of the cathedral is directly modeled on neoclassical churches with a recognizable baroque tower, which were built in Austria during the same period, and which also include the somewhat older cathedral in Sremski Karlovci (1758) - a possible role model - adopted.

This type of church will be very widespread in Serbia during the reign of Prince Miloš.

After the end of the construction work began to decorate and furnish the interior. The Belgrade parish commissioned the sculptor, woodcarver and caster Dimitrije Petrović (1799-1852), who studied at the Academy in Vienna, to create the designs for the iconostasis and the choirs. Dimitrije Petrović previously worked for the Obrenović dynasty, among other things, Prince Miloš commissioned him in 1838 to cast Serbian coats of arms for the cannons that were ordered in Austria. However, after completing the architectural part of the iconostasis and installing it in the church in 1842, due to certain differences of opinion with the municipality, Dimitrije Petrović left Belgrade forever. The iconostasis of the cathedral in Belgrade, opulently designed with certain eclectic decorative elements, is certainly one of the most representative classical iconostasis in Serbia.

The painting of the cathedral was entrusted to one of the most famous Serbian painters of the 19th century, Dimitrije Avramović (1815–1855). Between 1841 and 1845 he made a total of eighteen large wall compositions and almost fifty icons for the iconostasis. The artist was influenced by the historical Viennese school and the German Nazarenes. However, his distinctive feeling for a dramatic coloring and his plastic - courageous - rhythm have combined in an original painter's handwriting in order to realize unique, monumental compositions with religious content in modern Serbian painting on the wall surfaces of the cathedral. The reaction his work provoked is shown by the fact that after painting the cathedral, Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević offered him to paint the iconostasis of the Karađorđe Church in Topola (1845), which is a great honor for such a man Young artist meant and was a sign that Avramović has achieved the reputation of a respected and valued painter.

In addition to painting and wood carving on the iconostasis, the choirs and the pulpit and the murals, the treasure chest is also of great value. It contains objects of applied arts - goldsmiths from the 18th and 19th centuries, liturgical vestments, crosses, individual icons from the second half of the 19th century and other objects of cultural and historical importance.

The old Serbian cemetery was located near the church, more precisely at the place where Zidarska Street and part of Kralja Petra and Kosančićev Venac Streets run along today. It gradually expanded to include the area of ​​the churchyard of the cathedral, which was not fenced in in the first decades of the 19th century and served as a unique cemetery in which more respected figures of Serbia were buried: Hajj Ruvim (Rafailo Nenadović, 1754-1804), Prince Sima Marković (1768–1817), Voivode Petar Nikolajević Moler (1775–1816).

The First Belgrade Choral Society was founded within the cathedral in 1853 and is still active today. All important composers of Serbian music, such as Josif Marinković , Stevan Mokranjac , Kornelije Stanković and others have this choir . a., conducted. 

[1] Joakim Vujić, Putošestvije po Srbiji, I knjiga 1828. godina, p. 23, Belgrade, 1901.

[2] See 1

[3] Nikola Nestorović, Građevine i arhitekti u Beogradu prošlog stoleća, p. 22, Belgrade, 1937.

[4] Spomenica Saborne crkve u Beogradu, p. 41

[5] Dragan J. Ranković, Iz Beogradske prošlosti, BON, 1938. No. 3, p. 210

[6] Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.

[7] Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.

[8] Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.

[9] Stjepan Marjanović, Rukopis o Beogradu, Danica Ilirska za 1842, No. VIII

Others

The skull of vožd Karađorđe was buried in the southern part of the churchyard until 1837, when it was excavated and brought to Topola at the request and order of Princess Ljubica. In the church itself there are relics of St.. Tsar Stefan Uroš V . and St. Despot Stefan Štiljanović († 1540), the graves of the Serbian rulers Prince Miloš (1780–1860) and Mihailo Obrenović (1823–1868) and the graves of church leaders. The Serbian writer and enlightener Dositej Obradović (1742–1811) and the reformer of the Serbian language Vuk Karadžić (1787–1864) are buried in front of the main entrance to the church . 

Opposite the cathedral, today's Patriarch's Palace was built between 1934 and 1935 , for which the architect Viktor Lukomski, who emigrated from Russia, was responsible. The Austrian embassy in Belgrade is located next to the Patriarch's Palace.

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of St. Michael  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Joakim Vujić, Putošestvije po Srbiji, I knjiga 1828. godina, p. 23, Belgrade, 1901.
  2. ↑ See 
  3. ↑ Nikola Nestorović, Građevine i arhitekti u Beogradu prošlog stoleća, p. 22, Belgrade, 1937. 
  4. ↑ Spomenica Saborne crkve u Beogradu, p. 41
  5. ↑ Dragan J. Ranković, Iz Beogradske prošlosti, BON, 1938. No. 3, p. 210 
  6. ↑ Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.
  7. ↑ Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.
  8. ↑ Milan Đ. Miličević, Uspomene, 1831–1855, p. 61, Belgrade, 1952.
  9. ↑ Stjepan Marjanović, Rukopis o Beogradu, Danica Ilirska za 1842, No. VIII

Coordinates: 44 ° 49 ′ 5 ″  N , 20 ° 27 ′ 7.7 ″  E