Church of St. Prophet Elias (Belgrade)

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The Church of St. Elias in Belgrade

The Church of St. Prophet Elias ( Serbian : Црква Светог Пророка Илије / Crkva Svetog Proroka Ilije) is a Serbian Orthodox church in the Serbian capital Belgrade in the district of Zvezdara in the urban settlement of Mirijevo . The church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah is one of the oldest in Belgrade. The church belongs to the Archeparchy of Belgrade and Karlovci of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

location

The church is located in the Mirijevo urban settlement in the Zvezdara district, 5 km southeast of Belgrade city center, at the intersection of Ulica Vitezova Karađorđeve zvezde and Danilova Ulica . The primary school " Despot Stefan Lazarević " is located south of the church .

history

In 1833 construction of the church in Mirijevo began on the site of a smaller older church that had to be demolished. The door of the church was divided. A school was built on the smaller part. The Church of St. Prophet Elias was built on the larger site. The new Eliaskirche was built from the material of the destroyed Slanci monastery . Prince Miloš Obrenović approved the removal of the monastery ruins . A letter from Prince Miloš is preserved in the church book from 1833. The report reports on the progress of construction. In addition, the prince asks the population to help build the church. The church was built with the efforts and contributions, in the form of money and labor, of the then villagers of Mirijevo as well as Mali Mokri Lug and Veliki Mokri Lug . In 1834 - one year after work began - the church was completed.

During the restoration in 1873, the church got its present appearance, with the addition of a bell tower and a terrace.

176th church celebration 2010

On August 2, 2010, on the holiday of the prophet Elijah, the 176th church consecration (Slava) was celebrated. In the name of the Serbian Patriarch Irinej , the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy was celebrated by His Excellency Bishop Athanasius from Metohija , the vicar of the Serbian Patriarch , with the concelebration , the joint celebration of the divine service with the priests of the Eparchy of Belgrade - Karlovci . After the liturgy, the bishop, priests and the faithful walked around the church in procession. While breaking the Slava cake, the metropolitan asked the Lord for protection for the Serbian Orthodox Church .

architecture

The baroque church also shows elements of classicism and the Byzantine architectural style . The nave is spanned by a barrel vault and has a three-sided apse and two choirs with a rectangular floor plan. A small bell tower with a pointed roof rises above the north wall.

Iconostasis and frescoes

The iconostasis was built in Belgrade from 1918 to 1919 based on the model of priest Jovan Dimić. It was conceived in the spirit of classicism with distinctive plinths , columns, pilasters , kettledrum, richly decorated wreaths, etc. There are 14 icons on the iconostasis , which were probably painted by Lazar Krdžalić at the end of the 19th century .

Icons on the iconostasis

The Annunciation of the Lord was on the Tsar door dedicated (Carske dveri) two icons. Both icons are probably older than the iconostasis. They were then placed on the iconostasis as the space allowed. An authentic appearance of the icons has partly been lost because the icons had been painted over several times to remove damage from the First and Second World Wars . The icons on the first row of the iconostasis are: St. Andrew the Apostle , the Mother of God Mary with Christ, Jesus Christ and Archangel Michael . In the upper area the following icons are attached: The Last Supper, St. Peter , St. Nicholas , John the Baptist , Apostle Paul , the Mother of God, St. John the Apostle and the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a typical iconostasis design in the Orthodox Church. The frescoes on the walls in the chancel and on the arches were painted by Velimir Maretić in 1948. The existing worn frescoes have no particular artistic value. From 1984 onwards, donations were collected to renew the frescoes. The repainting of the frescoes was entrusted to the priest Dobrica Kostić, a painter, restorer and conservator. The mosaic of St. Elijah above the entrance door of the church was made by üruro Radlović.

Web links

Coordinates: 44 ° 47 ′ 40.1 ″  N , 20 ° 31 ′ 36 ″  E