Belgrade interwar Christian architecture

The period of Belgrade interwar Christian architecture is considered the golden age of church architecture, in which twenty Christian churches were built between 1918 and 1941 - which possibly exceeds the number of all Christian buildings built in this place throughout history. These sanctuaries, with their appearance, artistic beauty, power and distribution across the wider territory of the newly established capital of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, had the task not only of satisfying the spiritual needs of the growing number of believers - among them soldiers, clergy, officials, state authorities and workers - but also of contributing to a more attractive image of Belgrade in the first half of the 20th century. [1][2][3][4]

With the bombing of Belgrade in the April War 1941, and then with the occupation and dismemberment of Yugoslavia – when Belgrade's church buildings were miraculously mostly undamaged – the golden age of Belgrade church architecture ended. However, it did not continue after liberation, because the new socialist government, for anti-religious political reasons, did not allow the construction of any shrines, let alone monumental ones. [5]

The central topic of this article is the interwar period. In order to get a clearer image that will outline this space - its "Sitz im Leben" - we must also look back at history, as well as at the later period up to the present day, which was in many ways completely different from our time - so that we can judge and understand it more correctly.

History

A postcard from 1899 shows Kalemegdan.
Belgrade has been besieged and conquered many times throughout history.
During the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia, was in Belgrade the Orthodox "Cathedral of the Archangel Michael" and two churches on Kalemegdan.

Roman, Middle Ages and Ottoman Period

Main articles: Roman Empire, Middle Ages, and Ottoman Empire

From the beginnings of Christianity in the era of the Roman Empire, the arrival of the Slavs and their Christianization, the Belgrade area played the role of an important Christian center throughout centuries of history.

During the five-century Turkish rule Belgrade also transformed into the center of the Belgrade Pashalik with a completely Islamic external appearance.[6][7]

It is not known how many Christian churches there were during the Roman period; after the arrival of the Turks, Christians built churches for their believers only in peaceful times.[8]

Period of the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia

Main articles: Principality of Serbia and Kingdom of Serbia

After victories of Eugene of Savoy, Austria became one of the most powerful European powers and approached the borders of the Belgrade Pashalik, as the people called it, but which was still entirely under the rule of the »Osmani«. This also gave courage to the Christians to gradually demand its rights.

From the end of the 19th century, Belgrade expanded and developed until the World War I, which also required the construction of new churches. Despite its modest material and technical capabilities, the Kingdom of Serbia in its capital "increasingly adapted its architecture to the stylistic transformation and the irresistible Europeanization of its architectural fund." [9]

After the First Serbian Uprising and gaining increasing independence from the Ottomans, first the vassal Principality and then the independent Kingdom of Serbia began to build Christian Orthodox churches throughout the country and also in Belgrade.

  • Topčider Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul[10]
  • Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Topčider park, iconostasis
  • The old church of St. Mark in Tašmajdan
  • View on the Cathedral of St. Archangel Michael, warehouse and port on the Sava
  • St. Michael's Cathedral – iconostas and painted ceiling
  1. Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Topčider (1832–1834).
  2. Old Church of St. Mark on Tašmajdan (1835) and
  3. St. Michael's Cathedral (1837–1840).[11][12][13][14][15]

Period of Old Yugoslavia

Main article: Kingdom of Yugoslavia

After the end of World War I, a period of religious construction flourished, especially for the needs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the initiators of which were:

  1. The king encouraged the unification of the Orthodox Serbian regions divided into six legal units into a single and restored patriarchate (1920); a similar unification of the various legal systems also occurred for Catholics from the former Austro-Hungary and Montenegro.
  2. Establishment of the Ministry of Religion (Ministarstvo vera)[16].
  3. Strengthened activity of the Building Department at the Ministry of Architecture. [17][18]
  4. Support of the Russian exiled builders who, after the October Revolution managed to save their lives from the communists and find their refuge and a new home in Belgrade. Their design solutions with strong originality and their own characteristics not only shaped Orthodox Belgrade between the wars, but also left their mark on most sacred buildings of all denominations. [19][20]

Orthodox churches

Between 1918 and 1941, numerous independent religious buildings with porticos (porta, courtyard) and many chapels were built in Belgrade as part of existing or newly built buildings. The state authorities and the Belgrade city administration were generally prepared to meet the needs of religious communities and their aspirations to preserve the cultural identity and multi-religious diversity of the population and clergy. Therefore, in Belgrade, in addition to Orthodox church buildings, they had to start building also for Catholic, other Christian and non-Christian believers, who were moving to the new capital in large numbers, especially from the regions of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.[21]

During this period, sacral buildings for Orthodox Christians were being built in the areas of Vračar, Palilula, Čukarica, Senjak, Bulbuder, Stari Mesto, Dorčol and other quarters.

Church of St. George on Banovo Brdo (1928–1932),

the work of architects Vasilije Androsov and Dragutin Maslač, was built on the land of the Belgrade merchant Jovanović; Mitar and his wife Milica donated it for the construction of the church in memory of their prematurely deceased children. At the request of the clients, the church was dedicated to their »krsna slava« (»baptismal saint«), St. George. [25] The church has a ground plan in the form of an inscribed cross - trefoil and was built in the neo-Byzantine style, which is typical of Belgrade churches of that time. Building elements were found in Serbian medieval churches that belonged to the Moravian school. [26][27][28]

St. Mark's Church on Tašmajdan (1931–1940)

grew up on one of the most beautiful untried locations of Belgrade. St. Mark's Church on Tašmajdan was planned by the architects brothers Peter and Branko Krstić in the spirit of Serbian medieval architectural heritage, modeled on the dowry of King Milutin[29]Gračanica. It was built next to the old cemetery church from 1835 on the former Tašmajdan cemetery, which was arranged by Prince Miloš and was abandoned in 1941. It is one of the largest churches in Belgrade and one of the few unpainted.[30][31] In more recent times, the famous artist Đuro Radlović created original mosaics in it.[32]

References

Annotations

  1. ^
    The church building is sometimes referred to as a "cathedral" because of its size although it is not a cathedral in the technical ecclesiastical sense, as it is not the seat of a bishop (the seat of the Metropolitan bishop of Belgrade is St. Michael's Cathedral). In Serbian it is called hram (temple), which is another name for a church in Eastern Orthodoxy.

Citations

  1. ^ B. Bojović, Vizuelna organizacija i prezentacija Beograda, Izgradnja, 9–10, Beograd, 1984, 57–62
  2. ^ B. Bojović, Crkva u slici grada, DaNS, 20–21, Novi Sad, 1997, 56–57
  3. ^ A. Kadijević, Poimanje čistote stila i autorskog izraza u novijoj srpskoj arhitekturi, у: Čist izraz, 13. bijenale umetnosti (ur. D. Jelenković), Pančevo, 2008, 14–22
  4. ^ A. Kadijević, Интерполације у београдској новијој архитектури. Неомодернистичка ауторска интерполација у Таковској улици (2003–2008), Наслеђе, X, Београд, 2009, 203–208.
  5. ^ Александар Кадијевић, Три нове цркве Београда — три потстицаја развоју српског сакралног градитељства. „Наслеђе” УДК 726.54(497.11)”199” стр.114
  6. ^ D. Đurić-Zamolo, Beograd као orijentalna varoš pod Turcima 1521–1867, Beograd, 1977
  7. ^ М. Шупут, Српска архитектура у доба турске власти 1459–1690, Београд, 1984.
  8. ^ GS (August 30, 2021). "Osmansko carstvo i Beograd: Kako je pao bedem hrišćanstva 1521. godine". Banja Luka: Glas Srpske. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Александар Кадијевић, Три нове цркве Београда — три потстицаја развоју српског сакралног градитељства. „Наслеђе” УДК 726.54(497.11)”199” стр.113
  10. ^ ser.: Топчидерска црква Светих апостола Петра и Павла
  11. ^ B. Vujović, Umetnost obnovljene Srbije 1791–1848, Beograd, 1986, 110, 112–126
  12. ^ B. Vujović, Srbske cerkve i samostani Beograda, 12–13, 28–29; Isti, Katedrala u Beogradu, Beograd, 1996
  13. ^ Z. Jakovljević, Fasade katedrale - predlog obnove, Nasleđe, III, Beograd, 2001, 141–154
  14. ^ B. Šekarić, Beograd, Saborna crkva, v: Spomeniško nasleđe Srbije, Beograd, 2007, 123
  15. ^ K. Mitrović, Topčider - dvor kneza Miloša Obrenovića, Beograd, 2008, 92–114.
  16. ^ Vasilije Kosić. "MINISTARSTVO VERA KRALJEVINE SRBA, HRVATA I SLOVENACA" (PDF) (in Serbian). Beograd: Biblioteka informativnih sredstava. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  17. ^ Српска православна црква 1920–1970, Београд 1971
  18. ^ М. Јовановић, Српско црквено градитељство и сликарство новијег доба, Београд – Крагујевац, 1987.
  19. ^ А. Арсењев, Руска емиграција у Југославији (избор из библиографије), Руска емиграција у српској култури XX века, Том II, књига IV, Београд 1994, 213–223
  20. ^ А. Арсењев, Биографски именик руских емиграната, Руска емиграција у српској култури XX века, Том II, књига IV, Београд 1994, 225–326.
  21. ^ “Prošlost nadbiskupije Beogradsko-smederevske”(=“The History of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Smederevo”), 214
  22. ^ Црква Светог кнеза Лазара на Звездари
  23. ^ Monastery of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God in Senjak
  24. ^ ru: Храм Святой Троицы Белград
  25. ^ Водич кроз Београд, Београд 1930, 62
  26. ^ Д. Кашић, Београдска црква Св. Ђорђа на Чукарици 1932–1982
  27. ^ Споменица о педесетогодишњици постојања храма, Београд 1982
  28. ^ А. Кадијевић, Један век тражења националног стила у српској архитектури (средина XIX – средина XX века), Београд 1997
  29. ^ Stefan Uroš II Milutin - known as Stefan Milutin, or King Milutin - belonged to the Nemanjić dynasty and was king of Serbia from 1282 to 1321, * around 1253 † 1321.
  30. ^ Група аутора, Водич кроз Београд, Београд 1930, 59
  31. ^ Ж. М. Јевремовић, Историјске знаменитости Београда и Земуна, Београд 1935, 22–23
  32. ^ "Arhitektura Srpske Pravoslavne Crkve - Crkva Svetog Marka u Beogradu" (in Serbian). Beograd: Dakom. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
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