Religious architecture in Belgrade
Encyclopedia
Belgrade
, Serbia
has an abundance of religious architecture. The city has numerous Serbian Orthodox churches and temples and it is also the seat of the Patriarch
of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Its two most prominent Orthodox Christian
places of worship are the Saborna Crkva
(the Cathedral Church) and the Temple of St. Sava, the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the world.
Other notable Belgrade churches include St. Mark's Church, in which rests the body of the first Serbian Emperor
, Stefan Dušan. The architecture of this church was greatly inspired by the Gračanica monastery
in the province of Kosovo
. The church of Sveta Ružica
in the Kalemegdan Fortress is one of the holiest places in Belgrade for Serbian Orthodox Christians since this was the site where the body of St. Paraskeva
was preserved for several years after the Ottoman conquest, before being taken to Romania
where it still rests today. St. Paraskeva (Sv. Petka) is one of the most important saints to the Eastern Orthodox Christians
.
Belgrade is the seat of a Catholic
archdiocese, with a small Catholic community and several Catholic churches. One of these, St Anthony's, was designed by the noted Slovenia
n architect Jože Plečnik
.
There is also a Muslim
community in Belgrade and only one mosque
, the Bajrakli Mosque
built in 1526 by the Ottoman
Sultan
, Suleiman the Magnificent
. It is one of the oldest surviving structures in contemporary Belgrade.
The Jewish community is served by the Belgrade Synagogue
, which is the only currently active Jewish place of worship in the entire country, although not the only such structure within the city limits.
Belgrade also had an active Buddhist temple in the first half of the 20th century. It was built by East Russia
n expatriates fleeing the outcome of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
has an abundance of religious architecture. The city has numerous Serbian Orthodox churches and temples and it is also the seat of the Patriarch
Patriarch of Serbia
This is a list of the Archbishops and Patriarchs of Peć and the Serbs from the creation of the church as an archdiocese in 1219 to today's Patriarchate. The list includes all the Archbishops and Patriarchs that led the Serbian Orthodox community under Patriarchate of Peć...
of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Its two most prominent Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
places of worship are the Saborna Crkva
Saborna Crkva
The Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel is a Serb Orthodox Christian church in the centre of Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the most important places of worship in the country...
(the Cathedral Church) and the Temple of St. Sava, the largest Eastern Orthodox church in the world.
Other notable Belgrade churches include St. Mark's Church, in which rests the body of the first Serbian Emperor
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire was a short-lived medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the Serbian Kingdom. Stephen Uroš IV Dušan was crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks on 16 April, 1346, a title signifying a successorship to the Eastern Roman Empire...
, Stefan Dušan. The architecture of this church was greatly inspired by the Gračanica monastery
Gracanica monastery
Gračanica is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321. Gračanica Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia, and on 13 July 2006 it was placed on UNESCO's...
in the province of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. The church of Sveta Ružica
Ružica Church
Ružica Church is located in the Kalemegdan Fortress, in Belgrade, Serbia. A church of the same name existed on the site in the time of Stefan Lazarević. It was demolished in 1521 by the invading Ottoman Turks. Today's church was a gunpowder magazine in the 18th century, and was converted into a...
in the Kalemegdan Fortress is one of the holiest places in Belgrade for Serbian Orthodox Christians since this was the site where the body of St. Paraskeva
Parascheva of the Balkans
Saint Parascheva of the Balkans was an ascetic female saint of the 11th century...
was preserved for several years after the Ottoman conquest, before being taken to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
where it still rests today. St. Paraskeva (Sv. Petka) is one of the most important saints to the Eastern Orthodox Christians
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
Belgrade is the seat of a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
archdiocese, with a small Catholic community and several Catholic churches. One of these, St Anthony's, was designed by the noted Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n architect Jože Plečnik
Jože Plecnik
Jože Plečnik , was a Slovene architect who practised in Vienna, Belgrade, Prague and Ljubljana.-Biography:...
.
There is also a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community in Belgrade and only one mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, the Bajrakli Mosque
Bajrakli Mosque, Belgrade
The Bajrakli Mosque is a mosque in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Gospodar Jevremova Street in the neighbourhood of Dorćol...
built in 1526 by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
, Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
. It is one of the oldest surviving structures in contemporary Belgrade.
The Jewish community is served by the Belgrade Synagogue
Belgrade Synagogue
Sukkat Shalom Synagogue or Belgrade Synagogue is currently the only fully active Jewish place of worship in Belgrade, as other synagogues citywide are not active....
, which is the only currently active Jewish place of worship in the entire country, although not the only such structure within the city limits.
Belgrade also had an active Buddhist temple in the first half of the 20th century. It was built by East Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n expatriates fleeing the outcome of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.