Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. If you look at a map of Serbia, you will see that it is located in the very center. It is only 50km away from my city where I live. I am in Belgrade very often, but I have never explored it, I see all these sights of the capital in passing, but I never stop to look at them and learn something more than what I already know. Yesterday I took the time to visit Belgrade.

Church of Saint Mark

The first landmark I visited was the Church of St. Mark. It is located near the beautiful Tašmajdan Park, which was slightly covered with a white blanket when I arrived. The church has a very beautiful shape, and it was built in the Serbian Byzantine style, this style combined with the white snowflakes fit very well in the moment.
The church was built between 1931 and 1940. This church was inspired by medieval Gračanica, and its beauty and grandeur testify to the rich history and spirituality of our people. As I walked across the stone slabs, I looked back at the high arcades, semicircular windows and massive columns. The architecture of red-brown stone seemed even more impressive under the gray winter sky, and the snowflakes gently stuck to the facade, enhancing the feeling of eternity and peace that this church carries within itself.

Model of the church

When I stepped into the church, I felt peace and tranquility, the smell of incense spread throughout the entire space. Although it is not finished and painted to the end, it is beautiful, and at first glance I did not even know that it was not finished. It is also adorned with this wonderful model that was handmade by Đordje Živanović. Originally, the model was in the color of the wood, but over time, the wood faded so that it was painted in the color of the church, so that today this model faithfully depicts the appearance of the church itself. The model is made of maple and beech wood and is composed of 25,527 pieces glued together with glue and nailed with about 31,000 small nails. This masterpiece was made for almost 20 years, its work began in 1935 and was completed in 1954. The size of this model is 120cm wide, 180cm long, 50cm high, and weighs about 100kg.

Church shop

When you enter the church, there is usually a shop on the right, as is the case in every Orthodox church. Right across from it is the model of St. Mark's Church that you saw a little earlier. In the shop, which is made of wood and matches the entire style of the Orthodox church, you can buy candles, icons, rosaries, lamps, incense, ... There is also usually a box for donations for sick children, as well as a box for donations to the church itself.

Patriarch German

When I stepped a little further into the church, on the left side are the relics of Patriarch German. He is known for leading Serbia through a dark period of the communist regime, and he managed to preserve the autonomy and spiritual peace of this church. He was born in 1899 and died in 1990, serving as patriarch from 1958 to 1990.

Relics of Emperor Dušan

Across the street from the Patriarch is Emperor Dušan. Emperor Dušan is the most important and powerful ruler Serbia has ever had. During his time, Serbia was at its strongest territorially and politically, during that period Serbia stretched from the Danube to the Peloponnese. During his time, the Dušan Code was enacted, which was extremely important for that time. Today, we can worship him in the church that I visited, and it was originally located in the Monastery of the Holy Archangel near Prizren, but during the Turkish conquests it was moved.

I hope you enjoyed it and learned something more, because I did :D