Belgrade tales: The Rose Church

The most romantic church of Belgrade

In order to get to know Belgrade, and enjoy it to the fullest, especially during spring, it is crucial to learn about its history. The great part of it are numerous monasteries and churches all over Serbia. Each one of them carries a testament of rich traditions and past, turbulent times. Now if you think that I am going to bore you and give you a tedious historical tour, then you are so mistaken. Allow me to reveal you the small, yet precious monument of Belgrade, a hidden gem sometimes forgotten and overshadowed by the Kalemegdan Fortress. This spring, I am presenting you Crkva Ruzica(The Rose Church) of Belgrade.

This rather small church is, in my humble opinion, one of the visually most interesting and appealing religious buildings and monuments in Belgrade. As you might have been wondering, the Rose Church got its name because of its indisputably romantic and unique exterior, as it is completely covered, from bottom to the top, with roses. This peculiar monument could be easily visited after your long walk through Knez Mihailova street, right next to the Kalemegdan Fortress, in the great Kalemegdan Park. I cannot help but remember how many times, as I was growing up, I was making my mother and father let me play around it, as I could easily imagine I was a princess and the church was my castle.

At the very entrance of the church, you may see the two bronze statues, build with a purpose to guard this treasure. One of them is a Serbian in a traditional, folk costume and another one is a Serbian soldier from the Second World War. Despite the quite small size of The Rose Church, the great attention was paid to its arrangement, both from outside and inside. Iconostasis was made by Kosta Todorovic while paintings for him were done by Rafailo Momcilovic. The interior of the church is also decorated with paintings by Russian artist Andrei Bichenko. Needless to say, Belgrade born love this church and they are paying regular visits to it, just like I did. Don’t trust me, but see it for yourself.