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131-542: Apart from the two tombs inside the church ( Karađorđe ’s in the southern apse; and Peter I in the northern apse), there are 26 other members of the dynasty whose eternal place of rest is in this mausoleum. Six generations of the Karađorđević family have been buried in this church: Out of the 28 tombs of the Karađorđević dynasty, six of them belong to rulers: Supreme Leader Karađorđe , Prince Alexander , King Peter I , King Alexander I , Prince Paul , and King Peter II . It

262-435: A sipahi ( Serbian : spahija ), an Ottoman cavalryman . Petrović himself spent his adolescence working as a shepherd. In 1785, he married Jelena Jovanović, daughter of Nikola Jovanović, Obor-knez of Jasenica , whose family hailed from the village of Masloševo . The couple had seven children, six of whom reached adulthood. Petrović worked for several landlords across Šumadija until 1787, when he and his family left

393-723: A hajduk and briefly fought the Ottomans as an outlaw. He and his family once again sought refuge in the Austrian Empire, this time finding sanctuary in the Krušedol Monastery , at the foot of Fruška Gora , where Petrović worked as a forester. In 1793, Hadji Mustafa Pasha was appointed governor of the Pashalik of Belgrade . He declared a general amnesty for former rebels and announced that Muslims would no longer serve as tax-collectors in areas where Christians formed

524-720: A ballad about him. Karađorđe is mentioned in Honoré de Balzac 's 1842 novel A Start in Life , as the grandfather of one of the book's main characters. The Montenegrin prince-bishop and poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš dedicated his 1847 epic poem The Mountain Wreath to "the ashes of the Father of Serbia", a reference to Karađorđe. The surname Karamazov, used in the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky 's 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov ,

655-622: A majority of the population. These changes were part of a plan devised by Sultan Selim aimed at improving relations with the Pashalik's Christian population. Sensing that it was safe, Petrović returned to Šumadija in 1794, together with his family. He settled in Topola , where he became a livestock merchant and traded with the Austrians. His business dealings led him to establish connections with many Habsburg Serbs. In 1796, Osman Pazvantoğlu ,

786-587: A massive explosion that killed him and everyone else in the vicinity. On the site of the battle, the Ottoman commander Hurshid Pasha built a stone tower with the skulls of Sinđelić and his fighters embedded in its walls as a warning to others who wished to rebel. The fall of Čegar allowed the Ottomans to establish a land corridor extending along the Morava River valley from Niš to the Danube. Their advance

917-607: A militia of Habsburg and Ottoman Serbs , armed and trained by the Austrians . Fearing retribution following the Austrians' and Serb rebels' defeat in 1791, he and his family fled to the Austrian Empire , where they lived until 1794, when a general amnesty was declared. Karađorđe subsequently returned to Šumadija and became a livestock merchant. In 1796, the rogue governor of the Sanjak of Vidin , Osman Pazvantoğlu , invaded

1048-512: A mosaic icon of St. George, to whom the church is dedicated. Made in Venice according to the plan of the known Serbian artist Paja Jovanović , on the basis of a golden mosaic, this icon symbolizes the victory of the Serbs over its enemies. Above the portal, in a circle, the old Karađorđević Family coat of arms has been sculpted, on whose sides two typical men from Šumadija region are shown, holding

1179-477: A period of infighting between the Dahis that would last until 1802. By this time, four senior Dahi commanders emerged triumphant and agreed to share power within the Pashalik. The Serbs were stripped of the privileges that they had been granted under Mustafa Pasha. Dahi bands roamed the countryside, killing peasants, looting property and setting homes on fire. Thousands of villagers were displaced and forced to flee into

1310-406: A poor military decision in the vicinity of Ćuprija . In 1810, Dobrnjac mutinied against Karađorđe and nearly succeeded in dislodging him. He was joined in his revolt by Milenko Stojković. In June 1810, Russian troops entered Serbia for a second time, distributing weapons and supplies to Karađorđe and his followers. Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov took part in planning joint actions against both

1441-636: A prison in Graz . The Ottomans demanded that Karađorđe and the other rebel leaders be extradited to face punishment. The Austrians refused and instead turned them over to the Russians. Karađorđe spent a year in Austrian custody before being allowed to go to Russia. Like many of the other rebel leaders, he settled in Bessarabia . He attempted to adjust to civilian life, commissioning a portrait of himself by

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1572-410: A rebellion against the Dahis and Karađorđe was elected without opposition to lead it. It is said that he twice refused to lead the uprising, arguing that his violent temper would make him unsuitable for the role. Karađorđe's initial refusal only reinforced the chieftains' convictions that he was the only suitable candidate, and eventually, he agreed to lead the rebels. This event marked the beginning of

1703-427: A tent in the forest, Vulićević informed Obrenović of Karađorđe's whereabouts through a courier. Shortly thereafter, he received a letter from Obrenović telling him that Karađorde was to be killed. Vulićević enlisted one of his close confidantes, Nikola Novaković, to take Karađorđe's life. The following morning, just before sunrise, Novaković snuck into Karađorđe's tent and axed him to death while he slept. He then went to

1834-405: A π shape, with one large door facing the nave and two smaller doors on the other sides. Twelve piers held chancel slabs of about 1.6 meters in length. The height of the slabs is not known. The chancel barrier was not merely a low parapet (a short wall); remains of colonnettes have been found, suggesting that the barrier carried an architrave on top of the columns. In early churches, including

1965-606: Is an important place of Serbian history. On 6 October 2012, Prince Paul, his wife Olga and his son Nikola were all buried here after their remains were exhumed from the Bois-de-Vaux Cemetery in Lausanne , and returned to Serbia. On 26 May 2013, Queen Maria , her sons King Peter II and Prince Andrew , and Peter II's wife Alexandra , were all buried here after their remains were exhumed from Frogmore in Britain,

2096-755: Is believed to have partially been inspired by Karađorđe, whose exploits popularized the use of the prefix "kara" to mean "black" within Russia. Karađorđe's likeness was featured on the obverse of five-million dinar banknotes issued by the National Bank of Yugoslavia in 1993 and 1994. The anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising's commencement, 15 February, is celebrated annually in Serbia as Statehood Day . A monument to Karađorđe stands in front of Belgrade's Church of Saint Sava , within

2227-538: Is considered the founder of the house of Karađorđević , which ruled Serbia in several intervals during the 19th and 20th centuries. His murder resulted in a violent, decades-long feud between his descendants and those of Obrenović , with the Serbian throne changing hands several times. Đorđe Petrović was born into an impoverished family in the village of Viševac , in the Šumadija region of Ottoman Serbia , on 14 November [ O.S. 3 November] 1768. He

2358-597: Is made of mother of pearl and each figure and object is crafted individually. It was made in the workshop of the Salsa' family in Beit Sahour , 1.5 km (0.93 mi) east of Bethlehem . The icon is 73.5 by 67.5 cm (28.9 by 26.6 in). It was handed out to King Alexander I on 16 October 1924, when the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem , Damian I , visited Belgrade. Though the press of

2489-657: Is still most demonstratively present in Eastern Orthodox churches where the iconostasis divides the altar, the Holy of Holies where the Eucharist is performed – the manifestation of the New Covenant  – from the larger portion of the church accessible to the faithful. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, usually only men can enter the altar portion behind the iconostasis. However, one will see women serving behind

2620-571: The First Serbian Uprising , the opening phase of what would come to be known as the Serbian Revolution . By the start of the revolt, the Pashalik of Belgrade had a population of about 400,000, 10 percent of which was Muslim. Its Serb population was roughly 250,000. At first, the rebels numbered around 30,000 men. In this initial stage, they were joined by a significant amount of the Pashalik's Muslim population, whom

2751-940: The Golgotha . In the altar niche there is the 5-metre (16-foot) tall figure of the Divine Mother of God in a praying position (copy of the fresco from the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć ). Also, there is the Secret of the Holy Communion and the Communion of the Apostles with Bread and Wine. These are just some of the compositions that make the rich interior of the church. Besides the Mausoleum (St. George church), there are other objects that encompass

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2882-455: The Gračanica monastery . The face of Christ, 27 metres from the floor of the temple, looks impressive and is of proportional dimensions. Although the diameter of this painting is 9 metres (30 feet), and although just the finger of Christ is 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) long, and the nose is 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) long, everything is harmonious. In the altar are the frescoes of Lord's supper and the way to

3013-638: The Hagia Sophia ("Great Church") in Constantinople , the altar, at least in large churches, was under a ciborium ( ciborion : κιβώριον in Greek), usually a structure with four columns and a domed canopy. This had curtains on rods on all four sides, which were closed for sections of the liturgy, as is still performed in the Coptic and Armenian churches, a comparison with the biblical Veil of

3144-581: The Holy of Holies ; rather, it is seen as bringing them together. The iconostasis is the link between heaven (the Holy of Holies) and the nave (the Holy Place). Therefore, everything is symbolic upon the iconostasis. The icons of Christ, the Theotokos, and various saints and feasts are there because Christ, the Theotokos, the saints etc., are said to lead and guide followers into the Holy of Holies. Therefore,

3275-760: The Monastery of the Holy Archangels ; and Stefan Uroš V (1355–1371) with the Matejić monastery . The next depicted ruler is Lazar of Serbia (1371-1389) with the Ravanica monastery, his son, despot Stefan Lazarević (1389–1427) with the Manasija monastery, followed by Đurađ Branković with the church of Smederevo . In the very calotte of the main dome is the Pantocrator , copy of the thorax found in

3406-638: The Pashalik of Belgrade , and Karađorđe fought alongside the Ottomans to quash the incursion. In early 1804, following a massacre of Serb chieftains by renegade Ottoman janissaries known as Dahis , the Serbs of the Pashalik rebelled. Karađorđe was unanimously elected to lead the uprising against the Dahis at an assembly of surviving chiefs in February 1804. Within six months, most of the Dahi leaders had been captured and executed by Karađorđe's forces, and by 1805,

3537-509: The Romanian tradition , on the day of the consecration of the altar in the church, the laity, including women, were permitted to enter and venerate the altar until the beginning of the Vespers of Consecration. These guidelines were developed over the course of many centuries, with both theologically symbolic and practical reasons for them. The iconostasis does not separate the nave from

3668-580: The deacons use them frequently. Icons of sainted deacons are often depicted on these doors (particularly St. Stephen the Protomartyr and St. Ephrem the Syrian ). Alternatively, they may be called Angels' Doors , and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel are often depicted there. The South Door is typically the "entrance" door, and Michael is depicted there because he is the "Defender";

3799-472: The feast day of Saint Clement . They are said to have been descended from the Vasojevići tribe of Montenegro's Lim River valley. His ancestors are thought to have migrated from Montenegro to Šumadija in the late 1730s or early 1740s. Petrović's childhood was strenuous and difficult. His parents were forced to move around often in search of a livelihood. His father worked as a day labourer and servant for

3930-555: The nave from the sanctuary in a church . Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church. The iconostasis evolved from the Byzantine templon , a process complete by the 15th century. A direct comparison for the function of the main iconostasis can be made to the layout of the great Temple in Jerusalem . That Temple was designed with three parts. The holiest and inner-most portion

4061-572: The sobriquet "Black George" (Serbian: Karađorđe ; Turkish : Kara Yorgi ), partly because of his dark hair and partly because of his sinister reputation. Karađorđe's service in the Serbian militia resulted in him becoming well acquainted with Ottoman military doctrine. In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt , forcing the Porte to redeploy thousands of regulars from the Balkans in order to resist

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4192-486: The "side doors". There are some exceptions where both the side doors depict Archangel Michael. The most notable exception is of the church of Saint George (Aghios Georgios) inside the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (in today's Istanbul). In many monastery churches and chapels (though often not in the katholikon , the monastery's main church) one may find iconostases with only two doors:

4323-571: The 6th, 7th, and 8th centuries, except in Cappadocia . The invention of the solid icon screen is ascribed to Saint Basil the Great . As late as the 10th century, a simple wooden chancel barrier separated the apse from the nave in the rock-cut churches in Derinkuyu , although by the late 11th century, the templon had become standard. This may have been because of the veneration and imitation of

4454-547: The Allies into the Central Collecting Place for the art looted by Nazis. The icon was also stored there. There are two version of how the icon was returned to Oplenac. According to the first, member of the security agency OZNA Slobodan Kostić Uča paid for it "1,200 dinars, 350 dollars and some small types of other favors". The other, more accepted is that controversial art collector Ante Topić Mimara returned

4585-790: The Austrian Empire. He was joined by around 100,000 other Serbs fleeing the Ottoman advance, including 50,000 from Belgrade and its environs alone. Belgrade fell later that month. The city's fall marked the end of the First Serbian Uprising. The Ottomans singled out men and boys over the age of 15 for execution, and sold women and children into slavery. Torture was used extensively and executions were particularly brutal. "Men were roasted alive, hanged by their feet over smoking straw until they asphyxiated, castrated, crushed with stones, and bastinadoed ," one eyewitness wrote. "Their women and children were raped and sometimes taken by force to harems . Outside Stambul Gate in Belgrade, there were always on view

4716-585: The Balkans to take part in the Second Serbian Uprising. Karađorđe objected and traveled to Saint Petersburg to plead his case, but was arrested and detained. Upon his release, he joined the Filiki Eteria , a Greek nationalist secret society that intended to launch a pan-Balkan uprising against the Ottomans. The Filiki Eteria promised Karađorđe a position of military leadership in the planned uprising and offered to smuggle him into

4847-521: The Balkans, whose plot revolves around Karađorđe and his actions before, during and after the First Serbian Uprising, was released in 1911. Work soon began on the construction of the Church of Saint George , a Karađorđević dynasty mausoleum at Oplenac, near Topola. In 1913, a monument to Karađorđe was unveiled at Kalemegdan Park . During the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia , the monument

4978-610: The Beautiful Gates. If the cross bears an iconographic depiction of Christ Crucified, it is often flanked by icons of the Theotokos and St. John the Evangelist standing at the foot of the cross. There are rules regarding who may enter or leave the sanctuary (altar), and by which door. Neither the Beautiful Gates (Holy/Royal Doors – central doors) nor the space between them and the altar table may be used by laity under any circumstances, although infants are either carried into

5109-606: The First Serbian Uprising. Karađorđe is referenced in a number of works of 19th-century fiction. While he was still alive, the Hungarian dramatist István Balog  [ hu ] wrote a stage play about him, titled Black George , which premiered in August 1812. Several years later, the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin penned a ballad about Karađorđe titled The Song of George the Black . The Irish poet George Croly also wrote

5240-513: The Foundation of King Peter I – King Peter's House, King's villa, Queen's villa, Vineyards, Vineyard Keeper's House, etc. Visitors can also visit the historic town of Topola located nearby, a traditional stronghold of the Karađorđević family, ever since the time of Karađorđe. The church hosts an icon representing the Last supper, patterned after the famous Ultima cena by Da Vinci . The icon

5371-516: The French. The janissaries in the Pashalik of Belgrade, known as Dahis (Serbian: Dahije ), who had been expelled from the region on Selim's orders nearly a decade earlier, were pardoned and allowed to return to Belgrade on the condition that they obey Mustafa Pasha. The détente between the aging governor and the Dahis did not last long. In 1801, Mustafa Pasha was killed by a Dahi assassin. The power vacuum caused by Mustafa Pasha's murder resulted in

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5502-663: The Great Church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, though the columnar form of chancel barrier does predate Hagia Sophia. The rood screens or pulpita that most large European Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals had acquired by late medieval times occupied a similar position between chancel and nave but served a different function. The choir was usually east of the screen. Many survive, often most completely in Scandinavia , and more were built in

5633-445: The Greek secret society known as Filiki Eteria , which planned to launch a pan- Balkan uprising against the Ottomans. Karađorđe returned to Serbia in secret in July 1817, but was killed shortly thereafter by agents of Miloš Obrenović , a rival rebel leader, who was concerned that Karađorđe's reappearance would cause the Ottomans to renege on the concessions they had agreed to following the Second Serbian Uprising of 1815. Karađorđe

5764-412: The Greek tradition only include the bottom ("Sovereign") tier, and on occasion a second tier of smaller icons, usually depicting either the Great Feasts or the Apostles (with an icon of the Mystical Supper, or occasionally the Hospitality of Abraham) above the Beautiful Gates. When the Iconostasis does not reach all the way to the ceiling, it is often surmounted by a central cross, centered directly above

5895-432: The Holy Doors and the North Door. These churches are used for simpler monastic observances when only a hieromonk would be serving alone. A number of guidelines or rubrics govern which icons are on which parts of the iconostasis, although there is some room for variation. In its fullest Slavic development, it comprised five tiers of icons: It is also not uncommon to find an icon of the Mystical Supper , which depicts

6026-429: The Last Supper, and by extension the Communion of Saints in the Kingdom of God , somewhere above the Beautiful Gates. The Sovereign (bottom) tier is found in all iconostases, but other tiers are somewhat optional. In general, preference is given to the Deisis or the Feasts tiers if only some of them can be included, and only the largest and most elaborate iconostases have all five tiers. Many modern iconostases in

6157-730: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nenadović as the Minister of the Interior, and Dobrnjac as the Minister of Justice. Also inducted into Karađorđe's cabinet were Mladen Milovanović, as the Minister of War; Dositej Obradović , as the Minister of Education; and Sima Marković , as the Minister of Finance. Dobrnjac and Stojković refused to accept the posts that were offered to them, fearing that their acceptance would legitimize Karađorđe and undermine their own position. Karađorđe accused them of insubordination and exiled them to Wallachia , replacing them with loyalists. The Governing Council soon recognized Karađorđe as Serbia's hereditary leader and pledged allegiance to his "lawful heirs". In mid-1812, Russia and

6288-423: The North Door is the "exit", and Gabriel is depicted here because he is the "Messenger" of God. (In the Greek and Antiochian liturgical tradition, the Archangel Michael is usually stationed on the north (i.e. "exit") door, and Gabriel on the south (i.e. "entrance") door, and that it is far more common in modern times to see the Archangels than the Deacons on these doors). These doors may also be casually referred to as

6419-476: The Obrenović king, Alexander , and his wife, Queen Draga , thereby rendering the Obrenović line extinct. Karađorđe's grandson, Peter Karađorđević , then ascended the throne. In order to tie himself to his grandfather's legacy, Peter commissioned a bronze crown cast from a piece of Karađorđe's first cannon. In addition, the Order of Karađorđe's Star was introduced as Serbia's highest state decoration. The first feature-length film to emerge from Serbia and

6550-492: The Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Bucharest , bringing the Russo-Ottoman War to a close. For his efforts, Karađorđe received the Order of Saint Anna from the Russians. The Governing Council scrambled to take an oath of loyalty to Russia in the hope that this would garner them further protection, to no avail. The Russian Emperor , Alexander , was aware of Napoleon's plans to invade Russia and desperately sought to return as many Russian soldiers as possible in order to repel

6681-445: The Ottomans also had an important influence on the Bosnian Muslim revolutionary Husein Gradaščević , who instigated the Great Bosnian Uprising . Karađorđe is viewed in a negative light by some modern Bosniaks. In 2011, the chief Mufti of the Islamic Community of Serbia, Muamer Zukorlić , filed a petition to rename a street in Sjenica named after Karađorđe. Zukorlić alleged that Karađorđe and his followers had indiscriminately targeted

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6812-464: The Ottomans and the mutineers. By the following year, Dobrnjac and Stojković were defeated. Karađorđe attempted to placate the mutineers. In January 1811, he established the People's Governing Council (Serbian: Praviteljstvujušči Sovjet ), a cabinet consisting of members who supported Karađorđe as well as those who opposed him. It consisted of twelve members, one for each of the nahije (districts) of rebel Serbia. Karađorđe appointed Stojković as

6943-407: The Ottomans for the purpose of inflicting suffering on the city's inhabitants. In one instance, several dozen Serb refugees seeking shelter in a mosque were burned alive inside. In late October 1813, Hurshid Pasha declared a general amnesty for the rebels that had survived, though Karađorđe and some senior Orthodox clerics were specifically exempted. Many rebel leaders agreed to lay down their arms,

7074-424: The Pashalik of Belgrade. Karađorđe secretly entered the Pashalik on 24 July [ O.S. 12 July] 1817, crossing the Danube together with his servant, Naum Krnar . He then contacted his kum , Vujica Vulićević , who offered him an abode in the oak forest of Radovanje Grove , near Velika Plana . Unbeknownst to Karađorđe, Vulićević was on Obrenović's payroll. After escorting Karađorđe and his servant to

7205-419: The Pashalik were granted a number of privileges. They were allowed to bear arms and raise autonomous military units. After the Serb militias joined the war on Mustafa Pasha's side, Pazvantoğlu suffered a string of defeats. He retreated to Vidin , which was subsequently besieged. The war against Pazvantoğlu marked the first time that Petrović distinguished himself in the eyes of the Ottomans, who bestowed him with

7336-484: The Russians for not intervening earlier on the rebels' behalf. He subsequently wrote Napoleon seeking military assistance, and in 1810, dispatched an emissary to France. Nothing came of these requests, as the French did not believe that the rebels had the military capacity to dislodge the Ottomans from the Balkans. As his battlefield setbacks mounted, Karađorđe's behaviour became more volatile. In late 1809, he shot and wounded one of his commanders, Petar Jokić , for making

7467-402: The Saint Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois , the cemetery of New Gračanica , also in Illinois, and Tatoi Palace in Greece respectively, and returned to Serbia. In the 19th century this area was covered in woods. The term Oplenac most probably derives from "oplen", meaning wooden parts on ox cars. Karađorđe had settled here, built vineyards and orchards, and established the defence of

7598-414: The Serbian medieval rulers, an impressive line-up with every one of them represented by their respective churches. The first on the left is Stefan Nemanja (ruled from 1168 to 1196), wearing a priest garb of the Hilandar monastery, holding the Studenica monastery . Then, there is King Stefan the First Crowned (1196-1227) with the model of the Žiča monastery, then King Stefan Radoslav (1227–1234) with

7729-426: The Serbs of the Pashalik of Belgrade some degree of autonomy. As part of the agreement, the Russians agreed to withdraw their forces from Serbia, as well as from Wallachia and Moldavia. The Russians encouraged Karađorđe and his followers to negotiate directly with the Porte regarding the minutiae of the handover of cities and fortifications to the Ottomans. Trepidation filled the rebel camp once it became clear that there

7860-411: The St. George church at Oplenac. The entire mosaic has 725 painted compositions (513 in the temple and 212 in the crypt), on which there are 1500 figures. The entire area of the mosaic is 3,500 square metres (38,000 sq ft); with 40 million various coloured pieces of glass which have 15 thousand different varieties of colour, making vivid artistic impression. To the right side of the entrance, on

7991-511: The Temple was intended. The small domed structures, usually with red curtains, that are often shown near the writing saint in early Evangelist portraits , especially in the East, represent a ciborium, as do the structures surrounding many manuscript portraits of medieval rulers. As the iconostasis grew, the ciborium declined, although some late examples, by now invisible to the congregation, were produced. The templon gradually replaced all other forms of chancel barriers in Byzantine churches in

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8122-585: The Turks threw away their arms and clothing in order to run the better, but to no purpose. The Serbs caught up with them and killed them, some with swords, some with knives and some with daggers, while others had their brains beaten out with cudgels and staves. They say that over 2,800 Turks perished and only those got away who had good horses. When our army mustered again at the camp at Ub, I saw that many of our soldiers had blood-stained swords ... and their gun-butts also were smashed and broken; they were laden with every sort of spoil. Serbs who neglected to join

8253-400: The agreement reached by the Porte and Obrenović's followers in November 1815. By extension, Karađorđe's murder precluded the Serbs of the Pashalik from taking part in the Balkan-wide rebellion that the Filiki Eteria had been planning. In Constantinople, Karađorđe's head was impaled on a stake and left on public display for a week. His body was buried on Serbian soil, but his skull ended up in

8384-401: The altar through them in the " churching " rite if they are boys, or if they are girls, the infant is simply presented at the doors. Bishops may enter through the Beautiful Gates at any time; priests and deacons may do so only at specific times during the services when the gates are open (but during Bright Week they always enter and exit through them). All others enter the sanctuary through

8515-412: The altar would face east according to Orthodox tradition. In 1907 the cornerstone was laid, and the Charter dedicated to St. George was placed in the foundation. The winning prize for the tender was given to architect Nikola Nestorović. After a long and animated expert discussion, primarily regarding the demand for the monumentality of the Serbian-Byzantine style, and due to the King's own displeasure with

8646-403: The attack. As part of the Treaty of Bucharest, the Russians and Ottomans agreed that Serbian fortifications built after 1804 were to be destroyed, while cities and forts from which the Ottomans had been expelled over the course of the uprising were to be reoccupied and garrisoned by Ottoman troops. In exchange, the Ottomans agreed to declare a general amnesty for former rebels, as well as to grant

8777-414: The autumn of 1912, the church was generally complete and ready for consecration. The Serbian Patriarch Dimitrije consecrated the church on 23 September 1912. During the pauses of the 1912-1913 Balkan Wars and the First World War , there was also a pause in the construction of the church. When Austria-Hungary occupied Serbia in the winter of 1915, the church was looted – the copper cover was removed from

8908-425: The case, Karađorđe entertained senior rebel leaders in his home while his brother's lifeless body dangled from the front gate—a warning to others to refrain from the behaviour in which Marinko had been engaging. Muslims, combatants and non-combatants alike, were killed unremittingly, as illustrated in this contemporary account describing the capture of the village of Čučuge , near Ub , in April 1806: In their flight

9039-414: The ceiling. Acoustically , this permits the ekphoneses (liturgical exclamations) of the clergy to be heard clearly by the faithful. In small, modern churches the iconostasis may be completely absent: in such cases it is replaced by a few small icons on analogia (lecterns), forming a virtual divide. The iconostasis typically has three openings or sets of doors: the Beautiful Gates or Holy Doors in

9170-467: The center, and the North and South Doors to either side. The Beautiful Gates are sometimes called the Royal Doors , but that name more properly belongs to the central doors connecting the narthex , or porch, to the nave . They remain shut whenever a service is not being held. Modern custom as to when they should be opened during services varies depending upon jurisdiction and local custom. The North and South Doors are often called Deacons' Doors because

9301-667: The command of Bekir Pasha , the governor of Bosnia , to march into the Pashalik. The Serbs welcomed Bekir Pasha and his men as liberators, and the Dahis were soon defeated through the joint efforts of Bekir Pasha's army and the rebels. By late August, the most prominent Dahi leaders had been captured by Karađorđe's men, beheaded, and their severed heads sent to the Sultan as trophies. The Dahis resisted for another year before they were completely defeated. Karađorđe and his followers then demanded that Serbia be granted autonomous status similar to that enjoyed by neighbouring Wallachia . Selim suspected that Karađorđe's demands for autonomy were but

9432-402: The completion of his foundation. The king died on 16 August 1921, and his successor Alexander I took over its completion. He modified the original plan. After the reconstruction of the crypt, by Jovanović, this was followed by the iconostasis , the lightning conductor, then a new copper roof with golden edges on the dome. The bells were made by Frères Piccard from Annecy le Vieux , France and

9563-420: The corpses of impaled Serbs being gnawed by packs of dogs." Another account relays how infants and toddlers were boiled alive. In one day alone, 1,800 women and children were sold into slavery at a Belgrade market. Churches across the city were destroyed and mosques that had been converted into churches following the city's capture in 1806 were returned to their original use. Others were deliberately torched by

9694-569: The country. The monarchy was abolished by Josip Broz Tito 's communist government in 1945. Misha Glenny , a journalist specializing in the Balkans, believes that the First Serbian Uprising "marked the beginning of modern history on the Balkan peninsula." The uprising kindled the flame of ethno-religious nationalism among the Christians of Southeastern Europe and inspired the subsequent Greek War of Independence . Karađorđe's struggle against

9825-411: The crypt and the foundation of the church lasted for four months. On 1 September 1910, the foundation was mostly completed. In 1911 the building process continued at a fast pace, and the church was already under the dome. It was decided that same year that the façade of the church would be made of white marble, which came from nearby Venčac mountain, even today known for its exceptionally white marble. In

9956-463: The day reported in detail about the event, the icon wasn't mentioned. It was a gift for the king's wedding, which happened on 8 June 1922. The king ordered for the icon to be transferred to the church vault in Oplenac. On 18 October 1934, German Nazi official Hermann Göring visited Oplenac, within the scopes of attending the funeral of King Alexander I. He spent a lot of time in front of the icon. As

10087-468: The dome, roof and portals. The lightning conductor was also removed as well as the bells. Many windows were broken including little marble pillars and ornaments. Using the excuse that important records might be hidden, the occupiers desecrated the graves in the crypt. Returning to the liberated homeland and to the historical creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , Peter I was not able to see

10218-458: The entire seat rests on sculpted lions. The huge chandelier, 9 metres in diameter, is underneath the main dome, hanging in 8 places, above the pendent. It has been molten out of massive bronze, and weighs 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). In the chandelier is a Crown set upside-down (symbolising the lost Serbian Empire in the Kosovo battle in 1389). The initial idea of King Peter I was to carve into

10349-458: The entire southern wall of the narthex, is the painting of the trustee, King Peter I, holding the model of his church on the palm of his left hand, wearing a crown and coronation ornaments. With his right hand, he is guided by St. George, to whom the temple is dedicated, and shown approaching the Mother of God , greeting him with Christ sitting on the throne. In the southern apse is the gallery of

10480-438: The eponymous Karađorđe's Park . Iconostasis Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: In Eastern Christianity , an iconostasis ( Greek : εἰκονοστάσιον ) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating

10611-423: The final remnants of Dahi resistance had been crushed. Karađorđe and his followers demanded far-reaching autonomy, which Sultan Selim III interpreted as but the first step towards complete independence. Selim promptly declared jihad against the rebels and ordered an army to march into the Pashalik. The Ottomans suffered a string of defeats at the hands of Karađorđe's forces. By 1806, the rebels had captured all

10742-512: The first step towards complete independence. He responded by declaring a jihad against the rebels. Hafiz Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Niš , was then ordered to march into Šumadija and destroy Karađorđe's army. The rebels first clashed with Ottoman regulars at the Battle of Ivankovac in August 1805, scoring a decisive victory . Belgrade was soon besieged by about 16,000 rebel fighters. The rebel leaders used anti-Muslim rhetoric to mobilize

10873-596: The flags. The rest of it is mostly identical to the Coat of Arms of Serbia . The floor of the church was made in Munich , out of polished marble, in various colours. Lifted on a small podium, the throne for the King and Queen is made of polished green marble, its back is decorated with golden mosaic and mother-of-pearl , in the middle is the two-headed eagle . The arm-rest is made of the same marble as Visoki Dečani monastery , while

11004-538: The fortress, they were ambushed. Adult men were killed on the spot, women and girls were forcibly converted to Orthodox Christianity and made to marry their captors, and young children were placed in the care of Orthodox Christian families. One contemporary account suggests that as many as 3,000 non-Christians – mostly Muslims, but also Jews – were forced to convert to Orthodox Christianity. Jews that resisted conversion were either killed or expelled. Belgrade's mosques were either destroyed or turned into churches. As

11135-469: The guerrillas in the countryside, made the Dahi leadership increasingly uneasy. In January and February 1804, the Dahis launched a pre-emptive assault against the Pashalik's Serbian chieftains (known as knezovi , or "princes"), killing between 70 and 150 of them. The killings outraged the Serbian rayah , the Pashalik's tax-paying lower class. By this time, Karađorđe was a well known and well respected figure in Šumadija. He narrowly escaped being killed in

11266-526: The hands of a Constantinople museum. It was stolen some years later and buried in Greece. Karađorđe's descendants adopted the surname Karađorđević in his honour. His murder resulted in a violent, decades-long feud between his descendants and those of Obrenović, with the Serbian throne changing hands several times. The feud came to an abrupt end in June 1903, when rebellious Royal Serbian Army officers killed

11397-537: The icon first. In order to forestall the plundering of Ahnenerbe and Alfred Rosenberg , who also founded an organization for stealing arts in the occupied countries, Göring sent Franz Neuhausen to Serbia. In order to mask the looting and give it some legal credence, Göring appointed Neuhausen as the special plenipotentiary for economic affairs in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia after

11528-501: The icon, as his wife Wiltrud Mersman Topić was a junior curator at the Central Collecting Place. Kara%C4%91or%C4%91e Đorđe Petrović OSA OSV ( pronounced [dʑôːrdʑe pětroʋitɕ] ; Serbian : Ђорђе Петровић ; 14 November [ O.S. 3 November] 1768 – 25 July [ O.S. 13 July] 1817), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( pronounced [kâradʑoːrdʑe] ; Serbian: Карађорђе , lit.   'Black George'),

11659-467: The iconostasis at female monasteries . The word iconostasis comes from the Greek εἰκονοστάσι(-ον) ( eikonostási(-on) ), still in common use in Greece and Cyprus), which means ' icon stand ' . The nave is the main body of the church where most of the worshippers stand, and the sanctuary is the area around the altar , east of the nave. The sanctuary is usually one to three steps higher than

11790-480: The major towns in the Pashalik, including Belgrade and Smederevo , and expelled their Muslim inhabitants. Burdened by the demands of the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812, Selim offered the Serbs extensive autonomy. However, Karađorđe refused in light of Russia's avowal to aid the rebels should they continue fighting. Frequent infighting, together with Napoleon 's invasion of Russia in 1812, weakened

11921-463: The mosaics were made by Puhl & Wagner from Berlin , Germany. The bronze chandelier was made by Luks, Zagreb , Croatia. The church was once again consecrated in September 1930. Church services were held until 1947. After that, it was declared a cultural monument and open to visitors. Oplenac was added to the list of Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by

12052-649: The most notable of these being Miloš Obrenović , the rebel commander in Užice . A large number of Serb refugees subsequently returned to their homes, as did many of the Muslims that had been displaced in the fighting. Upon crossing the Danube, Karađorđe and his followers were arrested by the Austrian authorities. They were initially detained at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad and later transferred to

12183-502: The mountains, where over the next several years, the able-bodied men formed ad hoc guerrilla bands. In mid-July 1803, Karađorđe obtained arms and munitions from Habsburg Serb merchants in Zemun . Later that month, he dispatched couriers through Šumadija calling for a meeting of Serbian notables to devise a strategy for resisting the Dahis. The flow of arms from the Austrian Empire into the Pashalik, combined with their inability to crush

12314-649: The myths of John the Apostle on Ultima cena actually being Mary Magdalene already existed, and John on the icon indeed looks like a woman, Heinrich Himmler 's quasi-scientific organization Ahnenerbe also expressed interest in the icon as part of their search for the Holy Grail . After the German Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II , Yugoslavia was occupied in April 1941, Göring decided to obtain

12445-599: The narthex of Studenica monastery , followed by King Stefan Vladislav (1234–1243) with the Mileševa monastery, then King Stefan Uroš I (1243–1276) with the Sopoćani monastery; King Stefan Dragutin with the Church of St. Achillius (1276–1282), King Stefan Milutin (1282–1322) with the Gračanica monastery , King Stefan Dečanski (1322-1331) with the Visoki Dečani monastery, and two emperors – Stefan Dušan (1331-1355) with

12576-450: The nave. The iconostasis does not sit directly on the edge of the sanctuary but is usually set a few feet back from the edge of the top step. This forms a walkway in front of the iconostasis for the clergy, called a soleas . In the very center of the soleas is an extension (or thrust ), often rounded, called the ambon , on which the deacon will stand to give litanies during the services. The iconostasis, though often tall, rarely touches

12707-409: The nearby Topola. His son Alexander built new buildings and renewed his father's vineyards and orchards. It was not until the arrival of King Peter I that this place got its true importance. Peter I, upon his ascension to the throne in 1903, chose a spot 337 metres (1,106 feet) on the top of Mali Oplenac hill for the location of his St. George Church. The location was measured by geodesy experts; so

12838-400: The only way in which military infractions could be rectified, and according to the military historian Brendon A. Rehm, personally killed 125 people. In 1806, he ordered that his brother Marinko be hanged. According to one account, Marinko had been accused of raping a peasant girl. Another suggests that he had been attempting to seduce young women whose husbands were away at the front. Whatever

12969-553: The outbreak of the Austro-Turkish War of 1788–1791 , Petrović joined the Serbian Free Corps ( German : Serbische Freikorps ), and took part in fighting the Ottomans in western Serbia. The Free Corps was a volunteer militia made up of both Ottoman and Habsburg Serbs that was armed and trained by the Austrians. It was led by a Habsburg Serb officer, Major Mihailo Mihaljević . Petrović's participation in

13100-590: The painter Vladimir Borovikovsky . In April 1815, Obrenović orchestrated another anti-Ottoman rebellion in Serbia, which came to be known as the Second Serbian Uprising . Unlike Karađorđe's revolt, the Second Serbian Uprising ended relatively quickly and resulted in a rebel victory. In November 1815, the Ottomans accepted Obrenović's demands for wide-ranging autonomy. The terms that they agreed to were identical to those rejected by Karađorđe in 1807. The Russians prohibited Karađorđe from returning to

13231-602: The partition of Yugoslavia. The first thing taken from Opleanac was the icon, sent right away to Göring who exhibited it in his Carinhall . In 1943, Göring transferred a part of the plundered collection, including the icon, to the Altaussee salt mines in Styria , Austria . The Allies found the treasure after the liberation and it was all stored in Führerbau , a former representative building built for Hitler , then turned by

13362-467: The peasantry, calling upon them to rise up and drive the Ottomans "across the blue sea". In order to further galvanize the population, Karađorđe appealed to memories of the Battle of Kosovo of June 1389, which paved the way for the Ottoman conquest of Serbia and the rest of the western Balkans, declaring that Serbia's defeat in the battle needed to be avenged. He sought to further cement his authority by harkening back to symbols of Medieval Serbia , such as

13493-512: The personages on the icons upon the iconostasis guide followers into heaven, and therefore the iconostasis is said to connect, not separate. Icons are seen as windows and bridges to heaven. Therefore, in a sense the iconostasis represents Christ, who is the connection, the door, between both realms. The perfect explanation for the iconostasis, and its uniting purpose, is seen in Hebrews 10:19–20, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter

13624-482: The proposed solution, another tender in 1909 was launched. The committee was made up with basically the same previous members (Mihailo Valtrović, Andra Stevanović, and architect Konstantin Jovanović , who replaced Dragutin Đorđević from the previous committee). The committee awarded first prize to the young architect Kosta J. Jovanović. On May 1, 1910, construction started following Jovanović's plan. Stone breaking for

13755-862: The rebels captured Sjenica . They repulsed an Ottoman attack on the village of Suvodol in early June, and seized Novi Pazar later that month, but failed to take its fortress. Minor clashes also took place in the north of Kosovo. Lacking numbers and adequate military training, the rebels failed to establish a corridor to Montenegro and gain access to the Adriatic Sea , which Karađorđe had described as one of his key aims. The rebels experienced further setbacks in Niš, where 3,000 were surrounded at Čegar Hill in May–June 1809. Knowing that he and his men would be impaled if captured, rebel commander Stevan Sinđelić fired at his entrenchment's gun powder magazine, setting off

13886-571: The rebels defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Mišar . Later that month, they scored another victory at the Battle of Deligrad . Smederevo was captured in November and made the capital of Karađorđe's revolutionary state. Belgrade, with the exception of its imposing fortress , fell in early December . The outbreak of the Russo-Ottoman War that month, compounded by Russia's avowal to provide extensive materiel and financial support to

14017-401: The rebels dubbed the "Good Turks". Karađorđe and his followers appealed to Sultan Selim for assistance against the Dahis, who had since rejected the authority of the Porte. Austria sent weapons and supplies to the rebels, while Russia lobbied on their behalf, encouraging the Porte to grant the Serbs further autonomy following the Dahis' removal. In May, Selim ordered a 7,000-strong army under of

14148-484: The rebels should they continue fighting, convinced Karađorđe not to accept anything short of complete independence. He promptly refused to accept the terms of the agreement negotiated by Ičko. In March 1807, Karađorđe issued a promise to Suleiman Pasha, the Governor of Belgrade, that he and his garrison would be granted safe passage if they vacated the city's besieged fortress. When Suleiman and his garrison emerged from

14279-427: The rebels twice dispatched the diplomat Petar Ičko to Constantinople to negotiate with the Porte. The two parties eventually reached an understanding, which came to be known as Ičko's Peace , in which the Ottomans agreed to grant the rebels extensive autonomy. Due to the Balkans' poor communications and transport infrastructure, it took several months for news of the Porte's offer to reach the rebels. In August 1806,

14410-561: The rebels, and the Ottomans were able to reverse many of their gains. Karađorđe was forced to flee Serbia in October 1813 and Belgrade fell later that month, bringing the First Serbian Uprising to a close. He and his followers sought refuge in the Austrian Empire, but were arrested and detained. Despite Ottoman requests for extradition, the Austrians handed Karađorđe over to the Russians , who offered him refuge in Bessarabia . There, he joined

14541-550: The region and settled in the Austrian Empire , fearing persecution at the hands of the Ottoman janissaries . It is said that as they were preparing to cross the Danube into Austria, Petrović's father began to have second thoughts about leaving Šumadija. Knowing that the entire family would be put in jeopardy if his father stayed behind, Petrović either took his father's life or arranged for someone to kill him instead. Following

14672-656: The relics of Stefan the First-Crowned , and placing old heraldic symbols on flags and seals to establish continuity between the Serbian Empire and himself. Portraits of Dušan the Mighty , the founder of the Serbian Empire, are said to have hung from the walls of the rebels' headquarters. Karađorđe was feared by enemies and allies alike because of his volatile temper. He considered executions to be

14803-466: The renegade governor of the Sanjak of Vidin , who had rejected the authority of the Sublime Porte , launched an invasion of the Pashalik of Belgrade. Overwhelmed, Mustafa Pasha formed a Serbian national militia to help stop the incursion. Petrović joined the militia and became a boluk-bashi (Serbian: Buljukbaša ), leading a company of 100 men. In return for their service, the Serbs of

14934-540: The revolution progressed, rebel strength peaked at around 50,000 fighters. Despite their initial successes, the rebel leaders were seldom on good terms, and constant infighting plagued their camp. In the western part of the country, Jakov Nenadović was the principal figure. In the east, Milenko Stojković and Petar Dobrnjac held sway. The latter two opposed Karađorđe's attempts to create a centralized state, fearing that this would result in their own power being diminished. Others, such as Nenadović, complained that Karađorđe

15065-466: The riverside and shot Krnar with a rifle as he was gathering water. Karađorđe's lifeless body was beheaded. His severed head was taken to Belgrade and presented to Marashli Ali Pasha , who had been appointed the governor of the Pashalik two years prior. Ali Pasha had the head flayed, stuffed and sent to the Sultan himself. Obrenović feared that Karađorđe's return would prompt the Ottomans to renege on

15196-508: The sanctuary by the blood of Jesus , by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is through his flesh.". Archaeological evidence from the St. John of Stoudios monastery in Constantinople suggests that the iconostasis evolved from the early templon . A basilica dedicated to John the Baptist was built in 463 AD. In it the chancel barrier surrounded the altar in

15327-532: The senior rebel leaders, Koča Anđelković . In 1791, the Austrians and Ottomans signed the Treaty of Sistova . The Austrians agreed to return all the territory that they and the Serbs had captured south of the Danube in exchange for minor territorial concessions in northern Bosnia, effectively abandoning the Serbs and leaving them to resist the Ottomans on their own. The rebels were crushed by 1792 and most of their leaders executed. Unwilling to surrender, Petrović became

15458-486: The side doors. In a convent , only the abbess and elder nuns are permitted to enter the sanctuary (altar), and they may only enter through the side doors. The abbess may enter at any time, but the other nuns need a blessing to enter. Male members of the laity who are usually allowed to enter the sanctuary include those involved in the running of the particular church, i.e., cantors and choristers , altar servers /acolytes, church keepers and vestrymen , etc. In

15589-481: The state. The church is a five-domed structure. The interior length of the temple is 30 metres (98 feet), and the height of the arch is 27 metres (89 feet). The width of each narthex is 9 metres (30 feet), and so is the span of the central dome. All four façades are made of white marble, which comes from the Venčac Mountain. The main façade, the most decorative one, is the western one. The portal's semicircle hosts

15720-491: The town's residents in 1809, a notion disputed by Serbian historians. The historian Ivo Banac surmises that "there would be no Bosnian Muslims today" had Karađorđe extended his uprising west of the Drina. Karađorđe's exploits were popularized across Europe by the linguist and folklorist Vuk Karadžić , who recorded and published the ballads of the blind gusle player and epic poet Filip Višnjić , many of which pertained to

15851-549: The two-month massacre, which came to be known as the Slaughter of the Knezes (Serbian: Seča knezova ). Upon killing the chieftains, the Dahis impaled their severed heads on wooden stakes and put them on public display. On Candlemas , 14 February [ O.S. 2 February] 1804, the surviving chieftains assembled in the village of Orašac , near Aranđelovac , to decide on a course of action. They agreed to launch

15982-400: The uprising were brutalized in equal measure. Males who could not produce an adequate excuse for why they were not fighting were killed and their houses torched. While most of the rebels were Serbs, the Pashalik's Romani (Gypsy) residents, the majority of whom were Muslim, also fought on the rebel side. Some Albanians also pledged allegiance to Karađorđe and fought on his behalf. In 1806,

16113-551: The walls the names of all soldiers and officers who had perished in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913. But, since the church was not fully completed, and since First World War followed (1914-1918), this idea had to be abandoned. The solution was to decorate the interior of the temple with mosaics, which would be a sort of a museum of reproductions of the most beautiful frescoes of the medieval Serbian art. Copies from 60 Serbian medieval churches and monasteries had been brought to

16244-530: The war brought him invaluable military experience, as well as insight into the Austrians' military techniques. He distinguished himself in combat and was decorated for bravery, reaching the rank of sergeant (German: Wachtmeister ). In this capacity, he was given command over a squad of 25 men. The Austrians and Serb rebels briefly succeeded in liberating a strip of land east and south of Belgrade , which in Serbian historiography came to be known as Koča's Frontier (Serbian: Kočina Krajina ), after one of

16375-466: Was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising . He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 February 1804 to 3 October 1813. Born into an impoverished family in the Šumadija region of Ottoman Serbia , Karađorđe distinguished himself during the Austro-Turkish War of 1788–1791 as a member of the Serbian Free Corps ,

16506-521: Was becoming too authoritarian . Nenadović suggested that the rebels establish a central council to rein in Karađorđe's power and write a constitution based on the rule of law. Karađorđe balked at the possibility. "It's easy for this sovereign law of yours to rule in a warm room, behind this table", he responded, "but let us see tomorrow, when the Turks strike, who will meet them and beat them." In May 1809,

16637-418: Was brought to a halt after the Russians crossed the Danube in September 1809 and attacked the Ottomans in northern Bulgaria, offering the rebels temporary respite. The rebels soon recaptured all the land they had lost but were exhausted by the fighting. Henceforth, they were continuously on the defensive. The rebel leaders quarrelled amongst themselves, blaming each other for the recent defeats. Karađorđe blamed

16768-465: Was nothing to prevent the Ottomans from exacting reprisals against the Pashalik's Serb population after the Russians withdrew. Karađorđe thus refused to abide by the terms of the Treaty of Bucharest and fighting continued. Deprived of foreign assistance, the rebels were quickly routed by the Ottomans, whose units were manned primarily by Albanians and Bosnian Muslims. In early October, Karađorđe fled to

16899-630: Was that where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This portion, the Holy of Holies , was separated from the second larger part of the building's interior by a curtain, the "veil of the temple" . Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. The third part was the entrance court. This architectural tradition for the two main parts can be seen carried forward in Christian churches and

17030-421: Was the oldest of his parents' five children. His father, Petar Jovanović, was a highwayman (or hajduk ) in his youth, but had since become a peasant farmer. His mother, Marica ( née Živković), was a homemaker. Petrović's surname was derived from his father's given name , in line with contemporary Serbian naming conventions . Like most of his contemporaries, Petrović was illiterate. His family celebrated

17161-596: Was torn down by the Austro-Hungarian Army and destroyed. In November 1918, Peter ascended the throne of the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was later renamed Yugoslavia . Karađorđe's head was repatriated from Greece in 1923 and reunited with the rest of his body. His remains were buried in a white marble sarcophagus within the church in 1930. The Karađorđević dynasty ruled Yugoslavia until 1941, when its members were forced into exile by Germany 's invasion and occupation of

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