Oplenac

The church of Saint George on Oplenac hill was built between 1910 and 1912 as the mausoleum of the Karađorđević dynasty, in white marble in a Serbo-Byzantine manner, and its interior is the point: every surface is covered in mosaic, some 3,500 square metres of it in 40 million pieces of glass, copying frescoes from 60 medieval Serbian churches and monasteries, so the building functions as an anthology of the country's medieval painting assembled in one place. The crypt holds the dynastic tombs. Around the church are King Peter's house, a museum, and vineyards planted by the family that still produce wine. Topola below has Karađorđe's fortified compound from the early nineteenth century. The hill is a short trip from Belgrade and one of the more visited monuments in central Serbia.

History

Karađorđe settled the area and planted vineyards, and King Peter I, who came to the throne in 1903, chose the top of Mali Oplenac, 337 metres up, for his church of St. George. The cornerstone was laid in 1907, building began on 1 May 1910 to the design of Kosta J. Jovanović, and after the king died on 16 August 1921 Alexander I completed it; its 3,500 square metres of mosaic copy frescoes from 60 Serbian medieval churches and monasteries (Wikipedia, Oplenac).

What's there

• The mosaic interior - copies of frescoes from sixty medieval churches and monasteries.
• The dynastic crypt - the Karađorđević tombs beneath the church.
• King Peter's house - the residence and museum in the grounds.
• The vineyards - royal plantings still worked below the hill.

When to go

April to October for the grounds and the vineyards; September for the vintage. The church is open year round. Weekends bring coach parties and the crypt gets crowded.

Before you go

The mosaics are copies, made in the twentieth century, not medieval originals, which some visitors do not realise. The complex is spread out and the combined ticket covers several buildings, so allow time. Photography inside the church is restricted.

Nearby

Aranđelovac lies west; Belgrade is north.

Key facts