The period of Belgrade interwar Christian architecture is considered the golden age of church architecture, in which twenty Christian churches were built between 1918 and 1941 - which possibly exceeds the number of all Christian buildings built in this place throughout history. These sanctuaries, with their appearance, artistic beauty, power and distribution across the wider territory of the newly established capital of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, had the task not only of satisfying the spiritual needs of the growing number of believers - among them soldiers, clergy, officials, state authorities and workers - but also of contributing to a more attractive image of Belgrade in the first half of the 20th century.
With the bombing of Belgrade in the April War 1941, and then with the occupation and dismemberment of Yugoslavia â when Belgrade's church buildings were miraculously mostly undamaged â the golden age of Belgrade church architecture ended. However, it did not continue after liberation, because the new socialist government, for anti-religious political reasons, did not allow the construction of any shrines, let alone monumental ones.
The central topic of this article is the interwar period. In order to get a clearer image that will outline this space - its "Sitz im Leben" - we must also look back at history, as well as at the later period up to the present day, which was in many ways completely different from our time - so that we can judge and understand it more correctly.
From the beginnings of Christianity in the era of the Roman Empire, the arrival of the Slavs and their Christianization, the Belgrade area played the role of an important Christian center throughout centuries of history.
During the five-century Turkish rule Belgrade also transformed into the center of the Belgrade Pashalik with a completely Islamic external appearance.
It is not known how many Christian churches there were during the Roman period; after the arrival of the Turks, Christians built churches for their believers only in peaceful times.
After victories of Eugene of Savoy, Austria became one of the most powerful European powers and approached the borders of the Belgrade Pashalik, as the people called it, but which was still entirely under the rule of the ûOsmanië. This also gave courage to the Christians to gradually demand its rights.
From the end of the 19th century, Belgrade expanded and developed until the World War I, which also required the construction of new churches. Despite its modest material and technical capabilities, the Kingdom of Serbia in its capital "increasingly adapted its architecture to the stylistic transformation and the irresistible Europeanization of its architectural fund."
After the First Serbian Uprising and gaining increasing independence from the Ottomans, first the vassal Principality and then the independent Kingdom of Serbia began to build Christian Orthodox churches throughout the country and also in Belgrade.
After the end of World War I, a period of religious construction flourished, especially for the needs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the initiators of which were:
Between 1918 and 1941, numerous independent religious buildings with porticos (porta, courtyard) and many chapels were built in Belgrade as part of existing or newly built buildings. The state authorities and the Belgrade city administration were generally prepared to meet the needs of religious communities and their aspirations to preserve the cultural identity and multi-religious diversity of the population and clergy. Therefore, in Belgrade, in addition to Orthodox church buildings, they had to start building also for Catholic, other Christian and non-Christian believers, who were moving to the new capital in large numbers, especially from the regions of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.
During this period, sacral buildings for Orthodox Christians were being built in the areas of VraÃÂar, Palilula, ÃÂukarica, Senjak, Bulbuder, Stari Grad, DorÃÂol and other quarters.