Greg and I were here before in 2014 on a Danube River cruise with my parents. Many things look the same, but our first stop today was radically different.
The Temple of Saint Sava has been under construction for nearly 90 years. Saint Sava was the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The church, the fourth largest Orthodox Church in the world, is modeled upon Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It is built on the presumed site of his grave. Construction started in 1935, but long interruptions during World War II and a ban on the church’s construction during Tito’s era added decades to the project. When we were here before, they were just beginning to decorate the interior. Today, it is almost finished. (Lots of photos here - I didn’t take many others today.)
The 4,000 ton (!) cement dome was built entirely on the ground, then carefully lifted by cranes over several days to its present position in 1989.
With the exception of the iconostasis above, in 2014 the walls were bare cement. The vast interior space was filled with scaffolding and curtains. It was amazing to see the nearly-finished product.
We next traveled to the Museum of Yugoslavia (not to be confused with the National Museum). Essentially, it’s a memorial to Marshall Tito. I was surprised at the scruffy, unkempt appearance of the approach. We passed a large building draped in scaffolding and fabric. Our guidebook said it’s the May 25 Museum, the main building in the complex, and that it should be reopened in late 2019. They must be running a little late. Srdjan said he’d never been in it.
The collection itself is huge - over 200,000 artifacts covering the history of Yugoslavia: photographs, gifts from world leaders, personal objects and symbols of power, medals, stamps, gifts from various regions.and organizations in Yugoslavia. The museum building that IS open had labeling in Serbian and English, with objects grouped in glass cases, or on pedestals or just sitting (in the case of a 1700 year old piece of Roman mosaic) on the floor.
There were several cases of ceremonial batons that had been given to Marshall Tito. There are over 22,000 in the entire collection. They are carried in the annual Relay of Youth, a relay race that would go through all of the major Yugoslavian cities and towns, ending on May 25 at Tito’s residence. They are symbols of unity and brotherhood, and of loyalty to Tito.
Tito’s Mausoleum, in the “Hall of Flowers”
Kalemegdan Park occupies a big expanse of land at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. It’s been the site of fortresses since at least the 3rd century BCE. There’s a juxtaposition of old and new walls, bulwarks and ramparts. You can read about it online if you want to know more.
Confluence of the rivers.
Another meat-heavy dinner tonight. But we were warned, so had a tiny lunch in preparation.The food has been good on this trip, and servings generous. I’d be satisfied, I think, with just the first course and salad. Not much of a meat eater.
That’s all she wrote for today.
Except:
Except:
FUN FACTS: Tito’s given name is Yosip Broz. According to Srdjan, Tito was a nickname he received in prison, where he was ordering everyone around: “You do this. You do that.” In Serbian, Tito means “You - that.” According to another story, many Communists used nicknames during the period of persecution and illegality of their party. Tito chose the name itself, as it’s a common name in the region he came from. (He’d also had other nicknames: Rudy while in the country, and Walter while abroad.
Tito was born in 1892 on May 7 (or May 4, according to some sources), but he changed it to May 25 to commemorate the day he narrowly escaped Nazi forces trying to arrest him.. May 25, at his suggestion, also became National Youth Day. It continued to be celebrated until Yugoslavia dissolved 10 years after Tito’s death.
Gorgeous church!
ReplyDelete