oplenac

Oplenac church is the Mausoleum of the Serbian House of Karadjordjevic, located on top of the Hill Oplenac in city Topola. Beautiful church with amazing mosaics. Inside the church are the tombs of Karadjordjevic family members. Beside the church, there are also King Peter's House, King’s villa, Queen’s villa, vineyards... Green area with lots of trees.

Church at've been many times, but each time entry into the Church of St. George for me still something special. The splendor of gilded mosaics and lit the lamp, with multicolored marble, a spirituality that is felt within the church really are amazing.

The five-domed church was built in the style known as Serbian–Byzantium, a sort of oriental gothic style, between 1910 and 1930, by King Peter I who was a grandson of the founder of the royal family who led the Serbs in an uprising against the Ottoman Empire that had controlled the Balkans for centuries. The revolution was successful, the Ottomans were booted out and in 1811 Karadjordje was confirmed as the lawful ruler of Serbia and his heirs after him. At St George’s Church four of Serbia’s kings and 18 members of the Karadjordje dynasty are buried in the crypt, their tombs made of onyx from Decani in Kosovo, and representing the pearl of Serbia’s cultural and historical heritage.The most important characteristic of church is the mosaic that covers much of the interior walls, made from Murano glass from Venice. I loved the huge candelabra which is made of melted weapons from the Battle of Kajmackalan in WWI and in the shape of the medieval crown of Serbia but upside down, symbolising Serbia’s mourning at the loss of their country at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Entry tickets are 300 Serbian Dinars which is around GBP2.5 or Euro 3. The price includes entrance to St George’s Church (the curator is happy to give you lots of information in English), King Peter’s house (a small summer villa built in 1912 for his own use and today a museum), the villa of King Alexander I and Queen Mary (closed to visitors at the moment) and entry to the tower and Church of Our Blessed Lady of Karadjordje Town, dating from 1811-1813. If you have time you may visit the royal winery at the foot of Oplenac Hill.

Must be visited at least one time, wih the house of the king very close.Both are full of tombs of serbian kings and documents of historical interest.The church is a wonderful place for the art and decoration inside.

After visiting numerous churches during an eight country Balkans tour, I thought I was all "churched out" until I came to Oplenac. This is a complex where you could spend a whole day absorbing the history of Serbia. We didn't have time to do that but we did visit the church of St George and King Petar's House.The Church of St George is truly stunning as the frescoes are all make of glass mosaics. Forty million pieces of glass were made in Berlin and brought to the church to fill the 725 fresco designs. In between wars, services were held here until 1947 when it was declared a cultural landmark of exceptional significance and opened to visitors.The crypt extends under the entire church. Nineteen members of five generations of the Karadjordjevic family are buried there. There are an additional twenty burial chambers with tombstones made of onyx. The glass mosaics in the crypt are truly stunning.King Petar's House was originally erected as a temporary structure for the supervision of the construction works of the church and mausoleum. The building had six rooms for the accommodation of the builders and a cellar for the storing of tools and material. However, at the very beginning King Petar I moved in with his servants to oversee the construction of his memorial. This is how the building got the name of "King Petar's House." The king lived there until 1915 when he retreated with the army over the Albanian mountains to the Salonika front. Today the house contains an art gallery which is very interesting.

I wasn't sure what to expect - but the church of St George at Oplenac, on the hill above the town of Topola, was truly fabulous. The whole interior is covered in richly coloured mosaics. Unusually one of the mosaics in the entry features a modern face on the image of st George. Downstairs six generations of the Karađorđević royal family are entombed among more fabulous mosaics. Next to the church there is the country house of King George which holds a few artefacts - worth a look. The church is about 72km from Belgrade - but if you love history, churches and art this is a very worthwhile visit.Entry is free.

South of Belgrade (one hour drive), in the heart of Sumadija region lie the Oplenac, the rest place of the whole Karadjordjevic dynasty from Petar I. Very nice mausoleum-church Saint George richly decorated, with fantastic mosaic on the floor, marble ( from Vencac mountain) colonnades and wooden iconostasis. The blue colour dominates.On the hill slopes near church extends the royal vineyards with the cellar (you can buy a wine if you like). There are also a two royal villas (king's and queen's) in the Oplenac park but they are in the bad condition. A nice day trip from Belgrade.

It is simply a treat to visit this church dedicated to Karadordejevic dynasty in Serbia. Master piece of art. 1500 square meters of mosaic made up of 60 millions pieces of glass that were put together on the walls. Simply unbelievable work.

A beautiful site with wall to wall mosaics done in glass tiles. The woman at the entrance gave us a short tour in English and was very informative. The setting of the church in the wooded park is beautiful and the church and mausoleum and stunning, probably one of the nicest and most interesting churches we visited in Serbia. Well worth a day trip from Belgrade.

Oplenac is around 80km away from Belgrade. The drive goes through colorful nature of Serbia. Oplenac is very near to the small city of Topola. It is the place where you can meet a peace of Serbia history. The members of Karadjordjevic dynasty have been buried at Oplenac. There is a very nice church at Oplenac, which really beautiful frescos. In that church the members of the Karadjordjevic family have been buried. Everything is surrounded with the beautiful nature. Very near to Oplenac there are former king vineyards, as well as vineyards of very famous vine producer Aleksandrovic family. It is worth visiting them.

Famous for its vineyards, Topola also got well known because in 1910 Serbian King Peter The First decided to build a church on the very top of the hill named Oplenac, which will eventually become the Mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family. The Oplenac Mausoleum is a real treasure. St. George’s Church with its famous mosaics will leave you breathless, together with the crypt inside which are buried members of the Royal Family. Within the complex, there are King Peter’s House and Vineyard Keeper’s House. Not far away, there is Kings Winery that you must not miss out, too.I have visited Oplenac several times. One of my biggest impressions was the statement of my friend from the USA. Namely, he said to me that he had liked Oplenac Church more than St Peter's Cathedral in Rome. I believe that his words truly describe this place as tremendous one.

Oplenac Mausoleum, is the Mausoleum of Yugoslavian royal Karadjordjevic family. The path to the mausoleum goes through peaceful park surrounded by tall trees. Besides the 2 tombs in the mausoleum, there are 20 something more tombs in the basement. The whole mauseloum is made out of millions of mosaics. The mausoleum consists of few other sites: King Petar's house, from which he observed the construction of the mausoleum; King's villa, and the royal vineyards. Besides the mausoleum that is grandiose, other sites are made much simpler, but not less interesting. Overall very knowledgeable trip. Don't miss it!Oh, and don't miss the opportunity to buy some of the great red and/or white royal wine.

I have visited this church several times. It is so beautiful where it lies on the top of a hill. It is located in a peaceful park filled with oak trees. I can recommend to go into the church and see its beautiful mosaic ceilings and marble floors. Beautiful. I can also recommend to go into the small museum just next to the church. It does not have a lot of things in it but the things that are there are interesting and illustrate important pieces of the history of Serbia.I can also recommend to go to the wine yards that are located at the hills around Oplenac and Topola. Alexandrovic is a favourite (although a bit expensive).

The church of St. George on Oplenac houses the remains of 26 members of the Karageorgevic Dynasty in the crypt. The church itself is beautiful. The frescoes appear as if they were painted yesterday. The church itself holds the remains of King Peter I and "Black George" better known as Karageorge. The lower crypt holds the remains of King Alexander I and other members of the Royal Family. This past year, the remains of King Peter II were interred here after originally being interred inside the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox monastery in Libertyville Illinois.

I visit Oplenac every now and then. It is one of the most beautiful places in Serbia. It comprises several buildings, including St. George's Church, King Peter's house, Queens house, King's Villa, Winegrower's house, and Swimming pool. When you buy a ticket for the whole complex, which is inexpensive, you can also visit Karadjordjes quarters with a church and small gallery close to royal complex. You should not expect large and luxurious buildings. The most impressive and grandiose building in complex is St. George's Church. The church is made of marble, while the other buildings are made of less expenssive materials - wood or bricks. However, the place is peaceful and has beautiful nature. The complex is actually in the park and has excellent view. I love this place especially in late summer afternoons when the light and shadows are amazing. Oplenac was and is famous for its vineyards and wines, so you should take chance to visit the royal wine cellar to see the technology of making wine and try their wine. This place is about mile from Oplenac.