The Story Of St. Petka, Belgrade

Christianity In Serbia And The Balkans

Above is St. Petka’s Church is a Serbian Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Petka of Bulgaria and is also known as the Church of the Holy Petka. It is located inside the Belgrade Fortress and dates back to the 13th century. The church has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times throughout history, most recently in 1999 during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

During the Ottoman rule of Belgrade (1521-1867) with the banning of Christian worship, St. Petka’s Church was converted into a mosque. The Ottomans added a minaret and other Islamic features to the church. After the liberation of Belgrade from Ottoman rule in 1867, the church was returned to the Serbian Orthodox Church. The minaret was removed and the church was restored to its original appearance.

Belgrade Fortress today is a historic monument and park located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Roman city of Singidunum was founded. The fortress has been continuously inhabited for over 2,300 years, making it one of the oldest and most important cultural monuments in Eastern Europe.

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