TheCathedral Church of the Holy Great-Martyr George (Serbian:Саборни храм Светог великомученика Георгија,Saborni hram Svetog velikomučenika Georgija) is the seat of theSerbian OrthodoxEparchy of Bačka, located inNovi Sad, northernSerbia. The present-day church was completed in 1905, on the ruins of a church built in 1734 and destroyed in 1849. It is located next to the Eparchy offices in theBishop's Palace, in Nikola Pašić Street. It is commonly known asSaborna crkva ('Cathedral Church') among the city residents.[1]
An older church in the baroque style began building in 1720, and extended in 1734, during the time of Empress Maria Theresia, PatriarchArsenije IV Jovanović and ArchpriestVisarion Pavlović. It was burnt down in a bombing in 1849, during theRevolutions in the Habsburg areas. The planning of the present-day church began in 1851, and it was built between 1860 and 1880 on the ruins of the old one, with further renovations and completion by 1905 under design by architectMilan Michal Harminc, during the office ofMitrofan Šević. A new tower with new bells from Budapest was added during the rebuilding.[2]
The cathedral is dedicated toSaint George. The church interior includes aniconostasis with 33 icons, historical pictures above both choirs (coronation of Stefan the First-Crowned and Saint Sava pacifying his brothers Stefan and Vukan), as well as two large throne icons of Saint Sava and Virgin Mary, painted by renowned academicPaja Jovanović, which are considered to be his best ecclesiastical works. The wall paintings were made by Stevan Aleksić. It is one of the foremost monuments of thereligious architecture in Novi Sad.
The Theophany Cross (Serbian:Богојављенски крст,Bogojavljenski krst), also known as the Cross of the Holy vow (Serbian:Заветни крст,Zavetni krst), located in the church's courtyard is the oldest surviving monuments in Novi Sad, dating back to the 18th century. The monument was damaged during theHungarian revolution of 1848 and was repaired with the financial aid ofMarija Trandafil in 1867. The monument was originally located at the corner of modern day Zmaj Jovina and Miletićeve streets, before it was moved to its current location in 1956. It is made of rose colored marble, with a half a meter tall cross.
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