Ružica Church

The Church of the Holy Mother of God, better known as ‘Ružica’, is located in Kalemegdan, below the Zindan Gate. In the age of Despot Stefan Lazarević, an old church with the same name was demolished by the Turks during their conquest of Belgrade in 1521. In the 18th century, the present church served as a gunpowder warehouse, and in 1867–69 it was turned into a military church. According to legend, ‘Ružica’ stood in the same place where it is now, because the people revered the spring of Saint Petka, which flowed below the foundations of the Church of the Holy Mother of God. Legend has it that sisters Ružica, Marica and Cveta erected one church each in the area of the Belgrade Fortress to be their endowment buildings, and gave them their names. During the 1925 reconstruction, two statues were placed at the church entrance. One represents a spearman of the Emperor Dušan, and the other a foot soldier from the Balkan Wars. Leftover war materials, such as cannon cartridges, were used to make candlesticks and flower vases. Two preserved icons from the Nador camp in Africa are kept in the church. The beautiful iconostasis was carved by Kosta Todorović and the icons on it were painted by the priestmonk Rafailo Momčilović. The paintings on the church walls were done by the Russian painter Andrej Bicenko.