Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Oplenac Royal Mausoleum

The Oplenac (OH-pleh-nahts) Royal Mausoleum is the historic place of the mausoleum of the Serbian Karađorđević Royal Family and is located in central Serbia near the town of Topola. It is known for the St. George Church, which is decorated with superb mosaics like the ones in this photo over just about every square inch of its interior. The floors are of various-colored marble, in geometric designs. The church and mausoleum were the works of Peter I who, upon assuming Royal Duties in 1903, chose a spot 337 metres (1106 ft) on the top of Mali Oplenac hill for the location of his Church. The location was measured by experts so that the altar would face east, according to Orthodox tradition. In 1904 the cornerstone was laid, and the Charter dedicated to St. George was placed in the foundation.

14 comments:

Lowell said...

All of that mosaic beauty is just incredible. How do they do that? I can't even draw a straight line!

dianasfaria.com said...

this is truly amazing. I can't imagine the hours the artisans put into such exquisite work.

Thérèse said...

Let's have a thought for all the artisans who worked on this mosaic.

Clueless in Boston said...

Beautiful mosaics; quite stunning.

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Is St. George the dragon slayer is Serbia too? Absolutely love your educating the world on your country and city!

MuseSwings said...

A belated Happy Easter! Did you enjoy your Holiday yesterday?
The mosaics are just amazing!

Marie Reed said...

Beautiful!

Jilly said...

The colours and the delicacy of this is astounding. Truly beautiful.

XAPT said...

Wow - You have such amazing photos every single day. I love the colors, angles and the orientation of this photo. Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

This is gorgeous! You last several posts have been great!

Virginia said...

I love mosaics. These are exquisite. Our Greek Orthodox church here is beautiful too but not like this!! Thanks for photographing it so beautifully Bibi.
V

Marie-Noyale said...

What a beautiful place it must be to meditate and pray.

Tash said...

Spectacular. I love the rich colors you captured on the photo. Definitely a place to spend a lot of time viewing.

Louisette passion retriever, cat, memory Katanga said...

wonderfull old mosaics,have a nice day.

SPRING FASHION

 This is a post that would be better in color, but maybe not. These colors were soooo pale.