CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS – Ilandža

CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS – Ilandža

The Orthodox Church dedicated to St Nicholas was built in the 18th century, in 1846, and renovated between 1852 and 1854, following the damage it sustained during the 1848 Revolution. The church is a single-nave building with a semicircular apse and a bell tower on the western side. In front of the tower is a porch with four columns supporting an architrave and a pediment. The façades are decorated with paired pilasters with capitals positioned between the windows. The plinth is low and marked at the level of the bases of the half-columns. The first church, built in the Byzantine style, dates from 1793. On the site of the former church, a chapel was subsequently erected, housing icons of St Nicholas, St Stephen, St John and the Holy Trinity. In January 1868, the Ilandža Church Parish announced a tender for the construction of a wooden iconostasis, with bids to be submitted by April of that year. The magnificent iconostasis was painted by Novak Radonjić between 1874 and 1875. He also created wall paintings in the altar area and nave, as well as the bishop’s throne. The final seven icons were completed by Aksentije Marodić, who also painted the throne of the Mother of God. Both artists were prominent Serbian Romantic painters, best known for their historical compositions. Their religious paintings are nevertheless significant, both for their characteristically traditional iconography and for their use of painting techniques associated with the Romantic movement. The veneration icons in the church were created by Živko Petrović of Zemun between 1858 and 1859. The church also houses ripidia dating from the late 18th century. The parish was officially established in 1765. Among the oldest surviving church books are a Gospel book dating from 1730, a Passion Gospel from 1791 and an Octoechos from 1849. The chapel at Vodica was built in 1928 and completely renovated in 1974. It is dedicated to the Feast of Mid-Pentecost. Serbs settled in Ilandža in the early 18th century. Written records held by the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Vršac show that two parishes existed there from 1725 onwards. The oldest surviving parish register dates from 1896.

The church belongs to the Diocese of Banat. Dedicated to St Nicholas, it is classified as an immovable cultural property of great importance. It was officially entered in the Register of Cultural Monuments of the Municipality of Alibunar on 31 December 1997.

10 Svetog Save Street, Ilandža
+381 (0)13 659 268
www.eparhijabanatska.rs/parohije/alibunarsko-namesnistvo/ilandza/

Attractions

All attractions