Nikolajevska Church

Nikolajevska Church is the oldest Orthodox temple in Novi Sad. It is first mentioned in chronicles in 1730 as a foundation of the Greek-origin Bogdanov family. The Church itself had long been a subject of dispute between Greek settlers and indigenous Serbs. This is why the service was held in both languages. The church saw its last Greek minister, Pavle Balta, who preached at the end of the 19th century. The original interior decoration, together with numerous works of art, perished in the bombardment of June 12th in 1849. Marija Trandafil and her husband Jovan, famous Serbian philanthropists and benefactors, entirely rebuilt the church after the bombardment. Their tomb now lies within the walls of shrine. The iconostasis was painted by Pavle Simić and it is featured by many German Nazarene elements. The wall paintings are attributed to Dimitrije Petrović Kerefeka, Nikola Dimšić and Živko Petrović. The smaller dome is a characteristic onion-shape Russian-style structure. One of the tombs in the outer walls reads the oldest locally recorded epigraphic of Novi Sad. The church has three crosses.