KARAĐORĐE'S TOPOLA WITH OPLENAC
The cultural-historical unit of Karađorđe's town and the urban core of Topola, as the center where the Karađorđević dynasty originated, along with the Memorial Complex of King Peter I on Oplenac, marks the architectural heritage formed, with minor interruptions, during the reign of four generations of this family, from 1811 to 1940. The historical events that made Topola the operational headquarters of the First Serbian Uprising, the seat of the supreme leader, and a refuge for many national leaders, were crucial in shaping its development as a town. In evaluating Karađorđe's Topola with Oplenac, an analysis of the architectural heritage was conducted based on historical-artistic criteria, taking into account the educational, administrative-public, and commercial-craftsman aspects of the heritage, with a special focus on urban-spatial characteristics.
The most valuable part of the architectural heritage of the urban core of Topola, formed from the mid-19th to the early 20th century, is characterized by various stylistic features. The first buildings outside the fortress, erected during the reign of Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević (Serbian Knez Aleksandar Karađorđević) (the Karađorđe barracks and fountain, the old district building, the old inn, the Garaška inn, and an auxiliary building), represent examples of old urban architecture with roots in the rich tradition of vernacular construction.
The preserved examples of the development of Topola from the early 20th century include the representative building of the Matejić Hotel, the Old Town School Building, the Post Office Building, the Pharmacy Building, the House of Priest Đoka, the Prandović Workshop, as well as a series of commercial-residential buildings on Karađorđe's Boulevard, and the streets of Princess Maria and Princess Zorka.
KARAĐORĐE'S TOWN
The oldest part of the complex, Karađorđe's Town, is significant as the largest architectural project of the Serbian uprising, which, according to Karađorđe's plan, was executed by famous builders Dimitrije, Sava Perišić from Belgrade, Andrija from the town of Palanka, Đura from Požarevac, and Cena from Biskup in the Ramskac district with their masonry crews. It was constructed from 1811 to 1813. The Turks burned and destroyed it in 1813, immediately after its completion. After the liberation from the Turks, the buildings within the town were rebuilt several times, and their present appearance was achieved in the second half of the 19th century.
Karađorđe's Konak (or palace), as the people called it, is the most representative building within this complex. It is a monumental structure, rectangular in shape, built mainly of stone in lime mortar. It is characterized by a spacious porch on the main side, with a series of columns with cushions and a railing made of profiled stone slabs. On the western side of the ‘konak’, a tall stone tower rises, which gives a unique impression to the entire building.
Today, this building houses a museum exhibition dedicated to the First Serbian Uprising and its leader Karađorđe.
Within Karađorđe's Town, there is also the building of the old school, constructed in the mid-19th century, which now houses the library.
Karađorđe's Town, when it was first established, was enclosed by a fence. However, the original fence was destroyed, but based on the terrain's configuration, the position of the buildings, and the remaining traces, it can be inferred where it once stood.
CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE AND
THE MEMORIAL HOUSE OF KING PETER I
ON OPLENAC
The Church of St. George, the burial mausoleum of King Peter I Karađorđević, is located on the hill Oplenac, not far from Karađorđe's town. This imposing structure, with its lavish architectural forms, dominates this part of Šumadija.
The construction of the mausoleum lasted twenty years, from 1910 to 1930, according to the design of architect Kosta Jovanović. The building process was slowed due to the wars that occurred in the meantime (the Balkan and World War I).
The building's foundation is in the shape of an equal-armed inscribed cross with elements of a triconch. At the intersection of the longitudinal and transverse arms of the cross rises the central dome, and diagonally, at the corners, four lower domes. The altar apse and side choirs are identical—three-sided on the outside, and semi-circular on the inside. The church is vaulted with semi-domed and cross vaults. The central dome rests on four pillars through a system of large arches, and the side domes rest on marble pillars and the walls of the choirs. On the western side, there is a low square narthex, with a gallery above it, featuring an open eastern wall enlivened by arcades and small columns. To the left and right are spaces for the bell tower and the treasury.
The church is built on a foundation of rubble stone, with the upper part constructed from brick. The façade is covered with small marble slabs arranged in horizontal rows and adorned with cornice moldings, archivolts, and rosettes. The façade on the western side is particularly elaborated, featuring a monumental entrance portal and a three-sided marble staircase. In the niche above the entrance, there is a mosaic depiction of St. George. The scene was created according to a design by Paja Jovanović. Above the portal is a large decorative niche with a relief of the Karađorđević family coat of arms.
Beneath the entire church level is a crypt where members of the Karađorđević dynasty are buried. The remains of the leader Karađorđe and King Peter I rest in the northern and southern choirs of the church.
The interior of the mausoleum is lavishly decorated with a series of ornamental elements, among which the iconostasis stands out. It is made of white marble, modeled after the Hilandar style. The floor is made of square marble tiles in various colors (white, reddish, and dark blue), arranged in a way that creates a series of decorative fields.
The spatial cultural-historical unit of Karađorđe's Topola with Oplenac, with the remains of Karađorđe's Town and the Town Center of Topola, where the Karađorđević dynasty originated, with its cultural-historical and architectural values, as well as the natural values of Oplenac Hill and the Memorial Complex of King Peter I, represents a unique national symbol of Serbia. It stands as a testament to historical events and notable figures, whose influence was crucial not only for the development of the town of Topola but also for the course of Serbian history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Church of St. George and the Memorial House of King Peter I at Oplenac were declared immovable cultural heritage – cultural monument by the Decision of the Cultural Heritage Preseravation Institute Kragujevac, number 203/1, dated June 16, 1970.
Karađorđe's Topola with Oplenac was categorized as a cultural monument of exceptional importance, which includes the remains of the fortifications with a tower, the church, the konak (residence), the monument to Karađorđe, and the mausoleum at Oplenac, by the Decision of the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia on April 7, 1979, ‘Official Gazette of the SRS’ No. 14/79. (*This decision excluded the house of King Peter I from the categorization of this complex as a cultural monument of exceptional importance).
Karađorđe's Topola with Oplenac was established as a spatial cultural-historical unit by the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia No. 633-9040/2006 on October 12, 2006, ‘Official Gazette No. 88/06’.
Copyright Cogent 2016. All Rights Reserved – Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute Kragujevac