Between the roofs of the old part of the city, as a centuries old guardian and a sign that you are approaching the city that lies on a confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, stands the belfry of The Church of St. Micheal the Archangel.
It is a symbol of great sufferings, victories, faith, love and of the time when Belgrade, after several centuries of occupation, became a free city again.
The Church of St. Micheal the Archangel stands on the spot where once stood an old church from the 18th century. This is the place where centuries long battles took place, during which this church was burned, plundered and demolished several times.
Despite all this, the desire to preserve the holy place remained and a decision to build a new church was made. The construction began in 1837.
By the order of Prince Miloš Obrenović the church was dedicated to St. Micheal the Archangel, who was also his patron saint. The construction of the church lasted almost nine years.
They wanted it to resemble the church from Sremski Karlovci and the person responsible for the design was Franc Janke. The conceptual solution was given by Baron Kordon. The construction was in finished in November 1845.
The church was done in style of classicism and late baroque and today it repersents an important historical monument. The interior is richly decorated. The gold-plated carved iconostasis was made by the sculptor Dimitrije Petrović. The walls were painted in the style of romanticism, expressed through the coloring, skillful use of light-dark effects and emphasizing the dramatic moments in the paintings.
The icons on the iconostasis, thrones, choirs and pulpits, were painted by Dimitrije Avramović, one of the most distinguished Serbian painters of the 19th century. “Blagovesti“, “Polaganje Hrista u grob“, “Bogorodica sa Hristom“, “Sv. Jovan Krstitelj“ are some of the numerous icons that adorn the interior of the church. Each part of the church radiates grandure, enlightenment and indescribable sense of peace.
The special value of the church, which in a characteristic way reflects the centuries long history of the place, is its treasury. Even though the treasury has been greatly impoverished, it still represents a place of great value and importance because of the items that were donated by some rulers and bishops.
Historically and artistically the most valuable items from the treasury are: the cross of kir Veniamin Hartofilaks (1675), reliquary of Prior Longin Mileševac (1684), the cross of kir Nikola and Zoja (1793) and many other valuable items.
During the course of history relics of many saints were buried in The Church of St. Micheal the Archangel. Today this church is a resting place for the relic of the holy and just Prince Stefan Štiljanović, a part of the relic of Prince Lazar, particles of the relic of Sveti Jovana Šangajski and Sanfracinskanski and particles of the relic of Stefan Uroš the Weak.
The tomb of Price Milan Obrenović is located near the narthex (an antechamber or large porch in a modern church) of the church. His son Mihajlo Obrenović was buried next to him in 1968. Apart from the tombs of the members of the royal family, tombs of metropolitan Mihailo, metropolitan Inokentije, patriarch Gavrilo and Vikentije are also located here. The graves of Vuk Stefanović Karadzić and Dositej Obradović are located in the churchyard.
The bells of the Church of St. Micheal the Archangel were the first to sound the sad news that His Holiness patriarch Pavle has died. His days as the patriarch began and ended in the Church of St. Micheal the Archangel. Thousands of people waited in rows in front of the church in order to say their final goodbye to the Serbian patriarch Pavle.
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