Sremski Karlovci Orthodox Cathedral, Orthodox cathedral in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia.
Sremski Karlovci Orthodox Cathedral is a single-nave church with a semicircular apse to the east and two tall baroque bell towers to the west. Its interior is divided into five bays, and a high altar screen separates the altar from the nave. The facade acquired neoclassical elements in 1811 and a Renaissance Revival design by architect Vladimir Nikolić in 1909.
Begun in 1758 at the urging of Metropolitan Pavle Nenadović on the site of an Ottoman-era church, the cathedral was built by Kosta Cincarin and a German master named Johannes to plans drawn in Vienna. Zaharije Orfelin designed only the towers and dome, added in 1760; the church was completed in 1762. A fire in 1799 led to reconstruction by 1805, neoclassical changes followed in 1811, and Vladimir Nikolić gave the façade its Renaissance Revival form in 1909.
The cathedral is the main church of the Eparchy of Srem and remains in active use for services today. Visitors who step inside will find a large iconostasis separating the altar from the nave, painted with figures from Orthodox tradition.
The cathedral faces Branko Radičević Square, beside the old Patriarchate Palace, now the residence of the Eparchy of Srem. The interior is entered from the west end under the two bell towers; the iconostasis stands at the east end before the altar. The façade was renewed in 2020, so exterior scaffolding seen in older photographs is gone.
The iconostasis inside was made by Teodor Kračun and Jakov Orfelin, two Serbian artists of the 18th century, and is one of the largest of its kind in the region. The carvings and paintings are detailed enough that it takes several minutes to take in all the figures.
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