Hll. Apostel Peter und Paul, Serbian Orthodox church in Smiljan, Croatia.
Hll. Apostel Peter und Paul is a Serbian Orthodox church in rural Smiljan with white walls and architectural details typical of this tradition. The building features a traditional layout with a dome, situated among green hills and small settlements in the broader Lika region.
The church was built in 1765 after Bishop Danilo Jakšić obtained permission from Empress Maria Theresa in the 1750s. In autumn 1942, Ustaše forces burned and destroyed it during World War II. Reconstruction began in 1990, and the church was fully renovated in 2022.
The church serves as a gathering place for the Serbian Orthodox community across the surrounding villages and remains the heart of religious practice in the Lika region. It continues to host traditional services and ceremonies that connect local residents to their faith and heritage.
The church stands within the Nikola Tesla Memorial Center in Smiljan, a few kilometres from the Gospić area on the Lika plain. The parish house next to it, Tesla's birthplace, opened as a memorial museum in 2006. The Serbian Orthodox cemetery lies behind the church, where Tesla's brother Dane is buried.
Nikola Tesla's father, Milutin Tesla, served as a priest in this parish and lived in the adjacent rectory, which is now part of the Tesla museum. This personal connection links the church to one of the 20th century's greatest scientific minds.
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