Niš Cathedral, dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit – The Holy Trinity Church
Thanks to the commendable efforts of Bishop Janićije, this temple was built in the period 1856-1872. The works were conducted by Andrej Damjanović from Veles. The lustration was made with the archbishop Mihajlo and king Milan Obrenović present in 1878, immediately after the liberation of Niš from the Turks. The church was constructed as a basilica with three naves, with a rectangular basis, above which there are five domes. The arches of the naos are supported by two rows of columns. In the upper gallery, to the north, there is a chapel dedicated to St. John the Baptist, while the chapel in the southern part of the gallery venerates St. Simeon the Myrrhflowing.
Cathedral Iconostasis
The icons were painted in the 1930s by the renowned Belgrade painter Vladimir Predojević. His work was deemed successful, especially in terms of its clear technique, contemporary colors, and clarity of events presented.
The grand iconostasis is highly artistically valued. It was painted by the great Serbian painter Đorđe Krstić. In 1885, he painted 20 out of the 54 icons that had been ordered. The remaining icons, also very valuable, were painted by Pavle Čortanović, Milutin Marković, and, one dating from 1880, by Steva Todorović. The iconostasis is 19 meters wide, 12 meters high, and the icons are distributed in five rows.
The framework was made in gilted woodwork.
The temple is home to precious vials bestowed in 1913 by the Russian tsar Nicolai II. In 1902, Ivan Vasiljević III donated a grand cross with Russian and Serbian saints. This benefactor also donated a grand icon of the Mother of God, embroidered in pure gold. Particularly valued in this church are the relics of St. Artemije the Martyr, which are preserved with due care. Another valuable artifact is the shroud from the beginning of the 20th century, made in traditional white ornamental thread and gold strings, embroidered with lace. On the bell tower there is a big clock and also five huge bells molten in Vršac from 1877 to 1881. |
