Religious institutions 


Religious institutions on the soil of Sremska Mitrovica from ancient times until the end of the XX century

In the many millennia of the town’s existence, at first in the antic one, then the medieval, and finally this contemporary period, religious institutions have had a special role, not only for the population, but also for the government and clerical administration. To the believers, they were the symbols of their national being as well. There is no data available on the appearance of pagan, polytheistic temples in the antic Sirmium, but plenty of material evidence remained of antic Roman deities, as well as of sacrificial altars built by the citizens to honour their gods. It is assumed that the first Christians on this soil could have appeared in the III century; however, the earliest temple of worship discovered so far originates from the first half of the V century. It is a basilica dedicated to Saint Demetrius. One part of the temple’s remains is conserved and today it is available for viewing.  

Although Sirmium was caught in the turmoil which led to complete and utter devastation of the city in the several centuries that were to come, almost nothing is known about the temples of worship. Sirmium was also the residence of Christian church dignitaries, and it had its bishops – among them Saint Irinej, who was executed in the IV century, and Methodius, brother of Cyril, from the IX century, who is also presumably buried in Sirmium.
However, not a single temple from that period has yet been discovered, and they had to exist since there are documents testifying about the existence of a powerful church organization, and Sirmium is still notably a prominent Christian centre. It was not before the middle of the XIII century (1247) that we found out about the existence of two Benedictine monasteries in Srem – the monastery of Saint Demetrius and the monastery of Saint Gregory. The monastery of Saint Demetrius was unquestionably founded much earlier, according to some documents as early as XI century, and in the XIV century a monastery settlement developed around it and was named after the monastery. Both the monastery and the settlement around it were built on the ruins of Sirmium, and that is the reason why the settlement is considered a natural successor of the antic city.

During the XIV and XV century, the settlement, which since that time bears the name of the settlement (town) of Saint Demetrius - Civitas Sancti Demetrii, developed into an important craft-trade centre. In the second half of the XIV century, apart from the monastery Church of Saint Demetrius, two other churches are mentioned – the Church of Saint Mary and the Church of Saint Nicholas. There were no other temples of worship all until the arrival of the Turks in this region, until the beginning of the XVI century.
From that time and for the following 200 years, the town of Saint Demetrius was under the Turkish rule, and the small town was completely Islamized. Christian temples were destroyed, and new mosques were erected for the Turkish population. For a while, the town had as many as 15 mosques. Not a single one of those temples, or any other objects from the Turkish period, were preserved because they were built from friable material.

As the only Christian temple of worship from the Turkish period, the documents mention the Church of Saint Stefan, erected by the end of the XVII century in the western part of the town, not far from the Sava River. It is assumed to have been built on the foundations of an early Christian temple of worship. After the Turks had retreated and the Austrian rule was established, the Serbian Orthodox population started returning to Mitrovica. The Old Serbian Church on the Sava River was insufficient to take in all the believers, so they immediately filled a request for a permit to build a new church. However, it was not an easy task – the permit was not issued before 1777, but it took another fifteen-odd years until work was commenced on building the new church. In the meantime, Cincar and Greek newcomers erected their own Orthodox temple of worship in a common wattle house, while about ten Catholic families held their religious service in a “a pitiable chapel without a roof”.

Many years later, in the second half of the XIX century, Jewish families, and some Ruthenian families started migrating to Mitrovica. At the very  beginning of the XX century, a small Jewish colony built their own temple of worship - synagogue, which was torn down to its foundation at the beginning of the World War II (1942), and in 1906 Ruthenians erected their Church of Holy Ascension which still holds masses today for all Greek-Catholic believers.
The Roman Catholic Church with its parish home was built in the early XIX century.

The new Church of Saint Stefan (Saint Demetrius)

The construction of the new Orthodox Church (today’s Orthodox Cathedral, which was originally dedicated to Saint Stefan, and only recently rededicated to the town’s patron saint, Saint Martyr Demetrius) commenced in 1791, and the church was completed and consecrated in 1794. The church was built from the donations of the Orthodox congregation itself. The interior decoration of the church and procurement of the required inventory was carried out in the first decades of the XIX century. Woodcarving ornaments were made by Marko Vujatović, woodcarver from Sremski Karlovci, in 1810. Only a few years later, Arsa Teodorović, the most prominent master of that period, painted all the icons for the iconostasis. Especially noteworthy was the icon of Saint Irinej and the scene of his execution. At the end of the XIX century, the interior decoration of the church was considerably damaged in a fire, and all the renovations that were carried out were not able to restore the original sheen of the icons.

In time the church underwent multiple renovations, façade repairs, renewal of the copper covering on its baroque bell tower, and restoration of the icons as well. The church has preserved its original appearance to this day, and the area in front of the church was designed as a town square - Saint Stefan Square. On the occasion of celebrating the bicentennial of the church, the bell tower was covered with a new copper coating, the façade was repaired, and the icons and movable inventory were restored.

THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ASCENSION OF LORD JESUS CHRIST
SREMSKA MITROVICA
The Greek Catholic Parish in Sremska Mitrovica was founded in 1886. After 1848, Ukrainians and Ruthenians from Hungary and West Ukraine started immigrating to Sremska Mitrovica and the surrounding villages, so that already in 1885 their number reached 300 souls.
The first patron of the newly founded parish was Maksimilijan Relić – uskok fighter from the Relić village.
Bishop Ilija Hranilović procured at his own expense all provisions necessary for performing the holy service, and from Bishop Strossmauer he obtained the permit to hold service in the Roman Catholic Chapel Saint Rok at the cemetery in Mitrovica.
The Church began construction of the Temple of Ascension of Lord Jesus Christ on 24 September 1905.
This is a tri-nave church with a hall, main nave and two side naves, a spacious bema and choirs, and a sanctuary with a tall iconostasis of good craftsmanship. The sanctuary contains a brown marble altar and an artistically decorated baldachin. The stained-glass windows in the bema and sanctuary are figuratively ornamented, and the ones along the side naves have geometric ornaments.
The church has three altars: the main in the sanctuary, and two side altars: The Shroud of the Virgin Mary and the altar of Saint Anthony the Hermit.
The interior architecture is original because the interior is designed so as to follow the metric of Shuman’s sonata.
Believers and churchgoers of this parish are Greek-Catholic Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Croats from Žumberak, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs and others who accepted this ritual through mixed marriages, and their wish is to belong to a Holy United Apostolic Church.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PARISH IN SREMSKA MITROVICA

As a large Roman city, Sirmium was also a great Christian centre. This is the reason why Church has been present in it since the dawn of Christianity. It is believed that the first bishops of Sirmium, Epenetus and Andronicus, were disciples of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. Evidence of Christianity in Sirmium is also corroborated by the great number of martyrs who gave their life for Christianity right here at the beginning of the IV century: Saint Irinej, bishop; Saint Anastasia, Saint Sinerot, Saint Montan and Maximus and many others. The best-known among them is surely Saint Demetrius, deacon to the Bishop Irinej. He was executed before Easter on 9th April 304, and today our town bears his name and stands under his heavenly patronage. After his martyrdom, the relics of Saint Demetrius were taken to Thessalonica, and thus was devotion of Saint Demetrius taken to the Christian East. The Sirmium Metropolis remains a powerful and respectable one all until the Avar invasion, when Sirmium fell in 582. All until the 13th century, Sirmium Diocese is mentioned only in 870 when Pope Hadrian II appointed Saint Methodius Archbishop and Metropolitan of Sirmium.  

Christendom was revived in 1229 when Pope Gregory IX reinstated the Bishopric of Srem, and the Benedictine convent of Saint Irinej was founded in Sremska Mitrovica. The religious life continued to grow until the Turkish period which began in 1521.  During the Turkish rule, the parish is only mentioned in 1665. After the liberation from the Turks, the parish was renewed in 1743. When it comes to the parish church, we must remember the numerous basilicas built back at the beginning of Christianity (foundations of one of them can be seen at the town centre next to the Banca Intesa). Today’s parish church was built in 1811, and it was consecrated on 30th June 1811. The patron of the church and parish, as well as of the entire town has always been Saint Demetrius. The parish church was promoted to the rank of cathedral in 1984, and the rank of basilica minor in 1991, which is the highest honour bestowed upon a church. Today, the Roman Catholic Parish in Sremska Mitrovica also uses two other chapels: the Chapel of Saint Rok at the Catholic cemetery (built in 1880) and the Chapel of the Sad Lady of Mitrovica at the Calvary (built in 1921).   

Until after the World War II, at the correctional facility there was another chapel, which was, unfortunately, turned into a hall, but with the new management it is once again possible to occasionally use that hall for prayer. The Medical Centre began construction of a new shared chapel in the hospital yard, which, unfortunately, has not yet been finished. The parish also has a subsidiary in Laćarak, where there used to be a church until twenty years ago which then collapsed, and this year a new church was built. The parish is run by the parish priest Eduard Španović, and he is assisted by vicar Krunoslav Đaković. For about one hundred years, nuns of the Holy Cross have been active in the parish and they also performed their work for a long time at the hospital in Mitrovica. Holy masses are held at the Parish Church on Sundays at 9 AM and 7 PM, and on workdays at 7 PM. In Laćarak, holy masses are held every Sunday at 11.

Click here to visit the official site of the Roman Catholic Parish in Sremska Mitrovica


THE OLD SERBIAN CHURCH - SREMSKA MITROVICA

This temple is the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church and it is dedicated to the Holy Martyr Archdeacon Stefan. It is the oldest construction on the territory of Sremska Mitrovica. The emergence and the beginning of this church have not been historically determined.
Archeological excavation conducted in 1980 under the altar of this building found a mosaic cross made of red marble dating back to the period of Sirmium. The conclusion made was that this church was built on the foundations of a temple, which are most likely to be the remains of a Christian basilica from the first centuries of Christianity. Further archeological excavations determined that, at the time of the antic city of Sirmium, there were baths (thermae) on this site, and after the victory of Christianity, these places were either torn down or turned into temples of worship. Written records do not go back further than 1729, and they emerged on the occasion of a canonic visit by the emissaries from the Bishopric of Pecs to the Abbey of Sremska Mitrovica, when the emissaries wrote: "On 5th July, the Abbey of Saint Demetrius on the Sava River was consecrated and it is now inhabited by schismatic Serbs. They have a magnificent and solid church..." Three years later, an analyst of the Karlovci Metropolis writes: "The church is ancient and made of stone, the ceiling is made of wood planks, the altar from stone." That is what the history says.  

The interior of the church is especially important because of its superb iconostasis. It has several levels and it is decorated with the finest carving, which combines motifs from animal and plant life. There are lions and cranes, snakes and vine, roses and leaves – all connected and intertwined. The iconostasis holds icons done by the most famous baroque painter in this area, Teodor Kračun. The physiognomy of the saints’ characters depicts the features of their personalities, the best example of which is the icon of Saint John the Baptist. Some of the motifs on the iconostasis are unique in painting worldwide. The scene of Christ’s Ascension on the second level of the iconostasis, where Christ is painted holding a spade in his hands, with Mary Magdalene kneeling in front of him, is unprecedented in the annals of the world.
Over the last several years, the area around the Small Church has been cultivated so that it is in harmony with the bank of the Sava, which allows the Old Serbian Church and its surrounding area to breathe the purified air coming from the river. The new artesian well, which is over 300 meters deep, offers refreshment to passers-by, and the increasing amount of vegetation shelters the Small Church from the heat, crowds, and rush of the urban way of life.

THE TEMPLE OF HOLY MARTYRS OF SIRMIUM
Construction of the Temple of Holy Martyrs of Sirmium, Bishop Irinej and Deacon Demetrius was commenced on 26th August 1994. In 1999, church service started taking place in the still unfinished temple. What is special about this church is that it was built in the Byzantine style. The tall bell tower has no less than 5 bells, which is very rare in Srem. The day of the Temple of Holy Martyrs of Sirmium is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Saint Elijah’s Day (in the month of August).