Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Belgrade

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was established in 1832-1834 by Prince Milos Obrenovic. Legend has it that Prince Milos built it as a token of his salvation, after he escaped capture by Karadjordje in a battle against the Turkish army at Topcider. Others say the church stands on the very spot where the Prince was to be executed for opposing Karadjordje. Built of yellow sandstone, the church has a high tower over the western facade, impressive in its simplicity. The tower was built using old tombstones put upside down, with no signs, and with some ornaments, taken from the nearby ancient cemetery. The church's facade is divided by pilasters and capitals with fine semicircular arches. The interior's upper parts of the western and southern portals have stone carvings of grapevine motifs and other stylized floral ornaments and crosses. The icons are painted in western Baroque style, with traces of Rococo. The iconostasis was last gilded with pure gold in 1929.