Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, Belgrade

The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, also known as the Church of the Holy Virgin, is a prominent Serbian Orthodox church situated in the center of the Zemun district in Belgrade. This historical church stands out as a significant cultural and religious landmark in the area.

The cornerstone for this church was laid in the summer of 1776, at the western part of the old core of Zemun, an area that began to develop at the start of the eighteenth century. The construction was funded by Serbian and Greek residents of Zemun, and the church was completed in 1780. The building is a late Baroque one-nave structure with a semicircular apse and shallow choir areas. A high bell tower was added on the west side in the late eighteenth century, which was nearly as tall as the tower of the nearby Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The church's design includes a slender two-story bell tower and richly carved Baroque iconostasis. The iconostasis was crafted by the woodcutter Aksentije Marković, and the icons were painted by the renowned iconographer Arsenije Teodorović. Teodorović also painted murals on the first vault below the iconostasis and the first arc in front of the altar, depicting Sveti Sava reconciling his brothers over their father's grave.

Throughout the 19th century, the church and its courtyard became the center of religious, educational, and cultural activities for the Serbs of Zemun. It served the religious needs of Greeks, Aromanians, and Serbs, who all contributed to its maintenance. Ceremonies were conducted in Church Slavonic and, until 1914, occasionally in Greek. The church's bell, installed in 1815, commemorates the victory over Napoleon, and two additional bells were added later. A rare depository for body relics was designed beneath the bell tower but was never used.

The Church of the Holy Virgin boasts a rich treasury, library, and archive. Notable items include the 1782 Gospel of Moscow, with illustrations by Hadži Ruvim, Archimandrite of Monastery Bogovađa, and Monastery Voljavče from 1788.