Angier+Fox, Celebrating Rural America & beyond

Belgrade, Serbia (Beograd, Srbija), the capitol city of the Republic of Serbia and its largest at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers (Reka Dunav) in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeaster Europe.

Belgrade, Serbia (Beograd, Srbija), translated from Serbian is the White City on the Danube River (Danuv Reka) at its junction with the Sava River (Saba Reka) and is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Belgrade has been through more than 100 wars and and been razed to the ground more than forty times. Today, it is the largest city in Serbia and contains about one-quarter of the country's population or 1.5 million.

The Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Gradac dates back to its founding in the 13th century. Miloje, Zorica and I visited for a couple of hours on out way from Milešiva to Belgrade. The monastery was virtually abandoned during the Ottoman rule. It wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that the monastery was reconstructed and the 1980s when the monastery was revived.

During September 2012, I was blessed to be invited to photograph at the Milešiva Monastery in Serbia as a guest of Bishop Filaret and Reverend Hieromonk Leontije. Within the church dedicated to the Ascension of Christ is one of the best and well know frescoes of the Middle Ages of Serbia and Europe from the 13th century. Known as the "White Angel" it depicts the the arrival of the myrrh-bearers at the tomb of Jesus Christ on Sunday morning after his crucifixion. Sitting on the stone is the Angel Gabriel dressed in white who shows the place of Christ's resurrection and the empty tomb. Gabriel tells the women “…you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 over 50 years ago, this was the first image broadcast via satellite (Telstar), from Europe to America, the east to the west, as a symbol of peace and civilization. Later, this same image was transmitted deep into space in an attempt to communicate with any extraterrestrial life out there. Today, the Milešiva monastery holds the relics of St. Sava, Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the Serbian Church, founder of Serbian law and literature and a diplomat who served there in the early 14th century.

Mokra Gora, Serbia's "Wet Mountain", is a village near the Bosnia & Herzegovina border. It's home to the Šargan-8 narrow gauge railroad (76 cm guage) which climbs 1,000 meters over its 15km route to travel about 4-5km as the crow flies. It crosses over its tracks three times in the figure-8 course climbing up the mountain. The line was once the main rail route from Belgrade to Sarajevo. Mokra Gora also has a neat ethnic village, Drvengrad (timber town), which is visited by both tourists and school children. Nearby is the Monatery Rača dating from the 13th century with its colorful iconography and frescoes.

Rural Serbia and Serbians.

Republic of Serbia on the Balkan Peninsula in eastern Europe.

A road trip with Miloje Milinković and his fried Zica in rural Serbia. In America, we head to the National Parks and beaches for vacation. In Serbia, it's to the Serbian Orthodox Monasteries that were established 800 and more years ago. Here's a few photos from Monastir Ziča, home to St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Jackson's founder Father Sebastian Dabovich in his later years until his death in 1940 (he was buried there until his relics were moved to Jackson in 2007). Unesco World Heritage sites of Manister Sopocano and Djurdjevi Stupovi monastery, recently resurrected in the past few years after years of abandonment, the 12th century Studenica Monastery, all with ancient and sacred icons, and best of all, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (Petrova Crkva, Probably oldest christian church in Serbia) originally dating to 100 AD and built about the 10th century.

Both historical Serbo-Byzantine artworks including frescoes and icons in addition to the 20th and 21st century iconography created by Miloje Milinković, Serbian Orthodox Iconographer of Belgrade, Serbia.

Vranje, Serbia dates back to Roman times in the 2nd and 1st centuries, BC and is located in southern Serbia. It is known for the White Bridge, a symbol of the city and named the "lovers bridge" for the tale of the forbideen love between a Muslim girl and Christian man resulting in the father killing the couple. He then built the bridge in remembrance... Vranje today is known not only for its bridge, but also for the 11th century Markova kula fortress above the town.