ST.ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH

Church of St. Anthony of Padua is located in Zvezdara, near the Red Cross, in Bregalnička 14.

This monastery and parish church belong to the Franciscans of Province Bosnia.The construction of the monastery began in 1926. It was finished on December 17th in the same year.

The construction of new church began in 1929 according to designs of a famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957) who was invited by then parish priest Grgić, acting on a sculptor Ivan Meštrović’s proposal.
After Plečnik’s death in 1957, guidelines for further construction were taken over by his pupil, architect Valentinčić.

The tower was erected in 1962.

The church was consecrated by then Archbishop of Belgrade Gabrijel Bukatko on May 2nd 1962.

The basic shape of this building is a rotunda, with an apse on the east, a porch on the west and a cylindrical bell tower on the southeast side. Ground plan of the church resembles the statue of St. Anthony with the baby Jesus in his arms. The tower-bell tower is 52 meters high, 9 meters in diameter, while the church is 25 meters high. The bell tower is slightly inclined, which gives the church a specific external appearance. A porch with a wooden canopy is carried by three pairs of slender pillars. It was built in the style of modernism on the model of early Christian and early Byzantine architecture.

The main space has a diameter of 25 meters and consists of three conches on the north and south sides and the main altar. The main altar is located across from the entrance, and below it is the crypt. The large altar is made of gleaming black marble. In front of the altar there is another altar, which was placed there after the Second World War.
The statue of St. Anthony is placed on the wall above the main altar and it is a work of the sculptor, Ivan Meštrović. It is made of bronze and is 2.75 meters tall. It was placed there in 1955.
The statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is placed on the side altar and it was made by Ljubljana-based artist Božo Pengov and according to Jože Plečnik’s plan.
The statue of Mary, which is also made by Božo Pengov based on Plečnik’s designs, is placed in the Lady’s altar. The statue was placed so as to be on almost same level with the viewer. Our Lady is very unusual in her eastern character as well as in treating of some iconographic elements (e.g. the snake).
There are two galleries white fences above the ground floor. Choir and organ are placed on the first gallery.

Dark color of uncovered facade bricks, out of which the wall is built, dark marble floor and wooden ceiling are illuminated by the light that enters the interior of the church through windows placed around entire church.

Osnova Crkve Sv. Antuna u Beogradu