Art in the service of faith: Splendor and glory of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci
In the year that marks more than three centuries from the founding of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci, one of the most important religious, cultural, and political institutions in the history of the Serbian people, and the jubilee of the foundation of Matica Srpska as well, The Gallery of Matica Srpska is hosting an exhibition entitled: Art in the service of faith: The splendor and glory of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci.
The grand opening of the exhibition Art in the service of faith: Splendor and glory of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci will be held on Friday, June 5, at 20:00. At the opening ceremony, the Choir of the Cathedral Church of Saint George from Novi Sad will perform.
The ecclesiastical art of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci belongs to the most intricate wholes of Serbian art of the new age. Its development lasted for more than two centuries, in the historical and symbolic space in which faith, politics, education, social representation, and national consciousness intersected. Through iconostases, wall painting, portraits, graphics, and temple interiors, the public image of this church institution was shaped, along with its spiritual authority, historical memory, and the place of the Serbian community in the Habsburg Monarchy.
The entire art of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci developed as a long process of transforming the Orthodox image in political, social, and cultural conditions that were constantly changing. It began in the world of modest zograf icons and small parish temples and renewed monasteries, and it ended in the era of academic painting, historical compositions, patriarchal halls, official portraits, and symbolically colored religious representations. The styles, centers of influence, patrons, and artistic ideals changed over time. Yet, one fundamental purpose remained the same: to preserve the faith within the painting, strengthen the community, and showcase its place in history. The Metropolitanate of Karlovci was a church administration, a cultural framework and a space in which archbishops, monks, citizens, benefactors, intellectuals and artists shaped one of the most important forms of Serbian modern visual culture. Its art demonstrates the strength of orthodox tradition to develop through contact with Kyiv, Vienna, Pest, Münich and Rome, by translating different influences into its own language. This is where its historical value lies: in the bond with the spiritual center and the ability to accept new forms of knowledge, taste and the public culture. With the unification of the Serbian ecclesiastical regions in 1920, the history of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci as a separate institution came to an end, but its splendor and glory left an everlasting impression on the Serbian understanding of faith, art, and history.
At the exhibition, apart from the works from the collection of The Gallery of Matica Srpska, the auduence will have the chance to take a look at the works from The Serbian Orthodox Church Museum, The Serbian Church Museum in Szentendre, The National Museum of Serbia, The Museum of Vojvodina, The Military Museum in Belgrade, The Belgrade City Museum, The National Museum of Pančevom, The National Museum of Kikinda, The National Museum of Zrenjanin, The City Museum of Vršac, The Diocese of Bačka, The Diocese of Srem,The Diocese of Banat, The Diocese of Budim, The Diocese of Timișoara, The SPC Museum – The Diocese of Zagreb-Ljubljana, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wien.
A special segment of the exhibition is dedicated to the enduring values and accomplishments of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci, whose influence can still be recognized today in education through the Karlovci Grammar School, in the wine-growing tradition through Bermet wine, and in the preservation of artistic crafts through the unique example of the leather wallpapers of the Patriarchal Court in Sremski Karlovci, and the realization of this part of the exhibition was assisted by students of Karlovci Grammar School, Milica Dimitrijević and Mirjana Jelić. The Manual Museum of Forgotten Arts and the Museum of Beekeeping and Winemaking Živanović. Various multimedia content will also be available as part of the exhibition, created by Prof. Dr. Isidora Đurić, Prof. Dr. Igor Kekeljević, and MSc Filip Mirčeski, as well as a short docudrama movie produced by Miroslav Stajić, Mista Production.
The authors of the exhibition are Prof.Dr. Vladimir Simić, art historian, and Dr. Aleksandra Čelovski, curator of The Gallery of Matica Srpska.
The exhibition will be enriched by a diverse accompanying programme on Fridays at 19.00 and guided tours on weekends at 13:00 and 17:00. In addition, the exhibition will be accompanied by a family guide for families with kids, in order for us to bring the value of the role and the importance of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci.
The exhibition will be open for visits until September 27, 2026.
The realisation of the exhibition and the catalogue was provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, and the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, and was supported by our recurring sponsor, DDOR insurance.
Media partners of the exhibition are JMU Radio Television of Vojvodina, Hram Television, Radio Slovo ljubve, Radio Beseda, Color Press Group, Naxi Planeta radio, and Kultura portal – Association for the Promotion of Arts and Culture.
