Reputation of Belgrade, our capital, must be bright!

95th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEFENCE OF BELGRADE 

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch served today, in the Memorial ossuary to the defenders of Belgrade in the First World War at the New cemetary, the commemoration for suffered heroes in the defence of the Serbian capital in 1915. After the prayerful remembrance of the ancestors fallen for freedom, the remains of the famous warriors were stored in the restored memorial ossuary with the honorary salvo.

Following the ceremony of laying the wreaths done by representativs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Serbian Army, the City of Belgrade and organizations which care that deeds of our ancestors should not be forgotten, Mr. Dragan Sutanova, minister of Defence in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, addressed the present. Besides the state officials, also the representatives of the diplomatic corps attended the short cultural program.

In October 1915, attacking with its main forces over the Sava and the Danube, the armies of the Central Axis had a goal to encircle and destroy the Serbina army. Belgrade was attacked by parts of the German and Austro-Hungarian army, with a strong support of the artillery from the land and the rivers. The troops of the Belgrade Defence provided the resistance, especially on the positions which were defended by major Dragutin Gavrilovic.

The memorial ossuary is located in the Belgrade New cemetary, a and it was built in 1931. by the project of the Russian architect Roman Verhovskoy. In the Memorial ossuary there are the remains of several thousand defenders of Belgrade from 1915.