SERBIAN OSSUARY OF THE DEFENDERS OF BELGRADE 1914-1918

Ten years after the establishment of Serbian military cemeteries in Belgrade, the Association of Reserve Officers and Warriors, together with its women’s section Fidaka, launched the first serious initiative in 1926 to create a unified ossuary in Belgrade. It was planned that the remains of soldiers who died defending Belgrade would be transferred into a large ossuary to be built at the New Cemetery in Belgrade. For the construction of the ossuary, the Belgrade municipality, headed by its president Kosta Kumanudi, allocated land and undertook the transfer of remains from the New Cemetery—where most military graves were located—into a collective tomb, the ossuary. The foundations of the ossuary, intended to house the remains of Belgrade’s defenders, were built in 1927. That same year, exhumations of military plots at the New Cemetery were carried out, and the remains of fallen soldiers were placed in sacks at the bottom of the ossuary, left under the open sky, since the excavations were completed before construction was finished. By transferring the remains into the ossuary, the Belgrade municipality freed space for burying other citizens, so the swift decision to allocate land and carry out exhumations was partly driven by utilitarian reasons. The ossuary was completed in October 1928. Patriarch Dimitrije, assisted by five priests, solemnly consecrated it on Armistice Day, November 11, 1928. In addition to its internal structure and eastern entrance, the ossuary featured an above-ground square terrace of about 170 square meters. Its walls were constructed of artificial stone, and the interior was naturally lit through windows along the side walls of the terrace. Beneath the ossuary, in three large crypts, were placed the remains of unknown fallen soldiers. On the left and right sides, concrete partitions with metal compartments were installed, bearing engraved names, surnames, and dates of death of the fallen. On the capitals of the supporting columns were carved stone heads of Serbian soldiers wearing helmets. Between them, on the sides of the capitals, swords in laurel wreaths were depicted, while the front featured the Serbian coat of arms with a double-headed white eagle, indicating that this is an ossuary of Serbian soldiers. The interior, with its compartments and memorial plaques along the walls, was modeled after the iconography of Orthodox churches: instead of saints and martyrs depicted in lower zones of churches, here the remains of those who died for the state and nation were placed. The Association of Reserve Officers and Warriors, led by Milan Đ. Radosavljević, did not stop at building the ossuary. They decided to erect a monumental memorial above it—an unprecedented act for ossuaries in civilian cemeteries. This decision was likely influenced by regular commemorations held at nearby foreign cemeteries. The construction of such a large memorial in a civilian cemetery attracted the attention of the daily newspaper Vreme, which initiated a debate about its location. Some experts argued that, as a work of art, it should be placed in a less prominent area rarely visited by both foreigners and local citizens. Behind this debate lay an underdeveloped commemorative awareness among both the public and parts of the intellectual community. Despite differing opinions, the debate did not gain wider traction, as the location had already been determined and the monument itself did not attract major attention. The final word came from Milan Đ. Radosavljević, who emphasized that the Memorial Ossuary of the Defenders of Belgrade (1914–1918) was erected in the central part of Laudan’s Trench, at the site of the first artillery line that had prevented enemy forces from crossing during the defense of the city. The monument, weighing 2,780 kg and cast from an alloy of bronze, copper, tin, and zinc, was the largest in the Kingdom at the time. It was consecrated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1931, in the presence of King Alexander and other prominent state and military officials. The monument was designed based on the concept of Milan Đ. Radosavljević and the plans of Roman Verhovskoy. The eagle sculpture was made by Verhovskoy, and the soldier figure by Živojin Lukić. Standing 19.4 meters tall with a base 14 meters wide, it was erected on a plateau above the ossuary crypt. The central element is a rock symbolizing the State. A massive crushed eagle at the base represents the defeated enemy. The soldier holding a flag—symbol of the state—along with a rifle symbolizing strength, stands not in aggression but in readiness. According to Radosavljević, the monumental rock symbolizes the strength of the people, emphasized by the form of the double-headed white eagle. Broken chains symbolize the historical suffering of the Serbian people under oppression. The white eagle represents peace, freedom, and justice, and in contrast with the black eagle, symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. At the top stands a victorious soldier, ready to defend his country, marked by the raised flag. The cross atop the flag, the soldier’s posture, and the cross on the monument all symbolize the suffering of the Serbian people. The final message envisioned by the creators is: eternal glory to the weapon and the heroic victor in whose honor the monument was built. The monument follows a pyramidal composition, with massive, rustic forms intended to be viewed from the front, in line with the tradition of classical narrative memorials. Its symbolism is expressed not only through figures and heraldic elements but also through its structure: the solidity and cubic forms of the white eagle represent the stability of the state and nation. The figure of the Serbian soldier shares similar firmness. The black eagle is not diminished in size, as reducing the enemy’s strength would symbolically diminish one’s own—a concept tied to the tradition of honoring both sides in wartime memorial culture. On the right side of the monument, a cannon is displayed. The inclusion of original military equipment reflects European memorial practices from the 18th and 19th centuries, enhancing the authenticity of remembrance.