The church in the very center of Kolašin is the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius (often called the City Church). It is located on a hill directly above the city square and represents one of the most important religious and cultural-historical monuments in the city.
Here are the key details about this church:
1. History and founder
Year of construction: The church was built in 1888, ten years after Kolašin was liberated by the Decision of the Congress of Berlin (1878) and annexed to the Principality of Montenegro.
Founder: It was built as an endowment of the Montenegrin ruler, Prince Nikola I Petrović Njegoš, as evidenced by the authentic inscription carved into the stone slab above the entrance door.
Previous chapel: In that place, there used to be a smaller and more modest wooden chapel dedicated to St. John the Forerunner. When it became narrow and dilapidated, it was broken up stone by stone, so the present day temple dedicated to Saint Dimitri was built from the same stone and new material.
2. Architecture and interior
Style: The temple is a single-nave building built of beautifully worked hewn stone with a semicircular altar apse. It is a characteristic representative of church construction from the end of the 19th century in Montenegro.
Belfry: There is a three-part belfry above the entrance.
Iconostasis: The interior of the church is decorated with a rich and tall wood-carved iconostasis made in the Baroque style. It is attributed to the well-known master workshops of that era (the Đinovski brothers), and is decorated with symmetrical stylized plant motifs and precisely painted icons.
3. Environment and significance
City cemetery: Around the church itself, there is an old city cemetery where many notable figures from the history of the Kolasin region (priests, warriors and national champions) are buried.
Location: Due to the fact that it is located on a small hill just above the main square and the pedestrian zone, a short staircase leads to it, so it is very accessible for all visitors and tourists visiting Kolašin.
