| The church of St. George, along with the Karadjordjevic dynasty mausoleum, were built on the peak of Mali Oplenac. Situated on the slopes of the same hill was the capital of Serbia, Topola, a small town between Belgrade and Kragujevac (restored in the nineteenth century) . The two toponymes are not confused with one another in visitors' memories, but the latter outshone the tradition and the significance of the town, as visitors mainly come to see Oplenac and only then is the mutual past of the town and the mausoleum remembered. Topola became a place of historical significance during the Serbian Uprising in 1804. Its leader, Karadjordje Petrovic, born nearby, built a fortified town with towers and a church. Thanks to neglect and the carelessness of the new Obrenovic dynasty, the fortress was eventually destroyed. In 1903, a new heir to the throne, Petar I Karadjordjevic remembered Topola as the native place of his ancestors. With that in mind, as well as the wish of his parents now buried in Vienna, King Peter decided to build a church and mausoleum on the hill above the town for both his ancestors and descendants. |