Gradnulica

Map of urban local communities of Zrenjanin Vavedenska Orthodox church Chapel of Rafailo of Banat Slovak church

Gradnulica (Serbian Cyrillic: Граднулица) was a former village near Veliki Bečkerek (Zrenjanin) until the 18th century. Today, it is one of the biggest city quarters of Zrenjanin, Serbia.

History

Gradnulica was formed in Medievial period on the banks of Begej river. Most of the population was Serbian. There is a story about monastery which was on the spot of today's Vavedenska Orthodox church.^[1] Name of the monastery was Drenovac (Serbian Cyrillic: Дреновац) and it was surrounded by a deep forest. One of the most famous monks was Rafailo of Banat (Рафаило Банатски or Rafailo Banatski), a missionary from Chilandar monastery, in Holy Mountain. His grave is in the chapel nearby Orthodox church, and it is a place of pilgrimage for many Orthodox believers. This place, where is Vavedenska church, was and still is a historical center of Gradnulica.

Name

There are many theories about the name. Historians believe that a word Gradnulica comes from two words; first is gradna from gradina which means "cliff" and second word is ulica which is Serbian word for "street". That implicates that Gradnulica could mean street on the cliff because Gradnulica used to be on peninsula, surrounded by Begej river, until the beginning of the 18th century. Also, today's main street of Gradnulica, Cara Dušana or Цара Душана (Tsar Dušan street) is located at the highest point of Gradnulica, in the middle of the former peninsula.

Churches

There are two churches in Gradnulica:

• Vavedenska church or Hram vavedenja Presvete Bogorodice (Church of the Virgin Entrance to the Temple), Orthodox church, built in 1777.
• Slovak evangelic church, Protestant church, built in 1837.

Both churches are located in Cara Dušana street.

See also

• Zrenjanin

References

1. Serbian Orthodox Church: Its Past and Present 2. Serbian Patriarchy. 1966. p. 49. Retrieved 14 August 2013. Hilandar had branches throughout Serbian territory, of which one was probably at Zrenjanin, in the place called Gradnulica (where there was also formerly a -monastery). Saint Rafailo was sent there by the Monastery of Hilandar ...