The Church of Saint John the Baptist
Location: Balanovac
Year of construction: 2001, according to the project of architect Nebojše Ivankovića
The Church of St. John the Baptist in Balanovac was built in 2001 and consecrated by Bishop Ilarion of Timok 2022. It is located in the centre of the village. The Ktetor of the Church is Momčilo Todorović, originating from Balanovac. The object was built according to the project by architect Nebojša Ivanković from Knjaževac.
In the fenced Port, southwest of the church, there is a monument to fallen soldiers in the First and Second World Wars, while the fountain and the burner are northwest of the church. At the entrance to the churchyard of the church, there is a wooden pavilion.
Gallery
Architecture
The church has a cross base, with an arched vault, covered with a copper roof. It was built of concrete, plastered whitewashed. At the cross-section of the cross arms, there is outside and inside, a polygonal dome, which rests on a massive square basis. The eastern, southern arched arms of the cross have on the outside and inside a semicircular dome vaulted by semi-domes. On the west side of the church, there is a narthex, in which there is a staircase on the south side for a spacious gallery.
The only decorations on the facade are circular and arched outlets, around window openings and doors painted in red, as well as blind spaces that imitate window openings.
In the lunette above the entrance to the church, there is a mosaic of the Church, patron saint, made in 2013, the work of the academy-trained painter Mila Gvardiol.
The altar partition is made of wood richly decorated by woodcarving. It is divided into two zones. The lower zone includes the icons on the side and the Royal door. On the northern doors, there is an image of St. Archangel Michael, on the Royal door images of Annunciation, and on the southern the image of St. Archdeacon Stefan. This zone includes icons placed a bit higher: St. Nicholas, throne icons of the Most Holy Mother of God and Jesus Christ, and the icon of St. John the Baptist, the patron of the temple. In the higher zone, there is an apostolic order with a centred image of the Holy Trinity, above which is the Crucifixion surrounded by the up-to-the-waist images of the Most Holy Mother of God and St. the Apostle.
The church has not been painted with frescoes. In the church, on the walls, there are individual icons of saints made of wood. Southeast of the iconostasis is the representation of St. Onuphrius. On the southeastern wall of the southern arm of the cross, is the representation of St. Archangel Michael, while on the southwest wall is a representation of St. Archangel Gabriel. On the southwestern wall of the western arm of the cross, there are icons of St. Peter and St. Paul. On the northwest wall of the western arm of the cross are icons of St. Demetrius and the Holy Mother of God. On the northwestern wall of the northern arm of the cross is the icon of St. George, and in the northeast the icon of St. Paul of Thebes. On the northeast wall, next to the iconostasis, there is an icon of St. John the Baptist.
