Kisiljevo: Church, Monument and Vampire Legend

Kisiljevo offers several distinct points of interest for a trip: the Church of St. Nicholas, with its distinctive construction and dated work on the iconostasis; a war memorial in the churchyard; and the legend surrounding Petar Blagojević. Other features include the origins of Srebrno jezero and the cemetery’s location beside the Danube and Silver Lake. If you are looking for a hotel in Kisiljevo, you can match these topics to your cultural and landscape interests.

Church and Iconostasis

The Church of St. Nicholas is one of the few surviving rammed-earth buildings in Serbia. Rammed earth means compacted soil used as a building material; this distinctive construction offers a concrete way to explore the church’s architecture. The iconostasis includes works by Arsenije Jakšić from 1826 and Živko Pavlović from 1836. The two dates are ten years apart and allow the named artistic contributions to be considered separately. Together, they point to two distinct interests: the rare surviving building form and the dated works on the iconostasis. This provides a more precise basis for choosing the theme of a stay than a general reference to culture.

The Monument in the Churchyard

A monument to the soldiers who fell in the wars of 1912 to 1919 stands in the churchyard in Kisiljevo. It was erected in 1928, after the war years it commemorates. The tall black granite obelisk stands on a pyramid-shaped plinth; a bronze eagle with outstretched wings sits atop the monument. The dedication and the monument’s appearance offer two different points of reference: its purpose places it in a historical context, while its material and form define its physical description. In contrast to the church, whose construction and iconostasis offer two different perspectives, the focus here is a clearly dated memorial.

The Vampire Legend

The Kisiljevo vampire legend dates Petar Blagojević’s alleged transformation into a vampire to his death in 1725. According to the legend, his remains were burned and left beneath an unmarked gravestone. A report dated July 1, 2025, described efforts by residents to revive the legend in order to attract attention and visitors to the municipality. Thus, the year 1725 belongs to the legend, while a 2025 report describes local efforts in a different time period. The topic spans a dated legend and a later reported attempt to bring it back as part of the community’s local profile.

Landscape and Route to the Cemetery Chapel

Srebrno jezero was formed from a former branch of the Danube. The cemetery in Kisiljevo is located beside the Danube and scenic Silver Lake. From Kisiljevo, travel east toward Ram: after about 2 km, turn right onto an unpaved road and continue for about 200 m to the cemetery chapel. Both distances are approximate. Before setting out, check the condition of the unpaved road and whether it is currently accessible, as road conditions can change.

Discover more destinations: Opština Petrovac Na Mlavi, Malo Crniće, Ribare, Brzohode, Požarevac, Žagubica, Ždrelo, Kučevo

For the broader travel overview: Braničevo District.