Montenegro: Podgorica – Cathedral of Resurrection
Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro, but doesn’t really have many attractions besides the stupendously large Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It’s a recent construction, built between 1993-2013, and architecturally somewhat resembles the Cathedral of Saint Tryophon in Kotor, while also having elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, and other styles. The interior is lavish with loads and loads of gold, marble everywhere, and frescoes covering every wall and ceiling and even basement. Interestingly, the cathedral got some notoriety for one of the frescoes – it depicts former Yugoslav communist leader Josip Broz Tito near the mouth of the devil together with fellow Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, all surrounded by the fires of hell (not sure what happened to Lenin here). Trying to find this fresco was like being on a treasure hunt!