Karlovačkog mira bb, Sremski Karlovci
After failing to lay siege to Vienna in 1683, liberation of Budim in 1686 and defeat near Slankamen in 1691, Prince Eugene of Savoy finally beat the Ottoman army (headed by Ottoman Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha) at the Battle of Senta in 1697. Although the struggle continued the next year, the peace the Ottomans offered was immediatelly accepted by the Holy League, probably because both sides had been exhausted. Theterms of the agreement were that everyone should keep the land they had conquered.
This Treaty was concluded here, in Sremski Karlovci, on the neutral land which did not belong to any of the sides. Because of the lack of accommodation for the envoys and their attendants in the town (about 150 people came to Sremski Karlovci for the occasion), tents had been pitched near the town. In the centre of tents, there was a wooden, round-shaped conference room (according to some other sources, this was also a tent). Besides the conference room, there were three smaller, additional rooms for joint consultations as well.
In the negotiation, a representative of the Ottomans was Reis Effendi Ramy, while Earls Eltingen and Shlik represented The Habsburg Monarchy. Their ally from the Republic of Venice was Rucini, the representative from The Russian Empire Voznjicin and from Poland Malahovski. The mediators were English Pedget and Dutch Caliers.
The representatives could not agree upon the order in which they would enter the building, and as a result, four doors had been made. The Ottoman envoy entered the room through the southern door, The Holy League envoy through the northern, and the rest of envoys (English, Dutch, Polish and Russian) through the eastern and western doors. Also, for the first time in the history of diplomacy, a round table was used for negotiations.
The negotiations began on November 12, 1698, and ended on January 26, 1699, with a peace treaty. The Treaty of Karlovci was a formal ending of the sixteen-year old Austro-Ottoman War. Austria regained the teritories which remained under its reign until the break in 1918.
The Ottoman delegates suggested, and all the other delegates accepted, that a church should be built there. Namely, they wanted that this simple wooden building to became a shrine or a church to the greater glory of God, and an acknowledgement of gratitude that God, out of the goodness of his heart, made this peace be concluded .
The Roman Catholic Church, namely Franciscans, catholic priests who were coming from Petrovaradin to conduct services in Sremski Karlovci, were empowered by Earl Elting to build the church. With the help of the tsar and people from Karlovci, they replaced that old wooden hut with a church. That is how the Chapel of the Virgin Mary of Peace came into being in 1710. The first services were probably held around 1720, because the altar was sanctified the same year and the pulpit was built in 1732. The wooden walls were probably replaced with the brick ones the same year. However, the previous shape of the church remained the same, as well as the position of four doors. The church did not change until the beginning of 19 th century.
The existing church was built in 1817. One of the donors was the Archbishop of Orthodox church, Stefan Stratimirovic, who donated 30,000 bricks. In order to resemble the building from the beginning of 18th century , it is elliptical in shape and has four doors and a dome, and according to other sources, it is in a Byzantium style . The existing altar was built in 1846, and the church was completed in 1848. After the Rebellion, it was refurbished during 1854-55. It was partially or completely repaired and improved, and in 1923 it was completely refurbished.
Administration of The Chapel of Peace
Cf. V. Matic, Karlovacke crkve , 127.
According to tradition transmitted by parochial chronicle – Povjestnica , 24.
Cf . V . Mati c, Karlovacke crkve , 129.
Cf . V . Mati c, Karlovacke crkve , 130.
