The Orthodox community in Trieste was established in 1748 but it was not until 1751 when Empress
Maria Theresa allowed free practice of religion for
Orthodox Christians, prompting immigration of
Serb traders from
Herceg Novi,
Trebinje, and
Sarajevo to Trieste. The first Eastern Orthodox Church was built in mid XVIII century and it served as a place of worship for local Serbs and
Greeks both. The first service in the church was carried out in 1755, with two bell towers built in 1782. Disagreements between two ethnic groups on the issues of church affairs led to the dissolution of the joint community in 1781. The separate Serb community continued its work independently and as early as 1782 it was officially established. The Greeks left Saint Spyridon and later built a new church dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The Serbs eventually paid them 20,000
florins for their share of Saint Spyridon. Due to the instability of the grounds on which the first church was erected, a join decision was made to demolish the existing one and to erect a second church. Construction began on March 2, 1861, and it was designed by architect
Carlo Maciachini. The exterior decor was entrusted to Pompey Bertini and Antony Karelia, the interior painted decorations and the design of exterior decorations were done by
Giuseppe Bertini, while
Emilio Bisi produced sculptures for the facade. The marble used to build the church comes from
Carrara,
Verona,
Karst Plateau, and
Istria. Construction of the church was finished on 2 September 1868, and a small
consecration took place on 20 September 1869. The first permanent Serbian priest in Trieste was Haralampije Mamula from
Ogulin in the western
Military Frontier. He served from 1771 until his death in 1790. == Gallery ==