Francis Mackenzie (missionary) facts for kids

Francis Mackenzie was a Scottish missionary who lived in Belgrade, Serbia, from 1876 to 1895. He was part of a Christian group called the Plymouth Brethren Nazarenes. He came to Belgrade to work for the British and Foreign Bible Society. His goal was to encourage people in the Principality of Serbia to follow religious practices.

Who Was Francis Mackenzie?

Francis Mackenzie was born in Scotland in 1833. He was a member of the Plymouth Brethren, a Christian movement. In 1876, he decided to travel to Belgrade. This city was then part of the Principality of Serbia. He wanted to help spread religious teachings there.

His Life in Belgrade

Mackenzie moved to Belgrade after the Ottoman Turks left the area. Many people from other countries, like Austria, Germany, and Italy, also settled there. Francis Mackenzie became a very important person in Belgrade society. He was friends with many Serbian politicians, including Čedomilj Mijatović, who was the Serbian Foreign Minister.

Mackenzie became quite wealthy and had a lot of influence. He even correctly guessed that Belgrade would grow eastward.

Building a New Part of the City

In 1879, Mackenzie bought a large piece of land. It was mostly farmland and swamps. He bought it from the son of Stojan Simić, a leader in the Serbian Parliament. Mackenzie paid 7,500 Ducats for the land. Dukats were valuable gold coins at the time.

He then divided this land into smaller plots. He sold these plots later on. With the money he earned, he built a large building called the Peace Hall (Sala Mira). This hall became famous for hosting important political events.

Mackenzie also had some interesting rules for his land. He did not allow restaurants there. He also banned smoking in all public places. These rules were not very popular and eventually failed.

His Legacy

Francis Mackenzie gave about 8,000 square meters of his land for a very important project. This land was used to build the Temple of Saint Sava. This is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. Because of his generous gift, his name and the names of his family were added to a list of great benefactors. They were listed right after the royal family and important church leaders.

Today, a street in the Vračar area of Belgrade is named after him. It is called Francis Mackenzie Street (Serbian: Макензијева or Makenzijeva).