| Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul | |
| Native Name: | Црква Светих Апостола Петра и Павла |
| Country: | Serbia |
| Address: | Unnamed road, Kriva Reka, Brus |
| Denomination: | Serbian Orthodox Church |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Completed Date: | 1618 |
| Archdiocese: | Eparchy of Raška and Prizren |
| Language(S): | Old Church Slavonic Serbian |
The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is a Serbian Orthodox church of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren located in the village of Kriva Reka, Brus, in the Republic of Serbia. It was built in 1618 and is typical of churches built during the Ottoman rule of Serbia.[1] It has the foundation of a single-nave church with a narthex.[2] The church's iconography, of which most is now in poor condition, was created in 1621. Connected to the church is the village's primary cemetery.
During the Second World War, as part of Operation Kopaonik, members of the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen and Bulgarian soldiers, commanded by Major Dragutin Keserović, imprisoned approximately 45 male villagers in the church on 12 October 1942. The troops subsequently shot the prisoners and put their bodies back inside, after which they blew the church up.[3] [4] [5] The church was not completely destroyed, with most of the walls surviving, together with part of the frescoes. The church had to have some of its walls rebuilt with plaster, which contrasts its original cobblestone exterior.
On 25 June 1975 the church declared a cultural monument of great importance by the People's Government of Serbia.[6] A tomb and a memorial with the list of the names of the executed victims during the punitive expedition in 1942 are listed along with the church.
Work on the conservation of the frescoes was carried out in 1975 and 1976. In 2017, work was undertaken to develop the church square into a memorial park.[7]