The northern part of the town centre was once inhabited mainly by tanners (tabakosok) and winegrowers. The two settler groups, which belonged to the same parish, first built a simple wooden church in 1690. The Old Church Slavic inscription on the commemorative plaque at the main façade of the building says that the construction of the current stone church started in 1741.
Around the year 1800, the building underwent major a renovation, when the late Baroque ornaments were added to the façade and the ornamented iron gates of the fencing were put in place.
The church was consecrated to the Transfiguration of the Lord and its iconostasis and interior is listed among Szentendre’s most beautiful monuments. However, today the church is open to visitors only once a year, on 19 August during the Serbian Festival celebrated in the courtyard of the church.
According to tradition going back to the 18th century, the miraculous ‘Black Mary’ adorned with jewellery and votive offerings is placed on the courtyard during the morning mass and believers queue up to pray before her. In the afternoon, people have fun and dance to the music of tambura-players.
The church is open only on 19 August.