The Apostles (Elgar) many delays, Elgar finally started formal composition of the music in mid-December 1902. Composition of the work in vocal-score format was complete by the end of June 1903, with scoring complete on 17 August. "The Apostles "is a narrative work, dealing with the calling of the Apostles and their experiences of Jesus' preaching, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. "The Kingdom" would carry the story onward. Elgar was more interested in human motivations than philosophical underpinnings, and two of the most prominent characters in the work are the two sinners Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot. Elgar's conception outgrew the confines of
Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Topčider Saint Sava who, in turn, doesn't resemble at all the best known Sava's representation, in the Mileševa monastery. As a curiosity, none of the saints is painted with a halo. Carvings were done by sculptor Dimitrije Petrović. The church and the adjoining konak were placed under the state protection in 1949. The church is under reconstruction, which is expected to be completed by 2015, two hundred years since the start of the Second Serbian Uprising. Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Topčider Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, known as the Topčider Church () is the