麻豆APP

Temple of Saint Sava, Belgrade, Serbi. Author George Groutas

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about St. Sava Temple

It is a Serbian Orthodox church that sits on the Vra膷ar plateau located in Belgrade, Serbia. The church was planned as the main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

It was dedicated to the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church which was called Saint Sava. The church building is built at the Saint鈥檚 grave site.
Let鈥檚 learn the top 10 outstanding facts about St. Sava Temple

1. Architecture Competition for the Temple was Conducted on 1906

An architectural design competition for the construction of the future church was announced in 1906. The project was authorized by the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences which rejected all five applications. A series of wars such as the First Balkan War in 1912, the Second Balkan War in 1913, and World War I from 1914鈥�1918, stopped all kinds of activities. The society was re-established in 1919 after the war.

In 1926, when things were in control, a new competition was announced. The design was to include buildings of the Patriarchate, Ministry of Religion, Seminary, and Great Religious Court apart from the church.

The competition had a set of rules which stated that the new temple must have a style of Serbo-Byzantine architecture.

2. Construction of the Temple began 1n 1935

After Forty years after the initial idea of the church, construction began on 10 May 1935. This is 340 years after the remains of Saint Sava were burnt.

The cornerstone of the Temple was laid by Metropolitan Gavrilo of Montenegro. The church project was designed by Aleksandar Deroko and Bogdan Nestorovi膰, helped by civil engineer Vojislav Za膽ina. The construction lasted until the 1941 Second World War Axis invasion of Yugoslavia.

Before the war, the church鈥檚 foundation had been completed, the walls erected up to a height of 7 and 11 meters. When Belgrade was bombed in 1941 bombing, the work stopped altogether.

3. Construction of the Temple was Burned After World War 1

The building site was closed after World War II, this was because of the political situation and the position of communism ideology in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Due to the communist identity as an atheist, material and financial possibilities to help the continuation of construction were dimmed. This led to the unfinished building being transformed into a playground.

For decades the Serbian Patriarch German continued seeking permission to finish the building was not rejected. The patriarch made 88 requests, 82 requests were sent to the President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito but they were all of them were rejected by government authorities. In 1984, Permission was granted and the patriarch was invited to Du拧an 膶krebi膰, President of the Presidency of Serbia.

4. The Church was used as a Depot by the Germany Army

In 1941 The church incomplete building was used by the German Army as a depot. The Orthodox Church tried unsuccessfully to secure permission to complete the building. However, Permission to complete the building was granted in 1984.
The church commissioned architect Branko Pe拧i膰 to complete the project with new construction techniques. On May 12, 1985, a mass was held at the church with over 100,000 people who attended the service.

This service was the turning point in the then-communist country. St. Sava Temple reinstated its position and the communist elite lifted the long-decade ban which prohibited church construction.

The church’s concrete dome was raised to its current position in June 1989, the dome weighs 4,000 tonnes and was constructed. On the whole construction, it was a landmark achievement.

5. It is the Largest Church in Serbia

Temple of St. Sava in Belgrade. Author Orjen.

St. Sava Temple is the largest Orthodox church in Serbia, it is also the largest Eastern Orthodox church. The church is among the largest churches in the world. In Serbia, the church building is the most recognized in Belgrade and also a landmark this is because the dome resembles that of Hagia Sophia.

The layout of the church is symmetrical and has a great sensitivity to light, this is because of the large dome and the four apses. St. Sava Temple’s interior is cladded with 12,000 m2 of gold. This mosaic interior decoration of the dome was a donation from the Russian Federation. The remaining larger mosaic cladding was financed by the Republic of Serbia.

6. President Vladimir Putin Visited the Church in 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the temple in January 2019. During his visit, he announced that the Russian state would help in financing the remaining works in the mosaic cladding.

The president also laid a stone in a mosaic to show his commitment to helping the temple. In 2020 president Putin was formally invited to attend the consecration of the church. However, the ceremony has not yet occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

7. The Temple is Protected by the State Laws

The Church of Saint Sava. Author Jorge L谩scar.

In May 2021, the Vra膷ar plateau surrounding the church was declared a spatial cultural-historical unit. Due to this declaration, it was placed under state protection as the Saint Sava鈥檚 Plateau.

This government decision on the plateau included, 鈥渟ymbolical, memorial, cultural-historical, architectural-urban and artistic values of the locality, which represents memory spot of two turning points in Serbian history: Burning of Saint Sava鈥檚 relics and the First Serbian Uprising鈥�.

8. The Temple has 49 Bells

bell dedicated to the zoran djindjic church of saint sava. Author Orjen.

The Temple has a total of 49 bells. Four of these bells swing freely on the southwest tower. The other remaining 45 bells are found at the carillon, which are the only ones in the Balkans.

All 49 bells were manufactured at the Grassmayr Bell Foundry in Austria, Innsbruck. The bells were donated by private donations.
The fourth-largest bell in the temple is dedicated to Zoran Dindic, this is because during his presidency the church building was restarted after the Yugoslav wars. The temple鈥檚 biggest bell is a donation of Svetislav Prlin膷evi膰, who has 110.000 dollars. Hymns are played at the carillon regularly.

9. The Temple鈥檚 Fa莽ade was Donated in 2004

In 2004, the exterior part of the church was completed. The fa莽ade was Donated by the Greeks, where marble slabs from Greek were installed.

10. The Temple Hosted the Funeral of President Zoran Dindic

In 2003, the church hosted the Funeral of Zoran 膼in膽i膰. The was a Service held by Patriarch Pavle.