Things to see and do in Belgrade: Visit St Sava Temple

The most photographed icon of Belgrade, St Sava Church, is centrally located and visible from every corner of Belgrade. The façade of the church, the windows and bells were finished in 2009 but inside it's still a “work in progress” which still doesn't stop you admiring its sheer size. The guide mentioned that the basement of the Church is almost the same size as the church above ground itself if not bigger. 

This place, St Sava Church, has a very important place in Serbian culture and its history. The Church is dedicated to the first Archbishop of the Serbian Church, who was born as Rastko Nemanjic, the son of the first ruler of Serbia. In his youth he decided to become a monk and was re-christened with the monastic name Sava. He later established the monasteries of Hilandar on Mount Athos in Greece and Žiča. He died in Bulgaria only for his body to be moved to Mileseva Monastery where it stayed until 1594 when the Ottoman Turks removed the remains and burned them on the Vracar hills in Belgrade - St Sava Church is built on the very same spot. 

Three hundred years after the burning of the body the idea of building a church took hold although it was put off by many wars and the communist reluctance to build a church in the middle of Belgrade. Finally permission was granted in 1985 and building started soon after.  

The church is built in the Byzantium style with the figure of the cross forming its base and a large central dome above and four semi-domes lower down, with galleries all around supported by an arcade underneath. Does that sound familiar? You might have seen this construction somewhere else in Europe?

If you have visited Istanbul and the magnificent Hagia Sofia then you'll spot its resemblance to St Sava Temple.  Istanbul (once known as Constantinople) was established by the Roman Emperor Constantine (born in Serbia) who decreed that Christianity be the main religion of the Roman Empire. Constantinople, or the New Rome, became the capital of the Byzantine Empire for more than 1000 years and today the Hagia Sophia is the best surviving example of Byzantine architecture.

St Sava Temple is the largest working Orthodox temple in the world.

For more information about day tours in Belgrade and Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or visit our site at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com