Church

marriage

Here you can find out more about our church wedding on the 7th June 2025.

It will most probably take place in the church of Saint Sava in Belgrade. The church is about a 10-minute walk from the Hilton Hotel, where the later celebration will take place.

We would like both a Protestant as well as a Serbian Orthodox wedding. At the moment it is still unclear whether this can be realised. The planning has been underway for a few weeks. As soon as we know more, we will share further details with you here.

Dresscode in the church

Please note that it is unwanted to enter Serbian Orthodox churches with bare shoulders, cleavage or too short trousers / dresses / skirts. Children are an exception.

However, in case these rules can't be followed, it is recommended that women bring a thin scarf to cover their shoulders and cleavage. 

Although these rules have been loosened over the past few years, especially for tourists, it is still recommended to follow and respect the rules of the church.

Otherwise, there is no special dress code for the day - everyone should wear what they feel comfortable in, whether that is black, white or any other colour.

History of the church

The Cathedral of Saint Sava is a Serbian Orthodox church in Belgrade named after the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Saint Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14th January 1236).

It is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world and is considered as a Serbian national monument and a symbol of Belgrade.

The history of the cathedral dates back to 1895, when a society for the construction of the Church of Saint Sava was founded in Vračar, Belgrade - a decade after the final liberation from Turkish occupation and almost 300 years after the burning of the relics of Saint Sava by the Turkish invaders. The main goal of the society was to build a sanctuary on the very spot where centuries before the relics of Saint Sava were burned, which had previously been kept for centuries in the Mileševa Monastery.

Shortly before the first competition in 1905, the conditions were clearly defined. The building was to be monumental, planned on an area of ​​2.000 - 5.000 square meters and to have the characteristics of the Serbian-Byzantine architectural style. However, none of the submitted designs met these requirements.

With the onset of the First World War, the work was interrupted. The conditions for the a second competition were only created after the end of the war. Out of a total of 22 designs, one was selected - the design of the architect Bogdan Nestorović.

Symbolically, 10th May 1939 (the day on which the relics of Saint Sava were burned centuries earlier on the Vračar plateau) was considered the official start of construction and the foundation stone was laid.

Followed by numerous interruptions, the construction of the temple continued in 1985.

Perhaps the most significant moment during the construction of the temple was the raising of the central dome. The construction of the four-ton dome took a total of 40 days. Together with the dome, a gilded cross was erected, reaching a height of 12 meters.

At the end of the last century, the works on the Church of Saint Sava were again interrupted due to historical and political circumstances.

The first phase of works on the exterior of the building was completed in 2004 and not long after that the decoration of the interior began. Many modern elements were added to the interior of the Temple of Saint Sava, which became one of the main tourist attractions in Belgrade.