Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Saint Sava Day

Saint Archbishop Sava (1175 - 1235), originally born prince Rastko Nemanjić, son of the ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state Stefan Nemanja and brother of the first Serbian king, was the first Archbishop of Serbia (1219-1233), the most important saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church, and an important cultural and political worker of his time. The temple stands on the site where the remains of Saint Sava were burned by the Turks in 1595.

Saint Sava is the founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church and is celebrated as the patron saint of education and medicine. Today, January 27th, schools all over Serbia celebrate Saint Sava's Day by singing songs and reciting poems in his honor.

In this photo, you can see part of the temple's dome and two crosses behind nearby houses' rooftops.

If you'd like to read more about this temple, see this site .

13 comments:

Marie-Noyale said...

So are there any children named Sava, still now?

Alexa said...

Went to the link and was surprised to see just how huge this church actually is. I can picture the neighborhood growing up around it.

Pat said...

Marie-Noyale, Yes, 'Sava' is still a fairly comment man's name. I work with one!

Marcel said...

I have seen the temple onces, it is hughe indeed. That was just after the war, it was still empty inside..

Anonymous said...

The architecture there and here is quite different. I have enjoyed digging into your past posts.

soulbrush said...

i am not at all religious, but adore all old churches, this one is wonderful.

Thérèse said...

J'aime beaucoup lire tous ces détails.

Clueless in Boston said...

Beautiful dome and cross. Did you use a telephoto to squash the foreground so close to the church, or are the other buildings as close as they seem in the photo?

Anonymous said...

Bibi, You promised me a picture of St. Sava's on Vrachar, I suppose this counts. I had to look at this picture many times, it makes the church seem so small.

Didn't you say in one of your posts that you work at a school? If so, was the holiday recognized/celebrated in any way at the school?

Saretta said...

I tagged you on my blog, come see!

Kris McCracken said...

We only have one such dome here in Hobart. I like them!

Jane Hards Photography said...

That's such an imposing image. Sava has become a popular name in the UK. It had never occurred to me why. Now I know.

Pat said...

Father Milovan,

Gosh, I don't remember your asking for a photo of Saint Sava's church! I would have done a more representative one earlier on. I'll do one a bit later.

Yes,our international school did mark the occasion with a poetry reading, the hymn, and a speech about Saint Sava.

THE MARKET AFTER HOURS

 Merchants have all packed up and gone home....