Serbian President Aleksandr Vucic expressed gratitude to Russia and personally to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his assistance in the construction of the country’s main temple – the Church of St. Sava. According to the head of state, craftsmen from Russia have been working on the sight for several years, TASS reports.
Vucic recalled that this church would become one of the three largest churches in the world together with the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior. He expressed confidence that the construction would be completed in October.
The Serbian president called the Church of St. Sava “the new Hagia Sophia.” The Serbian leader added that he had invited his Russian counterpart to the opening of the temple.
“Thanks again to our Russian friends, we will never forget your work,” concluded Vucic.
The Church of St. Sava on Vracar is one of the main architectural monuments in Serbia and one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. It was built on the site of the burning of the relics of Saint Sava by the Ottoman authorities in 1594. The cathedral was planned to be built at the end of the 19th century, but the construction of began only in the mid-thirties of 20th century and was soon interrupted by the Second World War. The erection of the dome was completed in 1989, the temple was officially opened only in 2004, but the creation of the interior decoration continued until recently.
Russia financed the restoration of the dome and mosaic with an area of 1248 square meters. The mosaic adorns the altar and the central part of the Church of St. Sava and is the result of collaboration between Russian and Serbian craftsmen.