Oct 7 - Concert at St. Sava's Church

The concert at St. Sava’s Church deserves its own footprint.

St. Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. At Mount Athos, he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. In 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, and in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, thus securing full religious and political independence. Sava is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature and is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history.

The Church of St. Sava is a Serbian Orthodox church which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric seat and main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval Serbia. It is built on the presumed location of St. Sava's grave.

The church cannot be described in mere words and my photos can only hint at its magnificence. It is enormous (it can seat 10,000 people) and is covered inside in intricate mosaic and gold. Our concert was actually held in the crypt, which we expected to be cold and dark and creepy. It wasn’t. It was a beautifully constructed hall with more painted scenes from the life of Christ.

The private concert was presented by the St. Sava Choir and included religious pieces, Serbian folk songs, “Memory” from “Cats”, and the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from “Nabucco”, one of my all-time favourites. The voices were fabulous, and the acoustics were superb. It was a memorable evening. On the bus ride home, our guide sang songs from the different regions of Serbia and the added some Broadway tunes. We were delighted to have two concerts in one evening!Read more