Take a look inside St. Sava Temple as work progresses to complete Orthodox shrine's massive mosaic

Foto: Printskrin RTS

The Orthodox Temple of Saint Sava in the Serbian capital will be the first temple completely decorated with mosaics. Works are well under way, and the temple has become the third most interesting destination for tourists coming to Belgrade.

Mosaics depicting the Mother of God on the throne and of Christ blessing all those who enter the temple with open arms - are just a few of the completed works on the east side of the temple. But that's only half the work done.

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By the end of next year, more than 12,000 square feet should be covered by mosaics. About 280 Russian artists are working in a Moscow studio, while 40 mosaic artists are installing them here.

"It has come down from the top, from the dome to almost half the temple. There are still the north, west and south sides and so basically the second phase of the mosaic is being done, where it will get much more complicated as the mosaic pieces get smaller, but that's at lower angles, so on the other hand, there's also some relief," says Stefan Saric, the bishop of Remezijana.

He adds that they are proud the temple will be completely under mosaics thanks to the excellent artists from Russia.

Photo: Tanjug/Filip Kraincanic

Big financial assistance has also arrived from Russia, and the works are being assisted by the Serbian government. So far, more than 27 million euros has been invested in the mosaics.

"We have now prepared all the documentation, the designs for the floors, for the iconostasis (wall of icons) - and in a word, we are in that chart according to which everything should be completed next year, and the temple consecrated," says Bishop Saric.

Although almost the entire temple is under the scaffolding and visitors can only see the crypt, it is still an unavoidable destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. This is confirmed by the fact the temple is among the three most visited sites in Belgrade.

"We can't say that it's of interest to people from primarily Western countries, or to those who share with us the Orthodox faith. For example, guests from Turkey are always here, always visiting the St. Sava Temple, because it is first and foremost a matter of general culture," says Miodrag Popovic from the Belgrade Tourist Organization.

Some of the top travel agencies from Spain, Italy and Hungary have already booked "front row seats" in the temple for their tourists, for when St. Sava's shines in full splendor.

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(Telegraf.rs, RTS)