Agreement signed to secure funding for the final works on the church of Saint Sava in Belgrade
On 28 June 2026, the feast of the Holy Martyr Prince Lazar and All Serbian Holy Martyrs – Vidovdan, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Dr. Đuro Macut, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, signed the Agreement on Securing Financial Resources for the Final Works on the church of Saint Sava in Belgrade. The signing ceremony took place in the crypt of the Serbian people's memorial church on Vračar.
The church of Saint Sava – a great achievement for our Church, without which neither our people nor our state could have endured
Following the signing ceremony, the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić delivered the following address:
– Your Holiness, esteemed Prime Minister, today is Vidovdan, and on Vidovdan everything is seen clearly. Bishop Nikolaj said that Saint Sava was the most beautiful Serbian child to follow Christ. To that most beautiful Serbian son, to our monk, statesman, and educator, we have offered as much of our love and labor as we could, becoming the generation that will complete this magnificent church.
Beneath this majestic dome today, our past shakes hands with our future. This church reminds us of who we were, who we are, and what we must become. Miloš Crnjanski wrote: “Love is like the sun – those whom it shines upon receive life; those it misses are left in darkness.” We, dear citizens, are fortunate that the sun of love has shone upon us, and this church is the finest testimony to that love.
Crnjanski also wrote that Saint Sava was our first writer to create literature that does not perish. He wrote the first Serbian book of enduring value, not merely as a church text but as the living word of a man who loved his land and his people. His departure for Mount Athos was a revolutionary act of a young man – prince who, amid the splendor of the palace, felt the burden and emptiness of worldly glory and set out in search of absolute freedom in the Spirit. Saint Sava is the first in the truest sense. Whenever a Serbian accomplishes something good, it is always connected in some way with Saint Sava. Teodosije knew this; Domentijan knew this; Dučić knew this; Bishop Nikolaj knew this.
Your Holiness, I am pleased that over the past twelve years – and I say this with great pride – we have invested more in the construction of the Church of Saint Sava than ever before. During those twelve years alone, we allocated €88 million, and with today's additional €6.5 million, the total amounts to €94.5 million. Unlike others who would have done this quietly, fearing someone's reaction, we proudly emphasize it because we believe there is no more beautiful, holier, or better way to spend public funds. By building this church, I believe we have accomplished a great work for both our people and our Holy Church, without which neither our people nor our state could have endured.
Thank you, Your Holiness, not only for caring for this holy site, but also for caring for our suffering people in Kosovo and Metohija. Thank you for caring for our people wherever they are endangered and wherever the Serbian state cannot reach. Thank you, because in doing so you preserve the inseparable unity of the Serbian state, the Serbian people, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Thank you, esteemed Prime Minister. Today you have entered history as one of the people who not only participated in but made a decisive contribution to the completion of this great holy site.
Thank you very much. I am proud to have had the honor of attending this magnificent event today. Happy Vidovdan!
The CHURCH of Saint Sava – a house of prayer, a place where man encounters God and brother encounters brother
His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije then addressed the gathering:
– Your Excellency, esteemed President of the Republic of Serbia, esteemed Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, honorable ministers, distinguished representatives of state institutions, dear brothers and sisters, today, on the great feast of our Church and our people, Vidovdan, we have gathered in the church of Saint Sava and in its crypt dedicated to Saint Prince Lazar to sign the agreement on the donation of the Republic of Serbia for the completion of this holy church.
It is difficult to imagine a more fitting place or a more appropriate day for this act, for Saint Sava and Saint Prince Lazar represent two inseparable pillars of our spiritual and historical memory. In Saint Sava we recognize the path of Gospel faith, wisdom, peace, and the spiritual order of our people, while in Saint Prince Lazar we recognize fidelity to Christ and the willingness to sacrifice the transient for the sake of the eternal. Therefore, Vidovdan is not merely a remembrance of the past; it is a living call for us to prove worthy of the inheritance we have received.
Vidovdan also reminds us that no great undertaking is accomplished in a single day or by a single generation. Today we stand upon foundations that we ourselves did not lay. We have inherited the prayers, labor, sacrifices, and hopes of many who, before us, longed to raise in this place a church worthy of Saint Sava, the first Archbishop and Enlightener of the Serbian people.
The cornerstone of this church was consecrated in 1939. Since then, generations have come and gone. Difficult times and great trials have followed one another, yet the determination to complete this holy work has never ceased to live in the hearts of our people. Every Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, without exception, did everything within his power to ensure that construction continued. Together with them labored the bishops, clergy, monastics, faithful people, and countless known and unknown benefactors.
Therefore, today, on Vidovdan, we first and foremost offer thanksgiving to God, for the Lord has deemed us worthy to be the generation blessed to fulfill the prayers and dreams of our predecessors. This is not our own merit but God's gift and blessing for we have been entrusted with bringing to completion what others began and to which they devoted their lives over many decades.
This church has not been built merely of stone, marble, and mosaics. It has been built of the prayers, hopes, and love of countless people. Therefore, it shall continue to be a house of prayer, a place where man encounters God and brother encounters brother, the spiritual center of our people, and a testimony of faith which, God willing, will serve many generations to come.
In this spirit, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Republic of Serbia, to its President Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, and to the Government of the Republic of Serbia, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Đuro Macut, for the support they have provided and continue to provide toward the completion of the Church of Saint Sava. We gratefully receive today's support as well, convinced that caring for such holy places and for the most important spiritual and cultural treasures of our people transcends all political differences and all temporary circumstances, belonging instead to the common good.
What is being built here belongs to no individual, no group, no institution, and no single generation. Rather, it is an inheritance and a sacred trust that we receive and pass on as a holy legacy of our entire people. Therefore, today we give thanks to everyone who, each in their own time and according to their abilities, contributed to the construction of the Church of Saint Sava. We are grateful to all who recognized the importance of this undertaking and helped bring it to completion.
May the Lord grant wisdom and strength to all those who bear responsibility for the welfare of the people and the state, and may He grant all of us faith, unity, and love, so that we may always recognize that which gathers and unites us. May this day be blessed, and may the Lord bless our people and all people of good will. Thank you.
The church of Saint Sava – a great achievement for our Church, without which neither our people nor our state could have endured
Following the signing ceremony, the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić delivered the following address:
– Your Holiness, esteemed Prime Minister, today is Vidovdan, and on Vidovdan everything is seen clearly. Bishop Nikolaj said that Saint Sava was the most beautiful Serbian child to follow Christ. To that most beautiful Serbian son, to our monk, statesman, and educator, we have offered as much of our love and labor as we could, becoming the generation that will complete this magnificent church.
Beneath this majestic dome today, our past shakes hands with our future. This church reminds us of who we were, who we are, and what we must become. Miloš Crnjanski wrote: “Love is like the sun – those whom it shines upon receive life; those it misses are left in darkness.” We, dear citizens, are fortunate that the sun of love has shone upon us, and this church is the finest testimony to that love.
Crnjanski also wrote that Saint Sava was our first writer to create literature that does not perish. He wrote the first Serbian book of enduring value, not merely as a church text but as the living word of a man who loved his land and his people. His departure for Mount Athos was a revolutionary act of a young man – prince who, amid the splendor of the palace, felt the burden and emptiness of worldly glory and set out in search of absolute freedom in the Spirit. Saint Sava is the first in the truest sense. Whenever a Serbian accomplishes something good, it is always connected in some way with Saint Sava. Teodosije knew this; Domentijan knew this; Dučić knew this; Bishop Nikolaj knew this.
Your Holiness, I am pleased that over the past twelve years – and I say this with great pride – we have invested more in the construction of the Church of Saint Sava than ever before. During those twelve years alone, we allocated €88 million, and with today's additional €6.5 million, the total amounts to €94.5 million. Unlike others who would have done this quietly, fearing someone's reaction, we proudly emphasize it because we believe there is no more beautiful, holier, or better way to spend public funds. By building this church, I believe we have accomplished a great work for both our people and our Holy Church, without which neither our people nor our state could have endured.
Thank you, Your Holiness, not only for caring for this holy site, but also for caring for our suffering people in Kosovo and Metohija. Thank you for caring for our people wherever they are endangered and wherever the Serbian state cannot reach. Thank you, because in doing so you preserve the inseparable unity of the Serbian state, the Serbian people, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Thank you, esteemed Prime Minister. Today you have entered history as one of the people who not only participated in but made a decisive contribution to the completion of this great holy site.
Thank you very much. I am proud to have had the honor of attending this magnificent event today. Happy Vidovdan!
The CHURCH of Saint Sava – a house of prayer, a place where man encounters God and brother encounters brother
His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije then addressed the gathering:
– Your Excellency, esteemed President of the Republic of Serbia, esteemed Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, honorable ministers, distinguished representatives of state institutions, dear brothers and sisters, today, on the great feast of our Church and our people, Vidovdan, we have gathered in the church of Saint Sava and in its crypt dedicated to Saint Prince Lazar to sign the agreement on the donation of the Republic of Serbia for the completion of this holy church.
It is difficult to imagine a more fitting place or a more appropriate day for this act, for Saint Sava and Saint Prince Lazar represent two inseparable pillars of our spiritual and historical memory. In Saint Sava we recognize the path of Gospel faith, wisdom, peace, and the spiritual order of our people, while in Saint Prince Lazar we recognize fidelity to Christ and the willingness to sacrifice the transient for the sake of the eternal. Therefore, Vidovdan is not merely a remembrance of the past; it is a living call for us to prove worthy of the inheritance we have received.
Vidovdan also reminds us that no great undertaking is accomplished in a single day or by a single generation. Today we stand upon foundations that we ourselves did not lay. We have inherited the prayers, labor, sacrifices, and hopes of many who, before us, longed to raise in this place a church worthy of Saint Sava, the first Archbishop and Enlightener of the Serbian people.
The cornerstone of this church was consecrated in 1939. Since then, generations have come and gone. Difficult times and great trials have followed one another, yet the determination to complete this holy work has never ceased to live in the hearts of our people. Every Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, without exception, did everything within his power to ensure that construction continued. Together with them labored the bishops, clergy, monastics, faithful people, and countless known and unknown benefactors.
Therefore, today, on Vidovdan, we first and foremost offer thanksgiving to God, for the Lord has deemed us worthy to be the generation blessed to fulfill the prayers and dreams of our predecessors. This is not our own merit but God's gift and blessing for we have been entrusted with bringing to completion what others began and to which they devoted their lives over many decades.
This church has not been built merely of stone, marble, and mosaics. It has been built of the prayers, hopes, and love of countless people. Therefore, it shall continue to be a house of prayer, a place where man encounters God and brother encounters brother, the spiritual center of our people, and a testimony of faith which, God willing, will serve many generations to come.
In this spirit, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Republic of Serbia, to its President Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, and to the Government of the Republic of Serbia, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Đuro Macut, for the support they have provided and continue to provide toward the completion of the Church of Saint Sava. We gratefully receive today's support as well, convinced that caring for such holy places and for the most important spiritual and cultural treasures of our people transcends all political differences and all temporary circumstances, belonging instead to the common good.
What is being built here belongs to no individual, no group, no institution, and no single generation. Rather, it is an inheritance and a sacred trust that we receive and pass on as a holy legacy of our entire people. Therefore, today we give thanks to everyone who, each in their own time and according to their abilities, contributed to the construction of the Church of Saint Sava. We are grateful to all who recognized the importance of this undertaking and helped bring it to completion.
May the Lord grant wisdom and strength to all those who bear responsibility for the welfare of the people and the state, and may He grant all of us faith, unity, and love, so that we may always recognize that which gathers and unites us. May this day be blessed, and may the Lord bless our people and all people of good will. Thank you.
