The Church of St. Sava in London is one of several Serbian Orthodox churches in Great Britain. Since 1990, it has been part of the Diocese of Britain and Scandinavia, headed by His Grace the Bishop of Britain and Scandinavia, Mr. Dositej.
It was built in 1903, originally as an Anglican church. It is a very spacious three-nave basilica with a brick interior. After World War II, thanks to the help of Queen Maria Karađorđević, then the English Lady Paget – a great friend of the Serbian people in both world wars, love, effort and voluntary contributions of all parishioners, the church was purchased and renovated for the liturgical use of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On Vidovdan in 1952, the church was consecrated by St. Bishop Nikolaj (Velimirović). It is decorated with beautiful frescoes that are copies of frescoes from the walls of medieval Serbian monasteries. The walnut woodcarving iconostasis is the work of the Ohrid woodcarver Cvetan Nikolovski, and was made according to the project of the architect Dragomir Tadić from Belgrade. The icons were painted by Deacon Marko Ilić. The mosaic with the image of St. Sava on the front of the church is the work of Snezana Jovčić-Olđ from Pančevo.
The Church of St. Sava in London was visited by Her Royal Majesty Elizabeth II and His Highness Prince Philip in July 1957, on the occasion of the baptism of Maria Tatiana, daughter of the Yugoslav Prince Andrija Karađorđević.
The Church of St. Sava has also been visited by two deceased Serbian patriarchs. Thus, on August 14, 1969, the Serbian Patriarch, Mr. German, paid a canonical visit, and on September 29, 2002, the Serbian Patriarch, Mr. Pavle, also paid a visit during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church.
In addition to members of the Serbian royal house of Karađorđević, the parishioners of the Church of St. Sava in London were many famous personalities: lawyer Slobodan Jovanović, writer Miloš Crnjanski, historian Miodrag Purković, prof. Miodrag Stajić, diplomats Kosta Pavlović and prof. Vladeta Janković, and others.
Within the Church Municipality, there is a Church Sunday School, which was founded in 1962 through the efforts of Dragomir Petrović-Uče. In it, our children learn the Serbian language, history, and Orthodox religious education. Also, at the church there is a church choir “St. Sava”, a folklore group “Rastko” and a Serbian Sisters’ Circle “Kosovo Girl”. In addition to the church itself, through the efforts of Father Miloje Nikolić, a former parish priest of London, the Bishop Nicholas’ House was built in 1972 with official premises and a church hall for parishioners.
