Saint-Sava Church is located at 23 rue du Simplon, in the 18th arrondissement of the capital. The parish is also the seat of the Serbian Orthodox diocese of France and Western Europe, which explains why the church can also be called "Saint-Sava cathedral".
Founded in 1947, the parish of the Serbian Orthodox Community established in Paris first rented a chapel on rue Jean-Beauvais, in the 5th arrondissement, then, from 1964, it rents this former Protestant temple Rue Simplon built in 1906 in a neo-Romanesque style that the Reformed church no longer used. In 1984, the place was bought by the Serbian community.
Work is then undertaken. Inside, the biblical verses engraved on the walls are erased and an iconostasis is arranged: it is a partition adorned with images and icons (including Saint Nicolas, Saint Sava, Saint Michael and Saint John -Baptiste) which separates the nave from the sanctuary. Outside, on the tympanum, there is a bust of Saint Sava, who was the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the 13th century.
Note that a restoration campaign including works of embellishment (frescoes) was initiated.
The cathedral is open every day. For a guided tour, contact +33 1 42 52 99 90.
