The Church of St Sava in southern Kosovska Mitrovica / Mitrovicë is a monumental cross-in-square domed church with an external belfry and parish house, built at the end of the 19th century. During the March 2004 unrest, the church was set on fire, its interior was damaged by flames and smoke, the upper gallery (emporia) and internal belfry staircase were destroyed, and the parish house was burned down. Under the Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC), protective works in 2005 repaired the roof, replaced glazing and oak doors, cleaned stonework, and re-fixed a detached gallery beam; no works took place in 2006–2008, and in 2009 the site was listed under a programmed UNESCO programme.
Historical and Architectural Significance
The Church of St Sava is located in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica (recorded in RIC documentation as Mitrovicë/Kosovska Mitrovica or Mitrovica) and represents the principal Serbian Orthodox urban church in the city. In the May 2009 archival dossier of the Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC), the monument is defined as a cross-inscribed church with a dome, accompanied by a parish house and an external belfry, built at the end of the 19th century. Architectural history records that construction of this large civic church in a Neo-Byzantine and Romanesque-revival idiom began in 1896 and was completed in the years preceding 1912.
Architecturally, the church features a developed cross-in-square layout crowned by a central dome on a drum, with finely dressed stone facades articulated by arched windows and carved stone ornament. Internally, the western bay housed an elevated gallery (emporia), while the courtyard compound contained a freestanding bell tower with an internal wooden staircase and joinery, alongside the parish house.
Located in the southern part of the divided city after 1999, the Church of St Sava stood in a particularly sensitive security setting. Within the RIC Sites catalogue, it was listed as entry #09 (09 CHURCH OF ST. SAVA Mitrovicë/Kosovska Mitrovica).
Destruction and Recorded Damage (March 2004)
During the March 2004 riots, the Church of St Sava complex suffered severe fire destruction. According to the 2004 Damage Assessment in the RIC dossier, the church roof was left dilapidated, exterior joinery was damaged, and the interior spaces were heavily smoked and affected by fire.
Inside the church, the emporia (upper gallery) was destroyed, leaving a detached structural beam. In the external bell tower, both the joinery and the internal staircase were destroyed by fire, while the parish house in the compound was completely burned down.
Reconstruction and Conservation Works (2005–2009)
Interventions by the Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) at the Church of St Sava were carried out during the 2005 protective phase under Tender Group Ref. No. 11, followed by three consecutive years (2006–2008) in which no physical works were undertaken by the RIC.
| Year | Completed Works and Interventions | Stage Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Protective interventions: replacement of the northwestern area of the roof and repairs to the remainder, complete replacement of window glazing, installation of new oak entrance doors, stonework cleaning, and re-fixing of the detached emporia beam. | Completed |
| 2006 | No interventions carried out (Note: in the 2009 English HTML file, this row was erroneously labeled '2004-Damage Assessment', whereas the Serbian HTML properly labeled it '2006-RADOVI NA OBNOVI'). | Completed |
| 2007 | No structural or conservation interventions carried out during 2007. | Completed |
| 2008 | No structural or conservation interventions carried out during 2008. | Completed |
| 2009 | Further interventions programmed: site listed under 'UNESCO programme'. | Planned |
During the first RIC operational season in 2005, the Church of St Sava in Mitrovica was paired with the Church of St Elias in Vučitrn (#08) under Tender Group Ref. No. 11. While Vučitrn received a temporary protective roof in 2005, the intervention at St Sava directly secured the permanent building envelope of the church: contractors replaced the northwestern section of the roof and repaired the remaining roof surfaces, replaced all window glazing across the building, installed new carved oak entrance doors, cleaned soot and smoke deposits from the exterior stonework, and structurally re-fixed the detached beam of the damaged emporia.
Following the 2005 protective contract, no further tenders were issued for St Sava Church or its burned parish house in the 2006 or 2007 RIC tender lists. The site dossier explicitly records No interventions carried out for 2006, 2007, and 2008. Cross-comparison of the original May 2009 HTML files reveals a notable archival typographical error in the English version: the third section heading (positioned chronologically between 2005-Protective Interventions and 2007-RECONSTRUCTION WORKS) was mislabeled 2004-Damage Assessment with the item No interventions carried out. The parallel Serbian HTML file correctly labels that row 2006-RADOVI NA OBNOVI (2006-Reconstruction Works) with Nije bilo intervencija.
Conservation Context and Monument Condition
Under the heading 2009-FURTHER INTERVENTIONS PROGRAMMED, the May 2009 RIC dossier records the single entry UNESCO programme (UNESCO program). The same designation appears in several other 2009 RIC site sheets (such as the Church of the Holy Saviour in Prizren #06, the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in Lipljan #31, and St Michael’s Church in Štimlje #33), indicating sites where further conservation or rehabilitation was slated for coordination with international UNESCO-administered donor programmes, rather than implying inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In accordance with the editorial rules of this collection, the 2009 UNESCO programme entry is presented strictly as a programmed framework at the May 2009 archive cutoff, not as proof that interior restoration or parish house reconstruction had been completed under the RIC. Although a September 2016 photograph included in this dossier shows the restored exterior of the church, detailed documentation of post-2009 works lies outside the primary RIC archival corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Church of St Sava located and when was it built?
The Church of St Sava is located in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica / Mitrovicë. According to the RIC dossier, it is a cross-inscribed domed church with an external belfry and parish house built at the end of the 19th century.
What damage did the church complex sustain in March 2004?
The 2004 Damage Assessment states that the roof was dilapidated, joinery was damaged, the interior was affected by fire and smoke, the upper gallery (emporia) was destroyed, the joinery and internal staircase of the bell tower were destroyed, and the parish house was burned down.
What works were completed at St Sava Church in 2005?
Under 2005 Tender Group Ref. No. 11, contractors replaced the northwestern section of the roof and repaired the remainder, replaced all window glazing, fitted new oak entrance doors, cleaned the exterior stonework, and re-fixed a detached beam of the emporia.
Why does the original 2009 English RIC page have two '2004-Damage Assessment' headings?
It is a historical HTML typographical error in the English file, where the heading for 2006 (containing 'No interventions carried out') was accidentally left as '2004-Damage Assessment'. The Serbian counterpart properly labels the row '2006-RADOVI NA OBNOVI'.
What does 'UNESCO programme' under 2009 mean for this site?
It indicates that further rehabilitation works at St Sava Church were programmed in 2009 to be coordinated through UNESCO-led international heritage programmes; it does not mean the church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage property 'Medieval Monuments in Kosovo'.
Sources and Further Reading
- EU/CoE Support to the Promotion of Cultural Diversity in Kosovo (PCDK) & Previous Reconstruction Action — Council of Europe (Directorate of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage) (2010–2014) · Source document ↗
- Report Submitted by UNMIK Pursuant to Article 2.2 of the Agreement Between UNMIK and the Council of Europe Related to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (ACFC/SR/II(2009)002) — Council of Europe / UNMIK (31. maj 2010.) · Source document ↗
- OSCE Mission in Kosovo Report on Cultural Heritage Protection and Reconstruction Process (Document 74597) — OSCE Mission in Kosovo (2008–2010) · Source document ↗
- Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (UNESCO World Heritage List Ref. 724bis) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2004 / 2006) · Source document ↗
