Orthodox Saint Sava Cathedral In Belgrade, Serbia: “The New Hagia Sophia” Is Half Of A Rising Surge In Conservative Christianity, In Specific Jap Orthodoxy – JP

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Followers of Dr. Steve Turley, classical guitarist turned political commentator with a growing following on social media, has been vociferous that there is growing rise in conservative Christianity around the world seen in the rising popularity of the Latin Mass in the Roman Catholic Church, the recent rejection of the liberal Church of England and American Episcopal Church by the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, known as GAFCON, cutting ties with the Anglican Communion, while the Orthodox Church in the USA has witnessed a massive growth spurt in believers. According to The Serbian Times, December 2024, in an article titled ORTHODOXY ON THE RISE IN AMERICA, the number of believers has catapulted from 700,000 to 6 million at the end of 2024.

In this framework the opening of the Saint Sava Orthodox Cathedral, dubbed “The New Hagia Sophia,” in Belgrade, Serbia is perfectly contextualized. Turley has explained that he attributes this surge, especially among young males, to the boldness of the traditional figure of Christ, the Pantocrator or Judge of All, who is robust, masculine and clearly defined in Orthodox theology.

In a Turley Talks essay from February 08, 2025 Turley proclaims, “In this cultural climate, Orthodox Christianity is booming. A recent survey indicated that Orthodox parishes experienced a staggering 78 percent increase in conversions in 2022 compared to before the pandemic, driven largely by young men. They find in the Orthodox tradition a continuum of the ancient, offering a sense of belonging and an exciting connection to historical narratives that validate their experiences and desires.”

Saint Sava, born around 1170 as Rastko Nemanjic in Podgorica (also known as Gradina in antiquity) was a Serbian prince and later Orthodox monk. He is known by his moniker of The Enlightener, later becoming the first archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church, since then being regarded as the Protector of Serbia. The church commemorating his legacy is now one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, dominating the landscape of Belgrade as did the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. It is no wonder that the faithful are already referring to it as the “New Hagia Sophia.” But, how massive is it?

An article in Serbia.com from April 15, 2016 anticipated its completion and reported in

https://serbia.com/church-saint-sava-orthodox-heart-belgrade/:

“The following facts only bear witness to the sheer magnitude of the Temple:

Its total height reaches an astounding 82 m with the dome being 70 m high and the main gold plated cross giving it an additional 12 m height.

The central dome is 4,000 ton heavy and its lifting was the greatest achievement of the construction process. The lifting itself took 40 days.

There are more than 49 bells in the bell towers and over 18 gold plated crosses on its domes.

With a surface of 3,500 m2 on the ground floor, the Temple can receive an amazing 10,000 people at any time. It also has four galleries of 1720 m2 on the first and second floor.

Upon its completion, the interior will be decorated with a multitude of mosaics. The central dome will be adorned with a monumental mosaic of Christ Pantocrator.

The outside is nothing less impressive as the Temple’s surface is covered with white marble and granite, which add to its appearance of a beautiful beacon of faith. However, it’s magnificence is not in its size, but in what it represents to the Serbian people.”

In correspondence with an Orthodox hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), this correspondent asked what he felt upon learning that the “hram” (Serbian for temple as St Sava is affectionately called a “cathedral” but is not one ecclesiastically) had consecrated its altar in 2018 and icons on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Now it holds the honor of a highly regarded church and universally praised architectural wonder:

“It is a miracle and a wonderful indicator of the spiritual revival of Orthodox Christianity in countries which were devastated by communism, whereas in “democratic” western Europe, churches are being turned into restaurants or mosques.” He later added that Russians had helped in the construction and decoration of the place of worship.

All this leads one to wonder if the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofia) will one day become again an Orthodox Christian center of worship. In the meantime, the faithful and the curious are able to experience and participate in Orthodox liturgy in Belgrade, Serbia.