“HAD THEY ASKED FOR A BLESSING, MAYBE WE WOULD HAVE OPENED”: From the Temple of Saint Sava they explained why the doors were closed for the participants of the student protest!

Students and citizens, who gathered yesterday in front of the Rectorate of the University of Belgrade, headed towards the Temple of Saint Sava after the speeches were held, arriving there around 20:30. The doors of the Temple were closed, so the students broke the ritual bread (pogača) on the plateau. As stated on the doors, the Temple is open from eight in the morning until eight in the evening, and according to the churchwardens, as the portal Nova.rs writes, the largest church in the country might have been opened if “the students had sent a request in time and asked for – a blessing.”

However, the interlocutor of Nova.rs states that the students had previously called the priest on duty to inform him about the program of the gathering.

On the eve of the large gathering, the students announced a walk to the Temple of Saint Sava. Under normal circumstances, it would be expected that one of the priests would still open the doors for them or wait for them in front and hold a service, as a sign of respect for the large number of citizens and the holy day on which they gathered.

Unfortunately, there was no will, nor understanding, and as they claim at the Temple, the problem is also of a technical nature, more precisely – procedure.

“The doors close automatically at eight in the evening and do not open until the morning, so no one can enter. There is a possibility for the Temple to be opened earlier or later, but for that, it is necessary to respect a serious procedure. If the students wanted to enter, they should have informed the special bodies in the church earlier. A request is sent to them in advance for the Temple doors to remain open longer, then a blessing is awaited, and only then, according to the blessing, can one act. Otherwise, according to the protocol, the small church opens at seven in the morning, and the Temple at eight, and 12 hours later it closes,” they told Nova.rs at the Temple of Saint Sava.

However, it is known that the doors of the Temple have often been opened outside of working hours. One such case occurred in May 2024 when, due to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the then-President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, a prayer service was held at half past five in the morning before their trip to New York.

On regime televisions, this event was even pompously announced as “Prayer before the trip to New York at 5:30.” By the way, Vučić then asked Patriarch Porfirije for a blessing before the trip, during which he was to participate in the debate on the resolution on Srebrenica.

“At that time, the doors of the Temple were opened for them earlier, before working hours, but the state leadership certainly requested approval and a blessing in advance,” they say at the Temple.

Nevertheless, students and citizens came in front of their church last night, on the day of the saint it celebrates, and it did not occur to anyone to ask for written permission days in advance to enter the place of worship, whose doors, at least on this day, should have been open to everyone.

Није Храм Макси дисконт па да се строго придржава радног времена. Уосталом, кад год се у крипти одржава нека манифестација, отворен је и после 20ч.
Најављено је да ће огроман број људи, и то студенти и ђаци којима је данас била слава, вечерас доћи до Храма. Врата су морала да… https://t.co/mMiDWiCCT1
— Blagoje Pantelic (@blagojepantelic) January 27, 2026

Students called the priest on duty

Vukašin Milićević, a theologian and former assistant professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, states for Nova.rs that the students, as far as he knows, had previously called the priest on duty to inform him about the program of the gathering, and he “replied that they could not open the doors for them because the time after 20:00 is counted as the next day, which is total nonsense.”

“When it is necessary to pray for a dictator traveling to New York, then the doors open at dawn. And if the authorities really requested permission for that, then let them show it,” states Milićević.

He says that it has happened that the Temple was open sometimes even throughout the entire night, which would be completely expected on Saint Sava Day. For example, on Saint Basil’s Day, the church built in his honor was open all night. However, citizens last night encountered closed doors of the Temple and a notice, on which the working hours were written in poor English,” points out the interlocutor of the Nova.rs portal.

He also adds that it is an irony that citizens and students stood in front of the closed Temple at a time when the Patriarch was speaking about unity at the Saint Sava Academy.

“That Temple was built from the money of the citizens who gathered last night. Let the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church answer, explain, whether that church belongs to Aleksandar Vučić or if it is the votive temple of the Serbian people. And the story about opening and closing doors and working hours is a clumsy excuse. Ten to fifteen priests and deacons serve in the Temple, and I am sure that one of them could have come and performed what was needed. I am also sure that among them there are at least two who would want to do that, if only they were allowed,” Milićević emphasizes.

Theologian Blagoje Pantelić also spoke out last night about the closed doors of the Temple.

“The temple is not a Maxi discount store to strictly adhere to working hours. After all, whenever an event is held in the crypt, it is open even after 20:00. It was announced that a huge number of people, specifically students and pupils, whose feast day was today, would come to the Temple tonight. The doors had to be open. By locking the doors, the Patriarch and his Temple elders told the people tonight that they are not welcome in their Temple of St. Sava,” he wrote on the social network X.

Nova.rs reminds that students and citizens came before the Temple of Saint Sava last night with ritual bread and grain to celebrate the school feast, Saint Sava. At 20:30, they found a notice about working hours on the doors, which are until 20:00, so they remained outside, even though their arrival had been announced.

After holding 16 minutes of silence, they lit candles on the plateau in front of the Temple of Saint Sava and thus ended today’s gathering.