WITH ICONS AGAINST OBLIVION: How One Serbian-Swiss Family Brings Orthodox Tradition to the Diaspora and Helps Families in Kosovo!

With icons from Čačak, prayer ropes (brojanice) from the area around Ravanica Monastery, and their own company in Serbia, “Sveta Zvezda” today supplies more than 12,000 customers worldwide. Behind the online store is not an anonymous retail chain, but a family whose roots originate from Kosovo and Metohija.

Anyone who lives in Zurich, Chicago, or Melbourne and is looking for a family patron saint’s icon before a slava knows the problem well: selection is small, origin is often unclear, and much of what is sold as Orthodox has little to do with tradition.

It was precisely from that experience that Philipp and Aleksandra Kläui founded Sveta Zvezda in July 2024 in the town of Widen, Canton of Aargau—an online shop for Serbian Orthodox products that now ships orders across the globe.

SPIRITUALITY AND TRADITION: Icons from “Sveta Zvezda”

“We didn’t just want to sell goods stamped with ‘Orthodox,'” says Philipp Kläui. “We wanted a family in Canada to hold the exact same icon in their hands as one they would buy back home in Serbia.”

Two Countries, One Family

Aleksandra Kläui grew up in Serbia and has lived in Switzerland for over 20 years. Her family hails from Kosovo and Metohija. Together, the couple celebrates Saint Holy Prince Lazar – martyr of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

The tasks are clearly divided: Aleksandra is responsible for cooperation with manufacturers in Serbia, customer communication, and all matters of tradition. Philipp handles strategy, technology, marketing, and finance. In Serbia, they are supported on the ground by family.

LETTER OF THANKS FROM KOSMET: A portion of “Sveta Zvezda’s” proceeds goes to Serbian families in KiM

“For us, Kosovo and Metohija are not geography, but identity,” says Aleksandra Kläui. “What we sell is a part of our own life.”

Company on Zlatibor, Icons from Čačak

In June 2026, the family took a decisive step and established their own company in Serbia, headquartered on Zlatibor. Its task: to source goods directly from producers, inspect every single piece, and only then forward them to Switzerland.

The icons are made by icon makers in Čačak—a region rich in the tradition of Serbian icon painting—according to jointly established quality standards. The motifs are reviewed by priests from Ostrog Monastery. The prayer ropes are hand-knitted by a family near Ravanica Monastery, the endowment of Prince Lazar where his holy relics still rest today. Another important partner is the production center of the Eparchy of Šumadija in Kragujevac. The incense comes from monasteries: Sukovo Monastery, Draganac Monastery in Kosovo and Metohija, and Mount Athos, including Vatopedi Monastery.

“The fact that our prayer ropes come from the surroundings of Ravanica is no coincidence for a family that celebrates St. Prince Lazar,” says Philipp Kläui.

An Icon’s Journey to the Customer’s Doorstep

What the customer experiences as a single click on “Order” is actually a long journey. After inspection in Serbia, the goods arrive at the warehouse in Widen, where they are checked once again, stored protected from light and moisture, photographed, and accompanied by carefully researched text detailing the motif, meaning, and use. Only then does the product become available in the store.

PRAYER ROPES, MOLDS, INCENSE: Everything an Orthodox Family in the Diaspora Needs

Within Switzerland, shipments travel via Swiss Post, and internationally with FedEx, always with tracking. Orders are generally processed within 48 hours. Shipping to the US and Canada is free for orders over $89 USD. For customers in the European Union, Sveta Zvezda already includes all customs and import duties in the price.

Every step is handled officially and documented: fairly paid producers, proper customs clearance, and orderly bookkeeping. “In an industry where much takes place in the grey zone, transparency is non-negotiable for us,” says Philipp Kläui.

A Blessing Confirming the Chosen Path

In February 2026, the business received a church blessing in Serbia—a moment for the founders confirming their chosen path. The products themselves are intentionally sold unblessed: according to Orthodox understanding, an icon is blessed by a priest in one’s own parish after purchase. An attitude that shows how seriously this family business respects church order.

More Than a Business: Support for Families in Kosovo and Metohija

For the Kläui family, pairing business success with responsibility is no advertising slogan. In 2025, Sveta Zvezda donated more than 6,000 Swiss francs to the humanitarian organization Svi za Kosmet, which aids Serbian families in Kosovo and Metohija.

In addition, a portion of the proceeds flows back to churches, monasteries, families, and parish circle organizations within the community. Sveta Zvezda supplies Orthodox church parishes worldwide under special conditions so that their parishioners can access icons, prayer ropes, and incense at reasonable prices.

“These communities preserve the faith and Serbian identity in the diaspora—from generation to generation,” says Aleksandra Kläui. “Being able to support them is the best part of our job.”

SPONSORS OF SERBIAN CULTURE: Philipp and Aleksandra with members of the “Kolo” Association from Schönenwerd

More Than 1,200 Products for the Prayer Corner, Slava, and Everyday Life
The product range today includes over 1,200 items: icons in various crafts—up to pure 999 silver icons—prayer ropes, incense, censers and oil lamps (kandila), candles for home prayer, molds for slava bread, the Holy Bible, prayer books, and children’s books, as well as gifts for baptisms, weddings, Christmas, and Easter. Special pages dedicated to great saints—from St. Nicholas to St. Petka and St. Basil of Ostrog—help customers find the right icon for their family slava.

Customers come from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria, as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. On Instagram and TikTok, Sveta Zvezda shares daily content about holidays, saints, and customs—not just to sell, but to pass on knowledge of the faith.

Vision: A Spiritual Bridge Between Serbia and the Diaspora

The founders’ goal is clear: for Sveta Zvezda to become the leading platform for Serbian Orthodox products worldwide—a bridge between people in Serbia who create these items with faith and families in the diaspora who need them in their daily lives.

“‘Sveta Zvezda’ (Holy Star) has a clear meaning,” says Philipp Kläui. “We want to be a light that makes faith visible even far from the homeland—for our generation and for our children’s generation.”