Church in Čajetina
The Church of St. Archangel Gabriel is located in the very center of the Čajetina settlement, 5 kilometers from the tourist center of Zlatibor. This Orthodox temple belongs to the diocese of Žica and is characterized by wealth of great cultural and historical importance - in addition to valuable icons, there is a very rich library of religious and historical literature, sets of religious magazines and newspapers and liturgical books with dedications of important personalities.
The construction of the church began in 1886 on the property that the grandson of Serdar Jovan Mićić donated for the construction of the church and school. The engraved inscription on the Holy Table, which was a gift from the then county scribe, and the document on the appointment of priest Milivoj Obradović as the first parish priest of the Church of St. Archangel Gabriel in Čajetina irrefutably indicate that the temple was completed in 1890 and services began.
It is a single-nave building with a semicircular apse on the east side, a nave and a choir chapel. The church originally had a wooden belfry, and that first bell from the Chajetina temple, as well as all other church bells from Zlatibor, were taken by the Austrians in 1917. On the west side of the church, in 1963, a vestibule with a bell tower was added, which is decorated with windows in the upper part, and in the lower part there are three rooms, the vestibule is in the middle, and the church offices are on the sides. In the same year, the roof of the church was repaired, when tiles were placed over the shingles.
The old iconostasis of an unknown author served until 1954, when a new one was made, which served until the end of 2020, when it was replaced due to the latest complete renovation of the church.
The church owns 47 liturgical books with dedications by important figures of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the state. The most valuable book is the Gospel, transferred from the Sirogojn church, printed in Moscow in 1814. The official document printed in the Principality of Serbia in 1838, which is a gift from King Aleksandar Obrenović, has the inscription: "I was in the Čajetinska Church on August 20, 1893, Alexander I, King of Serbia." In Mačkat, in the church dedicated to St. Elijah the Prophet, there is a silver chalice with the inscription "Crkva Čajetinska Kraljica Natalija".
In the period from 2016 to 2021, work is being done on the complete restoration and renovation of the church. The first works in 2016 were on the roof of the church, when a new copper roof was made. Then, at the end of 2017, the works on the decoration of the plateau in front of the church were completed, when the "entrance facilities" - the church store and the candle burner - were also built.
In 2018, the construction of a new parish house was started, which will include all the necessary supporting premises for the functioning of the temple and the church community (the library, which will contain all religious and historical literature, religious magazines and liturgical books, then the hall and priest's offices).
In the spring of 2020, the yard in front of the church was landscaped, and in the autumn of the same year, a general renovation of the inside of the temple was carried out, thus definitely creating the conditions for painting the church. A new altar iconostasis and carved choir stalls were made. All the carpentry in the church was completely changed, underfloor heating was installed and a marble floor was installed.
You can visit this Orthodox temple every day from 07:30 to 17:30, and more information about the church and its history can be provided by the clergy of the church.
Contact phone for information: +381 31 3831 953