Our History
A century of faith in Greater Cleveland
For over a century, Saint Sava Cathedral has been a spiritual home for Serbian Orthodox faithful in Greater Cleveland. This timeline traces our journey from a small immigrant community to the cathedral parish we are today.
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1909
The Founding
Serbian immigrants in Greater Cleveland, many drawn to the city's steel mills and factories, formally organized the parish of Saint Sava in 1909. For its first decade, the community gathered for services in rented halls and meeting spaces, united by their Orthodox faith and Serbian heritage.
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1920s–1940s
Early Growth
In 1919 the parish purchased a former German Lutheran church on East 36th Street, giving the community its first permanent home. Over the following decades the congregation grew steadily, strengthened by new arrivals from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between the wars and by refugees displaced by the Second World War.
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1963
The Schism
In 1963 a dispute over church governance split Serbian Orthodox parishes across North America. In Cleveland, the St. Sava congregation divided into two factions, one loyal to the canonical hierarchy in Belgrade and another aligned with the deposed Bishop Dionisije. The disagreement centered on questions of authority, property, and the relationship between the diaspora and the mother church.
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1975
Legal Resolution
After years of litigation, a court-negotiated settlement was reached on March 23, 1975. The canonical parish retained the St. Sava church on Broadview Road in Parma, while the other faction received property in Broadview Heights. Though the legal dispute was resolved, the community remained divided for nearly two more decades.
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1992
Reconciliation
In February 1992, Metropolitan Irinej formally ended the schism at a ceremony in Belgrade. That October, Patriarch Pavle traveled to Cleveland and celebrated services at both churches, a powerful act of healing that brought the long-divided faithful together. The reconciliation closed a painful chapter and restored unity to the Serbian Orthodox community of Greater Cleveland.
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Today
A Living Community
Today Saint Sava Cathedral stands as the spiritual center of Serbian Orthodox life in Greater Cleveland. Under the omophorion of His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington–New York and Eastern America, who was born in Cleveland and ordained at this parish, the cathedral continues its mission of worship, education, and fellowship. The doors remain open to all who seek the ancient faith of the Orthodox Church.