Information
Landmark: Cathedral of St. GeorgeCity: Prizren
Country: Kosovo
Continent: Europe
Cathedral of St. George, Prizren, Kosovo, Europe
Overview
In the heart of Prizren, Kosovo, the Cathedral of St. George rises with bright stone walls, serving as both a spiritual center and a cultural touchstone.Called Katedralja e Shën Gjergjit in Albanian and Саборна црква Светог Ђорђа in Serbian, this church stands at the heart of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raška-Prizren, a stone landmark that embodies Orthodox faith across the Balkans.The cathedral rose between 1856 and 1887, its stone walls taking shape under the Ottoman rule.Built on the site of an older church, the cathedral rose with funds from Prizren’s Serbian Orthodox merchants and craftsmen, quickly becoming both the city’s spiritual heart for Orthodox Christians and a proud emblem of Serbian identity in the region.Designed in the 19th-century Byzantine Revival style common in the Balkans, it’s made of sturdy stone and brick and crowned with a great dome that, in Orthodox tradition, symbolizes the heavens.The exterior’s clean, balanced lines blend local and Byzantine influences, while inside, walls blaze with icons and frescoes of biblical scenes and saints.A gilded iconostasis separates the nave from the altar, and soft daylight spills through arched windows, bathing the space in a warm glow.The bell tower stands tall, its chimes marking prayers and feast days.Through Ottoman restrictions, the Kosovo War’s vandalism, and the devastating riots of March 2004, the cathedral endured as both a place of worship and a witness to the city’s turbulent history.During the war, the Cathedral of St. George was burned and looted, its priceless icons and sacred relics reduced to ash or stolen, but after years of unrest, UNESCO and the Serbian Orthodox Church led an extensive restoration; today, the cathedral stands fully rebuilt in Prizren’s old town, alive with worship during Easter and Christmas, open to visitors who admire its stone arches and layered history, and serving as both a spiritual heart for the Orthodox community and a lasting symbol of the city’s resilience and interfaith heritage alongside the nearby Sinan Pasha Mosque and Catholic Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
