Serbian Orthodox Church
Autocephalous local church
- Status
- Patriarchate
- Seat
- Belgrade / Patriarchate of Peć
- Founded
- 1219 (autocephaly)
- Patron saint
- Saint Sava
- Author of the arms
- Srećko Nikitović (1937)
- Standardisation
- 2019, on the occasion of 800 years of autocephaly
Blazon
Divided horizontally: in the upper, blue field, on the dexter the Tower of Saint Sava at Hilandar, on the sinister the church of the Monastery of the Patriarchate of Peć, both silver; in the lower, silver field a gold cross between four gold firesteels.
The Panagia of Saint Sava — a bishop's chain with icon medallions.
Above the shield, a golden bishop's crown.
A patriarchal mantle of porphyry colour, with gold fringes and tassels, beneath a great mitre; behind the mantle on the dexter a gold double cross, on the sinister a bishop's staff.
A horizontal red-blue-white tricolour with a gold cross between four gold firesteels in the centre.
A tricolour field with the greater arms of the Church in the centre, edged with a bordure of alternating red, blue and white squares and a gold line with corner motifs.
Symbolism and meaning
The Tower of Saint Sava at Hilandar and the church of the Patriarchate of Peć represent the two foundations of the Serbian Church — the monasticism of Saint Sava and the patriarchal throne. The cross with four firesteels on the silver field is the traditional device of the Serbian people and Church.
The shield is encircled by the Panagia of Saint Sava, and above it is a bishop's crown; the patriarchal mantle of porphyry colour, the double cross and the staff denote patriarchal dignity. The arms were produced in 1937 by Srećko Nikitović and standardised in 2019, at the request of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on the occasion of the celebration of 800 years of autocephaly.