The first episcopal service and the solemn consecration ceremony of the Russian-Serbian Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior took place on September 21, 2025, on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Banja Luka (Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The Divine Liturgy and the rite of consecration of the church were led by Bishop Ephraim of Banja Luka, co-served by Bishop Sava of Marche, Vicar of the Diocese of Banja Luka, the clergy of the Transfiguration Church of the Savior, as well as other representatives of the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The episcopal service and the consecration ceremony were attended by President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Igor Kalabukhov, Mayor of Banja Luka Drashko Stanivukovich, members of Parliament, a delegation from the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage led by Executive Director Egor Skopenko, head of the offices of the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage in Belgrade and Banja Luka Zeljko Cejic, as well as numerous believers.
After the service, a festive meal was held with the President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and Bishop Efrem of Banja Luka, during which the Executive Director of the Foundation, Egor Skopenko, presented ten icons to the Diocese of Banja Luka of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Milorad Dodik thanked Russia and the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage for their comprehensive support in the construction of the Transfiguration Church and expressed confidence that this church will become a symbol of Russian-Serbian friendship.
Bishop Ephraim, in turn, expressed special gratitude to the Foundation represented by Egor Skopenko for his contribution to the construction of the Russian-Serbian church, as well as to the strengthening of warm friendly relations between the two Orthodox peoples. As a sign of deep appreciation for his labors, Vladyka Ephraim presented Egor Skopenko with two icons – the Transfiguration of the Lord (in honor of the main patronal feast of the temple) and the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers (the Royal Family), to whose memory the Russian-Serbian temple is dedicated.
In addition, Egor Skopenko was honored to become the godfather of 11 crosses of the Transfiguration Church, which were made and transported to Banja Luka with the financial support of the Foundation.
Help
The Transfiguration of the Russian-Serbian Church in Banja Luka and the Spiritual and Cultural Center of the Banja Luka Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church were built according to a project prepared in 2017-2018 by specialists of the MARCHI based on architectural solutions of the Chudov Monastery in Moscow.
The church is dedicated to the memory of St. Nicholas II and his family and has three chapels: in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Royal Passion-Bearers and St. Peter the Great. Simeon and Savva of Serbia, the founders of the Nemanich dynasty.
Work on the construction of the temple began in 2018 and was completed in 2024. Work is currently underway on the interior decoration of the temple.
In early 2024, the Banja Luka diocese received 11 crosses for the Russian-Serbian church, which were made by the Predsava construction and restoration company. The work on the manufacture and transportation of crosses was funded by the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage.
On the eve of the first episcopal divine service, on September 15, 2025, the domes and 11 crosses for the Transfiguration of the Russian-Serbian Church were consecrated.