Belgrade, Serbia: The Temple of Saint Sava

When someone says they don't make them like that any more, especially when it comes to churches, take them to the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade.

This is a place that can hold its own with anything.

The massive structure sits on top of a plateau, looking down on the city and world below. It is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church who supposedly is buried on that plateau.

Some of the other European cathedrals took hundreds of years to be constructed. This only lasted about 70. The work began in 1935, and then World War II got in the way. The Germans used the then 30-foot-high building as a depot. The Communists after the war weren't anxious to see any more work done, but activity resumed in 1984. The dome went up to its present position in 1989, and that more or less made sure that it would be finished. The cathedral was opened in 2004, but it still wasn't finished until 2017. 

The photo shows the center of the church - a mosaic (the world's largest, I think) about the ascension of Jesus. But really, it's such a big place that it's hard to do it justice with a single photo. The whole place is breathtaking.