Friday Photo: Church of The Holy Prince Lazar

Today’s Friday photo is a follow-up to a Friday photo from a couple of years ago that featured an exterior shot of the same church – I finally managed to attend an open day at the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Price of Lazar and see the gorgeous interior.

The church itself was constructed and maintained by exiled Serbs who settled in Bournville. Built in a traditional 14th century Serbian-Byzantine style, in the photo you can see the central part of a full scheme of vibrant, Byzantine al-fresco wall paintings. As is tradition, the paint was applied in its entirety whilst the walls were still wet. In the centre of the main dome is the image of ‘Christ the Almighty’ and below that are the 12 apostles. The walls to one side of the nave depict the crucifixion and the other, the resurrection, unlike most western churches there are no pews in the nave. Hanging below the dome you can also see the ornate circular chandelier called the horos.