The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica

Of all Podgorica’s churches, this is the one you notice from furthest away, and it’s also the newest. The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ doesn’t have centuries behind it so much as a building site. Work started in 1993 and took twenty years, so what you’re looking at is an Orthodox cathedral conceived in the nineties using very old models. That mix is the reason I find it worth a visit.

A new building in an old language

The Tourist Organisation of Podgorica describes it as a one-off among sacred buildings for its scale and artistic value. Two towers of 26.7 metres each, with pyramid-shaped tops, dominate the outline, and their upper floors hold 17 bells. The heaviest weighs 11 tonnes, and the tourist board claims it’s the biggest bell in the Balkans.

At the foot of the towers are two small chapels. One is dedicated to St Simeon the Myrrh-streaming and houses the baptistery; the other is dedicated to St John Vladimir, the 10th-century ruler and saint who also gives his name to the big church in Bar. The tourist board lists the cathedral together with the Church of the Holy Saviour.

What to look for inside

This is the reason to come. The National Tourism Organisation stresses that nothing here was left to chance and that the building gathers the best of Orthodox traditions from around the world. The iconostasis, the screen of icons in front of the altar, was made in the style of the one in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. The walls are covered in vividly coloured frescoes on a gold background, and the whole building runs to more than 5,000 m².

Below it lies an underground church, a crypt. The National Tourism Organisation explains that it’s meant to recall the time when Christians worshipped below ground for fear of persecution. Even on a tight schedule I’d go down, because it changes the whole feel of the place.

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Fitting it into an afternoon in Podgorica

The cathedral sits on the right bank of the Morača, on Bulevar Džordža Vašingtona according to OpenStreetMap. The Ottoman quarter of Stara Varoš, with its clock tower, is across the river. My route would be the cathedral first, then over to Stara Varoš, down to the old bridge at Sastavci and dinner in the centre, all on foot. Close to the cathedral the tourist board lists Vuk, a restaurant serving traditional Montenegrin food.

If religious heritage is your thing, the city has much older churches too. St George’s, at the foot of Gorica hill, went up between the 9th and 11th centuries, and St Demetrius was the family chapel of Nikola I Petrović. On the outskirts is Dajbabe Monastery, set inside a cave. I bring all of that together in my guide to Podgorica.

Before you go

This is a working church. In the 2023 census 71.1 % of Montenegro’s population described themselves as Orthodox, according to MONSTAT, and services are held here. Neither the Podgorica tourist board nor the National Tourism Organisation publishes visiting hours, so I’m not going to invent any. I’d go in the morning, with shoulders and knees covered out of respect, and keep quiet if a service is on. The rest of the country’s religious sites are in my guide to monasteries in Montenegro.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Cathedral of the Resurrection on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Podgorica for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.