Sights in Dubrovnik - Croatia and Slovenia - page 489

liturgy Sun 10:00-11:00; museum—10 kn; May-Oct Mon-Sat 9:00-13:00 or possibly later,
closed Sun; Nov-April Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00, closed Sat-Sun, Od Pu č a 8, tel. [phone].
The Serbian Orthodox Church
The emphasis of this topic is on the Catholic areas of the former Yugoslavia, but
don't overlook the rich diversity of faiths in this region. Dubrovnik's Serbian Ortho-
doxchurch,aswell asOrthodoxchurches inKotor,Montenegro (see here ) ;Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina ( here and here ) ; and Ljubljana, Slovenia ( here ) ; offer invaluable
opportunities to learn about a faith that's often unfamiliar to American visitors.
As you explore an Orthodox church, keep in mind that these churches carry on
the earliest traditions of the Christian faith. Orthodox and Catholic Christianity came
from the same roots, so the oldest surviving early-Christian churches (such as the
stave churches of Norway) have many of the same features as today's Orthodox
churches.
Notice that there are no pews. Worshippers stand through the service, as a sign
of respect (though some older parishioners sit on the seats along the walls). Women
stand on the left side, men on the right (equal distance from the altar—to represent
that all are equal before God). The Orthodox Church uses essentially the same Bible
as Catholics, but it's written in the Cyrillic alphabet, which you'll see displayed
aroundanyOrthodoxchurch.FollowingOldTestamentJudeo-Christiantradition,the
Bible is kept on the altar behind the iconostasis, the big screen in the middle of the
room covered with curtains and icons (golden paintings of saints), which separates
the material world from the spiritual one. At certain times during the service, the cur-
tains or doors are opened so the congregation can see the Holy Book.
Unlike the decorations in many Catholic churches, Orthodox icons are not inten-
ded to be lifelike. Packed with intricate symbolism, and cast against a shimmering
golden background, they're meant to remind viewers of the metaphysical nature of
Jesus and the saints rather than of their physical form, which is considered irrelev-
ant. You'll almost never see a statue, which is thought to overemphasize the physical
world...and, to Orthodox people, feels a little too close to violating the command-
ment, “Thou shalt not worship graven images.” Orthodox services generally involve
chanting (a dialogue that goes back and forth between the priest and the congrega-
tion), and the church is filled with the evocative aroma of incense.
The incense, chanting, icons, and standing up are all intended to heighten the ex-
perience of worship. While many Catholic and Protestant services tend to be more