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Orthodox church woodcarving · Serbia

Carved church furniture for Orthodox parishes, wherever they are

Iconostases, Royal Doors, Holy Tables and choir stalls, carved by hand at the Dimitrijević workshop in Jovanovac, near Kragujevac, and standing in churches from Vukovar to Maribor.

Send us your sanctuarySee what we make
Steamed walnutChosen for the finest carving
Made to measureDrawn for your sanctuary
Crated & installedEurope, the Americas, Australia
Stone monastery church with a conical tiled dome, autumn forest behind

In Serbian, godovi are the growth rings of a tree. Each ring is one year.

The timber we carve grew slowly for generations before it reached the workshop. What we make from it is meant to stand in your church for generations more.

What we make

Everything the nave and sanctuary need, made as one ensemble

Each piece is drawn to your church's measurements and its tradition, whether Serbian, Greek, Russian or Romanian. Order the whole interior at once, or one piece at a time as your parish raises funds.

Иконостас

Iconostasis

A screen of carved frames, columns and cornices, gilded or left in natural wood, built to take your icons now or later.

Single-tier to three-tier · priced per linear metre price

Царске двери

Royal & deacon doors

Pierced and relief-carved doors with places set for the Annunciation and the Evangelists.

A full screen has three doors. Smaller churches often have room for two.

Часна трпеза

Holy Table & Prothesis

The altar table and the table of oblation, carved on all faces, with a fitted top for the antimension and Gospel.

Made to your sanctuary floor plan

Гроб Христов

Tomb of Christ

The Epitaphios bier with its carved canopy, carried in procession on Holy Friday. Often the first piece a parish commissions.

Built light enough to carry, strong enough for decades

Трон и стасидије

Bishop's throne & stasidia

A hierarchical throne for episcopal visits and rows of choir stalls with carved arms and canopies.

Stalls sold singly or in runs

Налоњ и иконе

Analogia, stands & icons

Lecterns, icon stands, candle stands and small relief icons for the church, the parish shop and donors' gifts.

Ready to ship within weeks lead time

How it's made

From the timber yard to your solea

  1. Sawn boards stacked to dry in an open shedA craftsman carrying a wide board across the timber yard
    1

    Choosing and drying the timber

    Boards are stacked and air-dried in the yard before kiln drying, so they stay stable in a heated church on another continent. Iconostases are usually carved in steamed walnut, which takes the finest detail of any timber we use.

  2. Render to come: an iconostasis drawn into a parish's own sanctuary photo

    2

    Drawing it in your church

    Send photographs and a few measurements. We return a drawing of the piece placed in your own sanctuary, so the priest, the parish council and the bishop can all see what they are approving.

  3. Two joiners at a panel saw in the workshop
    3

    Joinery

    Frames, panels and columns are cut and joined in the workshop. The structure is designed to come apart into sections that fit through a church door.

  4. Carving gouges laid out on the carver's bench
    4

    Carving by hand

    Vines, rosettes, crosses and rope borders are cut with gouges and mallet, in the patterns of the tradition your church belongs to.

  5. Craftsman squaring a panel on a sliding table saw
    5

    Finishing, crating and installation

    Pieces are oiled, waxed or gilded, then crated for shipping. Our team assembles everything on site and leaves the church ready for its consecration. installation terms

Old wooden church door carved with rosettes, chevrons and studded panels under an arched tympanum

The monastery

Working beside Monastery name

The workshop works alongside a monastery in the hills of Serbia, where carved doors like this one have stood for generations. Its patterns of rosettes, chevrons and rope borders are the vocabulary we carve in.

Pieces can be blessed at the monastery before they leave for your parish. confirm with the abbot

Wooden bell tower on a stone base at the edge of the monastery meadow
The monastery bell tower
Relief-carved and burnt wooden icon of St John the Baptist, titled in Serbian Cyrillic
Св. Јован Крститељ, relief icon on linden confirm maker

Finished works

Iconostases we have carved

Parish churches and private chapels in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia.

  • Carved walnut iconostasis in the church at Jovanovac
    JovanovacConception of St John the Forerunner · the workshop's home village
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of St Petka, Vukovar
    VukovarSt Petka
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of Sts Cyril and Methodius, Maribor
    MariborSts Cyril and Methodius
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of the Ascension, Vranje
    VranjeAscension of the Lord
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of Sts Peter and Paul, Bolman
    BolmanSts Peter and Paul
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, Gakovo
    GakovoHoly Prophet Elijah
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of St Petka, Plemetina
    PlemetinaSt Petka
  • Carved iconostasis in the church of Sts Peter and Paul, Poloj near Bosanski Brod
    Poloj, Bosanski BrodSts Peter and Paul
  • Carved iconostasis in the church at Prilužje
    PrilužjeTransfiguration of the Lord confirm
  • Carved iconostasis at Sočanica
    SočanicaSt John the Theologian confirm
  • Carved iconostasis in the church at Suvi Do
    Suvi DoSt Paraskeva confirm
  • Carved iconostasis in a private chapel, Portorož
    PortorožPrivate chapel
  • Carved iconostasis in a private chapel, Vrhnika
    VrhnikaPrivate chapel

Who we work with

Parishes, monasteries and the architects who build them

Many of our parishes worship in buildings that were never designed as Orthodox churches. We fit out the interior so it becomes one.

SerbianGreekRussianRomanianBulgarianAntiochianGeorgianOCA
  • Phased commissions: the frame this year, the Royal Doors when the next donation comes in.
  • Donor plaques and dedications carved into the piece.
  • Drawings and specifications for your architect and building committee.

Request a proposal

Tell us about your church

We reply with a drawing in your sanctuary, a price and a timeline.

  1. You send photos and measurements.
  2. We draw the piece in your church.
  3. Your parish council approves and pays a deposit.
  4. We carve, ship and install.
What do you need?
Sanctuary measurements
cm
cm
Approximate is fine. Measure wall to wall where the iconostasis will stand.
Stand at the back of the nave and photograph the east wall.