{"nrhp_refnum":"79000850","name":"Church of the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Libertyville on N. Milwaukee Ave","address_restricted":false,"city":"Libertyville","county":"Lake County","state":"IL","lat":42.33343954900005,"lon":-87.95095908099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small Serbian Orthodox monastery church built in 1925 of reddish Roman brick and white limestone, located north of Libertyville, Lake County, Illinois, in the midst of the Serbian National Cemetery.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the best midwestern examples of Russian and Eastern European church architecture, built of brick and stone rather than the wood common in Slavic settlers' churches. It also houses a medieval altar and serves as headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox faith in North America, with King Peter of Yugoslavia buried within.","narrative":"Built in 1925 north of Libertyville, this small Serbian Orthodox church sits at the center of the Serbian National Cemetery, with paths laid out in the shape of a landscaped cross. It is roughly square, built of reddish Roman brick trimmed with white limestone, with four stepped gables facing the cardinal points. A copper roof carries onion domes: one large dome for Jesus Christ surrounded by twelve smaller ones for the apostles, all topped with filigree crosses. Inside, the altar, with elements dating to the fifteenth century, was given by King Peter of Yugoslavia in 1926. The church is used mainly by the monks and bishops of the monastery, which serves as the headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox faith in North America. King Peter, who lived and died at the monastery, is buried in the church, and a nearby monument honors resistance leader Mikhalovich. The building remains unaltered and in excellent condition.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Eastern European (Russian and Eastern European church architecture)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent shape, unaltered from its original condition, and occupied by monks and bishops living at the monastery.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.259481-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/8933/28893330/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/79000850.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000850/283673a1c8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000850/283673a1c8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"bogdanstepniak","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_Township,_IL,_USA_-_panoramio.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">bogdanstepniak</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warren_Township,_IL,_USA_-_panoramio.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893330","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sava_Serbian_Orthodox_Monastery_and_Seminary","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1562832"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/lake-county/church-of-the-st-sava-serbian-orthodox-monastery-79000850/"}