Serbian Orthodox Church

Out from town a few kilometers is the Serbian Orthodox Church. As you see from the view above, it is built into the side of the hill and is all underground. We visited all the underground churches in Coober Pedy and this one is, by far, the most impressive.



Upon entering, you head down a long ramp to reach the altar.

The altar is located deep underground and is lit to accentuate the carvings in the stone. Notice that the shape of the roof is also cut to a pattern.

Although the church was empty when we visited, there was a recording of a Gregorian chant playing the whole time. the emptiness and the reverberation in the large stone chamber gave it all an ethereal feeling.

Upstairs, at the back of the church where the stained glass window is located, you can see the entire space. Apparently these folks worship on their feet...no chairs anywhere.

The stained glass window floods the space with light of various colors and adds to the beauty of the place.

I have no idea how many orthodox Serbians there might be in Coober Pedy, but judging from the total population of the town being fewer than 4,000, I reckon that there can't be many. I can only suppose that the Serbians are very capable opal miners for a small community to carve such an impressing place out of the ground.