Cemetery Owner: Serbian United Benevolent Society - Established in May of 1903 NO GRAVE PHOTOS ALLOWED Located next to: Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church Los Angeles, California St. Sava Parish has two churches in California: the St. Sava Church of Los Angeles, and the St. Sava Church of San Gabriel. Church records show that early settlers of Los Angeles emigrated primarily from Serbian lands of Boka, Hercegovina, Montenegro and Vojvodina. The long and storied history of St. Sava Parish begins with the St. Sava Church of Los Angeles. According to early pioneers Todor Colich, Risto Kilibarda, Todor Batinich, Danilo Dakovich, Todor Polich, and Jovo Kujundzich, the history of St. Sava dates back to the formation of the Serbian Benevolent Society “Jedinstvo” organized in May of 1903. They purchased the property for cemeteries located at 2nd and Humphrey St. in East Los Angeles. The land was consecrated in the year 1908 by Father Sebastian Dabovich of San Francisco. The occasion turned out to be a great celebration rich in Serbian tradition consisting of barbequed lamb, kolo, gusle and songs. One of the members watching this celebration joyfully made a comment: “Blessed be the one, who will be the first to be buried in this cemetery.” Within a short period of time he became ill and died. He was the first to be buried in this cemetery in 1909. Petar Bakoc’s gravestone can still be found in the left East corner of the cemetery. After the land for the Cemetery was purchased, the pioneers started plans for building a Church. The church was built and consecrated by a great missionary Very Rev. Fr. Sebastian Dabovich of San Francisco in 1910. Fr. Dabovich was the first Serbian priest born in America. In 1894 he organized and erected the first Serbian church in America at Jackson. St. Sava church of Los Angeles was the first Orthodox Church built in Southern California.