Patriarch Dimitrije was born under the name Dimitrije Pavlović on 28 October 1846 in Požarevac, Serbia. He was appointed Bishop of Niš in 1884, and held that title until 1889. He then became Bishop of Šabac-Valjevo in 1898 and held that title until 1905. When Inokentije, Metropolitan of Serbia, died in 1905, Dimitrije was picked to become the next Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia. In 1920, the Patriarchate of Serbia was re-established, which caused Dimitrije to become the first patriarch of the newly re-established Patriarchate of Serbia. On 8 June 1922, he wed King Alexander I and Princess Maria of Romania in the Cathedral Church in Belgrade. Patriarch Dimitrije died on 6 April 1930 in Belgrade and was buried in the Rakovica monastery.