Dimitrije Pavlović was born 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 Belgrade, died in 1905, Dimitrije was appointed the successor. In 1920, the Serbian Patriarchate was re-established, thus Dimitrije became the first head of the re-established patriarchate. 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.