A Group of Serbians Who Walk from Serbia to Mount Athos Every Year

Every year for the past six years or so, towards the end of July, a group of around 4 to 12 men walk from their homeland in Serbia all the way to Mount Athos for a pilgrimage, and after their visit to the monasteries they return to Serbia towards the end of August the same way they came. With them they carry a wooden cross and icons. They are followed by a van which carries two large icons, one of them being Saint Paraskeva, as well as the supplies they need for their daily living, like sleeping bags and a change of clothes. When they come upon a chapel or church along the way, they go in and venerate the icons and pray.

 

Who Is Saint Sava of Serbia? (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

SAINT SAVA is the spiritual revivalist of the Serbian people.

SAINT SAVA is the founder of the national Church of the Serbian people, its first archbishop and organizer.

SAINT SAVA is the strengthener of the Orthodox faith in the Serbian people. He eradicated and rejected Western and other heresies from the Serbian people and established his people in Eastern Orthodoxy. Thus, he most powerfully influenced the determination of the historical destiny of the Serbian people.

The Defaced Fresco of the Baptism of Christ at Gracanica Monastery

Click Here for Large Format
 

In the hardships that befell Gracanica Monastery and other monuments following the first attacks of the Turks, the original outer narthex with its entire fresco decoration was devastated, and subsequently, after its restoration, a greater part of the frescoes dating from a later time were destroyed as well. Several representations have survived in it, of which the depiction of the Second Ecumenical Synod and the illustration of the poem "In the grave bodily..." are especially interesting in thematic terms. The Baptism of Christ in the southern portion of the east wall, however, is the most telling example of the character of the style: of a very complex iconographic pattern, it features the troubled and wide course of the Jordan River cutting across the scene, and several episodes accompanying the event. Superbly painted and of glowing harmonies of colors, almost all the figures of the participants and the antique personifications have, unfortunately, lost their facial features, so that opinions concerning the exact date of their creation differ considerably. In all probability, they can be dated to the second quarter of the 16th century, during the time of the educated and energetic Metropolitan of Gracanica Nikanor who took an active part in spiritual life, renovated the library which had burned down, and even established a printing press in the monastery. 

 

Click Here for Large Format

 

 

The Last Message of Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic of Montenegro from the Hospital

 

On October 30th Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic, Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, died from a COVID-19 infection. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus on October 6th and had been hospitalised in the Clinical Center of Montenegro, which is in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, since then. On October 9th he offered the following message from the hospital:

The Fate of the Relics of Saint Sava of Serbia

Saint Sava, Archbishop of Serbia, reposed in the Bulgarian capital of Tarnovo on 14 January 1235. He was respectfully buried there at the Holy Forty Martyrs Church by Saint Joachim the Archbishop of Tarnovo. After being there for over two years, on 6 May 1237 the Serbian King Vladislav had the relic of the Saint transferred near Prijepolje, in southwest Serbia, to Mileseva Monastery, built by Vladislav in 1234. Saint Sava was then canonized, and his incorrupt relic was the source of many miracles.

Saint Joannicius, First Patriarch of Serbia (+ 1354)

St. Joannicius II, Patriarch of Serbia (Feast Day - September 3)

Saint Joannicius was born to devout parents in his native city of Prizren in Serbia. At first, he served as a logotet, royal chancellor, to the Serbian King Stephen Urosh IV Dushan.

Archbishop Danilo II died on December 19, 1337. Although he was still a layman, Joannicius was elected Archbishop of Serbia on January 3, 1338. He continued the work of his predecessors, and had the Monastery of Peć, which was the seat of the Archbishop built by Nikodim and Danilo I, further worked on, adding icons and frescoes and other things.

Saint Gregory the Hesychast, Founder of Gregoriou Monastery (+ 1406)

On the seventh of December we commemorate the Venerable Gregory the Hesychast, Founder of the Athonite Sacred Monastery of Saint Nicholas, which came to be known as Gregoriou Monastery.

Verses

You were seen to be the founder of Nicholas's Monastery,
Therefore you dwell in celestial mansions.

Monastery of the Panagia of Filerimos in Rhodes

Verses

The stream of the Filerimos Icon floods,
Those who approach it with healings.
On the twenty-fourth we celebrate the Lady Filerimos.

The Holy Monastery of the Panagia of Filerimos is situated amid idyllic scenery on Filerimos hill that dominates the namesake bay at an altitude of 247 meters. Following the main road from Rhodes Town to Ialyssos and turning left on the Ialyssos main crossroad you will reach the foot of Filerimos hill. The site appears to have been attractive from ancient times. The Acropolis of Ialyssos and the ancient temple of Athena Poliados, which, in the 5th century A.D., became a Christian three-aisled basilica, were at the same location. The only remains of this basilica is a cross-shaped font. Passing through the eastern gate, a wide stone staircase, with tall cypress trees right and left, leads us to the Monastery of Panagia Filerimos dedicated to the Zoodochos Pigi (Life-Giving Spring). The church complex was built by the Knights of Saint John over an older Byzantine church and was rebuilt in its present form by Italian archaeologists. Right next to the font is the restored stone Gothic church.

Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Sirmium (+ 304)

St. Irenaeus of Sirmium (Feast Day - August 23)

Verses

Sirmium partook in the death by beheading,
From the bridge bathing in the waters of the river.

Saint Irenaeus suffered during the persecution against Christians under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305).

He was a presbyter, and he and his wife raised their children in Christian piety. Saint Irenaeus was greatly respected for his education and strict manner of life.

The Veneration of Saint Sisoes the Great in Serbia

Saint Sisoes the Great has a unique veneration in Serbia. Whereas in the Greek tradition he is most known for his depiction in iconography as standing over the bones of Alexander the Great, in Serbia he is highly revered and valued by mothers and women as a protector of children and a speedy assistant in every sadness and trouble. It is a tradition for pious mothers especially to fast for seven days before his feast on July 6th; this is an unwritten rule that is being followed by an increasing number of mothers. It is not exactly known how Saint Sisoes came to be associated with children, though it is similar to how Saint Stylianos is venerated among the Greeks as the protector of children. A portion of his relic is also located in the Monastery of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Montenegro. This relic is said to have been given as a gift from a Greek official.

"The Conqueror of Death" (An Orthodox Holy Week Documentary)

"The Conqueror of Death" is a documentary film that describes the days of so-called Passion Week (the week in which Christ suffered and died) and Easter Sunday (the day that Christ resurrected).

The film is designed so as to explain to a wider audience the implications of these events and the significance of the Resurrection of Christ, and therefore the meaning of Theanthropic feats of salvation.

The Divine Services and the Monastery life in the days of Passion Week and the Resurrection were recorded by Cinnamon production from Belgrade in Dečani Monastery between 2009-2012.

Artemije, Former Bishop of Raska and Prizren, Has Been Excommunicated

Having been deposed as Bishop of Raska and Prizren by the Serbian Patriarchate a few years ago for disobedience (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here), and recently installing a new Bishop of "Old" Raska and Loznica single-handedly and not recognizing the canonical Bishop of Raska and Prizren, Artemije (who has gained fame among conservative and anti-ecumenist Orthodox for his association with St. Justin Popovich) was put on an ultimatum by the Patriarchate of Serbia to present himself and repent of his actions or risk being excommunicated. Refusing to respond to the Patriarchate, and not repenting of his act of schism, the Patriarchate of Serbia has officially excommunicated Artemije from the Church.

Thomas Anastasiadis

May 30, 2015

Romfea.gr

An excommunication and deposition of former Bishop Artemije to the order of layman went out today, Friday 29 May 2015, by the Holy Synod of Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Serbia.

Saint Prohor of Pcinja Monastery

St. Prohor of Pcinja (Feast Day - October 19 (Serbian) and January 15)

The venerable Prohor (or Prochorus) of Pcinja (Pshina) lived in the eleventh century. He lived a life of asceticism in the wilderness of Vranje on the Pcinja River in Serbia.

The Saint lived as a recluse in a cave for 32 years, never seeing a human being in this time, eating cabbage and grass roots once a week. He suffered much from evil spirits, but overcame them by the grace of God.

Archbishop Jovan To Be Released From Prison

Aimilios Polygenis

January 10, 2015

Romfea.gr

It took almost three and a half years of confinement in prison in Skopje to hear some good news in the case of Metropolitan Jovan (John) of Ochrid.

The judicial authorities decided, according to exclusive information from Romfea.gr, to release the Metropolitan on January 19th, having been imprisoned for three years and two months in the penal system of Skopje.

Why 30,000 Serbs converted to Catholicism in Croatia Since 1995

Around 30,000 Serbs on Croatian territory were converted to Catholicism, since the end of the war until today, said Milojko Budimir from the Association of Refugee Associations of Serbs from Croatia, reported Blic.

Muslim Economist of Noble Lineage Baptized Orthodox Christian in Montenegro

Dr. Mahmud Busatlija, a prominent economist in the capital of Serbia and of noble lineage, who was a Muslim, was baptized Orthodox Christian, according to Serbian sources, 500 years after his ancestors converted to Islam.

Political Leaders and Hierarchs Frescoed in Montenegro Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, Montenegro was consecrated last year after construction began in 1993.

Christmas with Holy Elder Porphyrios 23 Years Apart

By Fr. Andrew Konanos

When on Christmas day, in 1990, I visited the Holy (now officially!) Elder Porphyrios in Oropos, he told me the following quote, and I still remember it after 23 years. I believe it is a phrase of Saint John of Damascus. So Saint Porphyrios told me: "For the knowledge of God's existence has been implanted by Him in all by nature."

In other words, to know and conceive that God exists with your mind, is seeded and planted, archetypally, in a natural and simple way within all of creation. Everything in the universe, in a mysterious way, speaks of the existence of God.

He said this to me while holding my hands within his, and he spoke slowly, meaningfully, and he lived it. And he transferred it to our soul.

May we have his prayers and warm love.

Venerable One of God, pray for us, your children, siblings and friends. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

On December 24, 2013 the first mural of Holy Elder Porphyrios was completed in the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovac in the Church of the Ascension of our Lord, under the direction of master artist Vladimir Karanovića of Zarka. (photo above)

Source

 

 

A Rare Iconographic Depiction of Jesus in Kosovo

If it is not unique, it is one of the rarer depictions of Jesus. A fresco in one of the most important monasteries in Kosovo depicts Jesus holding a sword. The fresco is in the katholikon of the Sacred Monastery of the Ascension of Christ (Visoki Dečani) in Kosovo and dates back to the 14th century. It is here that Christ is depicted holding a large sword.

A priest who lives in the area told dogma.gr that the sword Christ is holding in the fresco is not one of war, but it is spiritual. The inscription on the left side of the fresco, when looking at it, indicates that it is a spiritual sword that "cuts" sin from man. The Lord had said, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matt. 10:34).

The Monastery was built by the Serbian King Stefan of Dečani between the time period of 1327 to 1335, and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The well-preserved frescos, the stone icon screen of the 14th century, the throne of the abbot, and the sarcophagus of King Stefan, are the cause of great interest to visitors from throughout the world. The Monastery was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is protected by the Serbian state.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

July 3, 2013

Stefan J. Bos

BosNewsLife

A Macedonian court sentenced the Archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) in Macedonia to three years in prison on what his denomination and activists called Wednesday, July 3, "false charges" of money laundering, while fourteen co-defendants received suspended jail terms.

Additionally Archbishop Jovan of Ochrid, also known as Zoran Vraniskovski, must handover SOC properties, including church buildings, to the state for allegedly laundering some 250,000 euro ($325,000), his church said. Bishop Marko of Bregalnica, whose civilian name is Goran Kimev, Bishop David Ninov of Stobi as well as fourteen "priest-monks, abbesses, nuns and other faithful people of the Orthodox Ochrid Archbishopric" each received two years suspended sentences for financial wrongdoing, the SOC added.

Among those sentenced are also Archbishop Jovan's mother and sister, trial observers said. "The court told them that if they repeat the same deed in the next five years they will be facing two years of imprisonment each," the SOC said in a statement to BosNewsLife.

Tuesday's ruling by Judge Ivica Stefanovski of the First Municipal Court of Skopje, Macedonia, is "the seventh imprisonment sentence for Archbishop Jovan, who is a political prisoner in Macedonia already for a long period of time," the SOC said.

The independent Centar 9, or Center 9 in English, a Belgrade-based Balkan rights group said the 47-year-old church leader suffered years of persecution. "Once he was in prison because he baptized a child and another time time because of having a prayer service in a private home," said the group's General Secretary Drasko Djenovic in an interview.

DECADE OF "PERSECUTION"

"All persecution was in the last 10 years - since 2003," he told BosNewsLife.

Djenovic said there was "no proof" that those charged were involved in money laundering, a view apparently shared by the U.S. State Department and others concerned about alleged religious rights violations in the Balkan nation.

He linked the ruling to what he called "a court influenced by politics" to Archbishop's efforts to re-integrate the Macedonian Ortodox Church (MOC) within the SOC. The MOC effectively broke away from the SOC in 1967 under Communism, when Macedonia was still part of Yugoslavia, a move that was not recognized by other national Orthodox churches.

"These kind of staged court trials prove that the courts are being used for political confrontations," added the SOC in separate remarks. The court confirmed "the state sponsoring and protection of the monopoly of the schismatic Macedonian orthodox church," the SOC complained.

The latest tensions emerged last year when authorities in Macedonia detained some 19 Serbian Orthodox monks, nuns and other believers and confiscated their passports to prevent them from leaving the country, representatives confirmed to BosNewsLife at the time.

NEXT YEAR RELEASED?

While they were soon released, Archbishop Jovan remained behind bars despite international calls for his release. "Now he is already for some 1.5 years imprisoned. The sentence means he will have to effectively serve another 1.5 years behind bars," Djenovic said.

It was not immediately clear whether the reported crackdown would further negatively impact Macedonia's efforts to join the European Union and the NATO military alliance.

Macedonia's attempts to join the organizations were already complicated by a dispute with neighboring Greece over its name.

However the EU has made respect for the rights of religious and ethnic minorities a condition for entry. Macedonia is clearly involved in a "violation of religious freedoms, and persecution on religious basis of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric," argued the SOC in a statement.

Most of Macedonia's roughly two million people identify themselves as members of the MOC, though Center 9 said it believes Muslims could become a majority in the coming years. It is estimated that among 2 million people, one third is of ethnic Albanian origin and of a Muslim background.