December 16, 2005

KiM Info Newsletter 16-12-05

Feast of St. Joanikije of Devic celebrated in Devic Monastery

KIM Info Service
Devic, December 15, 2005

On Thursday Devic Monastery festively celebrated the feast of its patron saint and protector, St. Joanikije of Devic. His Grace Bishop Artemije of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the concelebration of a number of hieromonks and priests of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Despite the difficult security conditions around the monastery some 300 souls gathered to celebrate the feast of St. Joanikije the Wonder-worker, who founded the monastery, with the monastery's sisterhood.

The sisters of Devic Monastery, led by Abbess Anastasije, are investing great efforts to maintain the continuity of spiritual life in this holy shrine, which was completely destroyed during last year's March riots. The nuns now live in newly rebuilt living quarters while the church has been only partially renewed and awaits further restoration work on the frescoes damaged by torching. There are also plans to restore the rest of the buildings completely destroyed in March 2004. 

Life of St. Janik of Devic
From The Prologue of Ohrid of St. Nikolai Velimirovich

St. Janik (Joanikije) of Devic. He was a Serb from Zeta. As a young man, overcome with love for Christ, he left his home and went off to the region of the Ibar, to the mouth of he Black River, to a narrow cave in which, according to tradition, St Peter of Korisa had lived in asceticism before him. But when his fame began to spread among the people, he fled to Drnica and hid himself in the thick forest of Devic. St Janik spent years there in solitude, silence and prayer. According to tradition, the Serbian Prince George Brankovic brought his mad daughter to him, and the saint healed her. In gratitude, George built a monastery in that place known today by the name of Devic. Here are kept Janik's holy and wonderworking relics. In this monastery there lived almost to the present day a famous and godly nun, Euphemia, better-known in the Kosovo region as Blessed Stojna. She entered into rest in the Lord in 1895.


Interior of the monastery church at Devic - Albanian graffiti scribbled after the monastery was
torched in March 2004 still remains on the church walls once decorated by frescoes

Explosive device found on road leading to Banjska Monastery

Banjska Monastery, December 15, 2005
 
An explosive device was found on Thursday at 12:45 p.m. on the off-ramp from the main road from Kosovska Mitrovica to Leposavic leading to Banjska Monastery. Members of the Kosovo Police Service and KFOR have blocked off the road to the monastery and the highway itself. The road was re-opened at 6:00 p.m. after the device was deactivated. There was an increased KFOR and police presence in the area.


Panoramic view of Banjska Monastery

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