July 28, 2005

KiM-Info Newsletter 28-07-05

Everyone needs peace and freedom

650 year anniversary of death of Emperor Dushan commemorated yesterday in Holy Archangels Monastery near Prizren

Danas daily, Belgrade

July 27, 2005

Holy Archangels Monastery, near Prizren

Prizren, Belgrade - Holy Hierarchal Liturgy, a memorial service of the Emperor Dushan, the cutting of the slava cake and a spiritual academy took place yesterday at Holy Archangels Monastery near Prizren in celebration of the monastery patronal feast (slava), the Assembly of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, and the commemoration of the 650 year anniversary of the death of the patron and founder of this medieval monastery, Emperor Dushan. In his holiday homily, Serbian Patriarch Pavle prayed "from this holy place" for "truth, justice, freedom and peace which everyone needs".

"It is not easy to be human even in a world of men, let alone in a world that wallows completely in evil. But there have always been those who even during difficult times have remained human. What sort of consolation would we have if the times were pleasant and carefree, and we were to lose our honor and our soul. Our Lord and Holy Archangels and all the Saints, help us to truly remain on the narrow and difficult path that leads to life eternal and that we may find ourselves on the side that Christ will recognize and acknowledge as His own. Lord, help everyone, including ourselves. Help all people of good will throughout the world," said the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Holy Archangels, where he served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with Bishop Artemije (Radosavljevic) of Raska and Prizren, and Bishop Teodosije (Sibalic) of Lipljan, the vicar bishop of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, together with the priests and monks of this Diocese.

Holy Hierarchal Liturgy, Patriarch Pavle, bishops Artemije and Teodosije

Bishop Artemije called on Serbs yesterday "to stay and live in Kosovo and Metohija in the future as they have done for hundreds of years in the past". In addition to hundreds of Serbs, the festivities at Holy Archangels were also attended by representatives of the Serbian Presidency; Milan Radulovic, Minister for Religions of the Serbian Government; Nebojsa Covic, president of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo and Metohija; deputies from the Serbian Assembly, and political representatives of the Kosovo Serbs. State national television's Second Program broadcast live coverage from the celebration.

Holy Archangels Monastery is located three kilometers southeast of Prizren at the entrace of the Bistrica River gorge. It was build in the mid-fourteenth century on the remains of an older church site as an imperial lavra and the principal pious endowment and future tomb iste of Emperor Dushan. The entire complex, devastated and abandoned after the Turkish occupation of Prizren (1455), was comprised of 6,500 square meters. Archeological excavations in the monastery did not begin until 1929. That same year, King Aleksandar I Karageorgevic issued an Edict transferring the remains of Emperor Dushan from his pious endowment (until it is restored) to the church of St. Mark in Belgrade, where they are presently located.

From the Monastery Courtyard

The spiritual and material restoration of Holy Archangels began exactly ten years ago. A new living quarters was built which was quickly inhabited by the young brothers; however, upon the arrival of the UN mission to Kosovo and Metohija this monstery was among the first to be attacked by the Kosovo Albanians. A member of Holy Archangels, monk Chariton Lukic, was kidnapped in mid-June 1999; his headless body was discovered one year later. Even though the monastery is practically located in a German KFOR camp, the celebration of the 650 year anniversary of the monastery on July 26, 2002 was marked by an explosion at the Visegrad fortification and Albanian demonstrations in Prizren because of the arrival of almost 1,000 Serbs for the monastery slava.

During an attack by several thousand Kosovo Albanians in the March pogrom last year, Holy Archangels was completely destroyed; the dorminotires were burned down, the bell tower was destroyed and the marble ptom cover on the grave of Emperor Dushan was destroyed. Thanks to the efforts of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren, the Serbian GovernmentSerbian Government and numerous donors, at the end of December the monastery has a new direction. Yesterday's ceremony at Holy Archangels was protected by strong forces of German KFOR. J. T.

A bilboard with the crowning of Emperor Dusan with two KFOR soldiers in front

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