Roads of Serbian army-Thessaloniki, Corfu, Vido island

Zejtinlik Cemetary

In this post I will present you Zejtinlik Cemetary, Corfu and Vido island which are important for Serbian history. Thise places are also visited by Serbian tourist, pilgrims and excursions.

A few kilometres from the city centre of Thessaloniki, in the quarter called Zejtinlik (the Oil Market in Turkish), you'll find the Serbian cemetery from the WWI. 21,000 allies (the French, Italian and English), including 8,000 Serbs, were buried here. 

The cemetery was built between 1933 and 1936, according to the plans of Aleksandar Vasic and Nikolai Krasnov.

You'll be greeted by old Djordje Mihajlovic, the keeper, who will take you on a short journey into the past and show you the nearby mausoleum with a chapel.Serbian Royal Army retreated from Serbia (over Albania which caused the death of 120. 000 soldiers who were killed or died along the way) and after swift revival that same army led the way to the Breach of Thessaloniki Front (Solunski Front).

Vido is an island of the Ionian Islands group of Greece. It is a small island (less than a kilometer in diameter) at the mouth of the port of Corfu .During the First World War, the island of Corfu served as an island hospital and quarantine for sick Serbian soldiers following the epic retreat of the Serbian army and part of the civilian population through Montenegro and Albania in 1915 following the Austro-German-Bulgarian invasion of Serbia .While the main camps of the recuperating army were on Corfu itself (a contingent was sent to Bizerte as well, and many of the civilian refugees were accepted by France), the sick and near-dying, mostly soldiers, were treated on Vido to prevent epidemics. In spite of Allied material help, the conditions of both the improvised medical facilities and many of the patients on the island resulted in a high fatality rate. Due to small area of the island and its rocky soil, it soon became necessary to bury the dead in the sea (by weighting the corpses with rocks to prevent them from floating). Over 5,000 people were buried at sea near the island of Vido.The waters around Vido island are sometimes referred to as the Blue Sea Tomb , after a poem written by Milutin Bojić after World War I.

Interior of mausoleum

Athos and monastery Hilandar

Mount Athos or Agion Oros, as it is locally known, is the oldest surviving monastic community in the world. It dates back more than a thousand years, to Byzantine times. It is a unique monastic republic, which, although part of Greece, it is governed by its own local administration.




It occupies the best part of the Athos peninsula in Halkidiki. It consists of a range which runs south-east for thirty miles from Xerxes' Canal, where Xerxes the Persian King cut a canal across the peninsula for his ships to pass. A rugged, sea-battered peninsula 56 kilometers long. Two kilometers wide at the canal, it broadens to eight, with a long back-bone rising into peaks of roughly five hundred, six hundred, six hundred and fifty, eight hundred and fifty and a thousand meters.

Today there are 20 monasteries of which 17 are Greek, one Russian, one Serbian, and one Bulgarian. There are also twelve Skites (similar to monasteries but much smaller), a large number of Kellia (large farm houses), Kalyves (smaller houses), Kathismata (small houses for a single monk) and Hesychasteria(hermitages or caves in desolate cliff faces, for the most austere hermits).. Each monastery is autonomous and is led by the Igoumenos (Abbot), helped by a committee. The procedure to obtain the appropriate permit is complicated and lengthy, especially for non Orthodox visitors. There is a daily quota of 120 Orthodox pilgrims and 10 non Orthodox. Orthodox Greeks can apply by producing their identity card at the Athos Bureau in Ouranoupolis. Non Orthodox pilgrims have to establish a valid reason for visiting Mount Athos, by producing a letter of recommendation from their embassy or an academic institution. They must also explain in another letter the reason for their proposed visit. Sightseeing or tourism are not valid reasons. Pilgrimage or study are. The two letters and passport have to be submitted a least a month ahead of the proposed date of the visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate of Churches in Athens, or to the Ministry of Northern Greece, Directorate of Civil Affairs in Thessaloniki. An authorization is issued which should be presented to the Athos Bureau in Ouranoupolis a day before the visit where the Diamonitirion (permit) is produced, specifying the date of entry. The maximum stay permitted is four days. The ship sails the next day from the jetty by the Byzantine tower.After entry the pilgrims are free to visit any monastery they wish. The monasteries uphold a long tradition of hospitality for those who need Mount Athos, those who seek solace, relief from the troubles of the outside world or those who are on a pilgrimage. Food and a bed to sleep are provided entirely free, although the conditions are basic and visitors are expected to conduct themselves according to certain standards. Much of the travelling is done either by boat or on foot for the roads are narrow and winding dirt-tracks.

Hilandar Monastery

Hilandar Monastery is the northern most monastery located on the northeast side of the Athos Peninsula in northern Greece. The monastery was founded in 1198 by Ss. Sava and Simeon. The Monastery has been supported and populated by Serbian monks since then. It is ranked fourth in the hierarchical order of the twenty monasteries located on the Mount Athos peninsula.Throughout history, Hilandar was magnanimously supported by all the Serbian rulers, noblemen and the whole Orthodox world. In the 13th century, King Milutin built a new church of the Assumption, and Prince Lazar was the ktetor of its exonarthex. Like all other Mount Athos monasteries, Hilandar was built as a fortified monastery – with tall walls and defensive towers (pyrgos). The place saw numerous pirate attacks. In the Turkish times, Hilandar was looted and endangered, and was reduced to poverty; in later centuries Serbs even lost it several times.
Hilandar keeps some of the most valuable icons of the Orthodox world – the icon of theTheotokos “Of the Three Hands,”, which St Sava brought from the Holy Land, a mosaic of theVirgin Hodegetria from the 12th century, the icon of the Christ Pantocrator (Ruler of all) from the first half of the 14th century and many others.

Djunis Monastery

The sacred place in Đunis village was accidentally discovered on the 24th of July 1898 when Milojka Jocic, the girl from the village of Djunis who tried to get some water from the will encountered the Holy Virgin. The Holy Virgin ordered the girl to construct church on this very place. This event was recorded by the assistance of Milojka's brother and was printed in 1936. Locals understood well message of Milojka's brother and built the small wooden chapel on the place of encounter. Soon after that the church-log was several times destroyed and rebuilt to experience the modest church built of bricks on this place.



By donations from locals and people living abroad here was built the large church in the eighties of the 20th century. Several books from the 19th century are kept in the Monastery and the treasury is every day gifted by faithful people who consider it one of the leading spiritual centers and pilgrimages in Serbia. One large stone of irregular shape is specially interesting which is kept in the Monastery. According to the legend this stone was thrown by the Holy Virgin on the encounter with Milojka ordering church dedicated to her to be built on the place where stone falls. Djunis Monastery became one of the most important sacral places in Serbia which is every October on the day of the Shroud of the Holy Virgin visited by several thousands of faithful people who gather here to attend the whole-night Virgil and the morning Liturgy.

Ostrog-monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Monastery Ostrog, a miracle built by nature and human interaction, carved almost in its entirety in a vertically positioned mountain cliff, is today the pearl of Montenegrin spirituality which is visited by more than a hundred thousand pilgrims from around the world and of travellers of all religions every year.

It is one of three most visited Christian destinations on the planet with its cave-like chapel and the Monastery complex that preserves the sanctity of Saint Basil the , Orthodox Christian Saint of Miracles.

Monastery Ostrog is situated on the cusp of the rich Bjelopavlic plain, carved high up in the cliffs, with easy access for visitors and an adventure one does not want to miss. It is located about 50 kilometers from the capitol of Montenegro, Podgorica and about 15 kilometer from the second largest town in Montenegro – Niksic.

Many legends and myths exist today about the life of Saint Basil of Ostrog. In one of these stories, Saint Basil thru a seed of a pear he just ate over the railing onto the cliffs, and in the morning a large tree has grown thru the rocks with flowers on one side and pears on the other. This is believed to happen in the month of February.

The Ostrog Monastery complex consists of the Lower Monastery (Donji manastir) and the Upper Monastery (Gornji manastir). The main draw of the Lower Monastery is the Holy Trinity Church (Crkva Sv Trojice), which dates from 1824. It’s delightfully colourful, with vivid wall paintings covering every inch of the interior and a beautiful and equally colourful iconostasis.

Monasteries on Fruška Gora

Fruška Gora is a mountain in north Srem. Most of it is located within Srem, Serbia, but a smaller part on its western side overlaps the territory of Croatia. Sometimes, it is also referred to as jewel of Serbia, due to its beautiful landscape protection area, nature and its picturesque countryside.

Thanks to its hospitable environment, there are also over a dozen Serbian Orthodox monasteries located on Fruška Gora. According to historical data, these monastic communities were historically recorded since the first decades of the 16th century. Legends, however, place their founding to the period between the 12th and 15th centuries. The monasteries are concentrated in an area 50 kilometers long, and 10 kilometers wide. In the course of centuries of their existence, these monasteries sustained the spiritual and political life of the Serbian nation.

  List of monasteries:

1. Beočin 
2. Bešenovo
3. Velika Remeta
4. Vrdnik-Ravanica 
5. Grgeteg
6. Divša
7. Jazak
8. Krušedol 
9. Kuveždin
10. Mala Remeta
11. Novo Hopovo
12. Privina Glava
13. Petkovica
14. Rakovac
15. Staro Hopovo
16. Šišatovac

The donations of pilgrims and the highly developed sense of patronage among the Serbs served to heighten religious feelings, stimulating the further construction, decoration and replenishment of the monasteries. Monasteries of Fruska Gora are a unique part of the religious, educational, and cultural being of the Serbian nation, and cultural heritage of Yugoslavia.

Monastery Grgeteg

Monasteries Sisatovac, Novo Hopovo, Vrdnik-Ravanica, Beocin, Privina glava and Jazak still suffer consequences of detonations, explosions and side effects caused by NATO warplanes.

The monasteries were founded in a period of great wars and migrations, and they became centers where the cult of the Brankovic Family (the last of the Serbian despotic families) was carefully nurtured, using the Nemanjic family dynasty as a model. Of equal importance in understanding the spiritual life of the Fruska Gora monasteries are the cults of individual saints, whose relics attracted both pilgrims and patrons to the monasteries.

Monasteries of Kosovo and Metohija

  In this post I will present you most imoprtant Serbian orthodox monasteries and churches of Kosovo and Metohija.

The region of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija is comprised of two basins. The eastern basin got its name from the bird kos (blackbird) – Kosovo, while the western part of the territory was covered in metoh – properties owned by the Serbian Orthodox Church, hence the name Metohija.Four properties in Kosovo and Metohija have been entered in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List under the common name Mediaeval Monuments in Kosovo: Dečani monastery (entered separately in 2004), the monasteries of the Patriarchate of Peć and Gračanica, as well as the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviš (2006).

Gracanica Monastery

It is situated in the village of Gracanica, 5 km. from Pristina, the administrative centre of Kosovo and Metohija region. Gracanica was constructed on the ruins of an older 13th-century church of the Theotokos, which was built on the ruins of a 6th-century early Christian three-naved basilica. The architectural composition of Gracanica represents the peak of Serbian architecture in the spirit of Byzantine tradition. The present treasury stores a number of valuable icons from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well as several significant manuscripts and liturgical objects.The Gračanica Monastery is one of King Milutin's last monumental endowments.The paintings of Gračanica rank highest among the achievements of Milutin's period, characterized by influences of the Byzantine splendiferous and luxurious style called the Paleologan Renaissance.

                                                                Gracanica Monastery 

Visoki Decani Monastery

Visoki Decani Monastery is located about 2 kilometres from the town of Decani.It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the Serbian medieval king St. Stephen of Decani and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is settled in the picturesque valley of the Bistrica river surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Prokletije mountain range It is the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Serbia. During its turbulent history the Monastery was an important spiritual centre with developed artistic and intellectual activities. Its cathedral is the biggest medieval church in the Balkans which contains the largest preserved monument of Byzantine fresco-painting.In 2004, UNESCO listed the monastery on the World Heritage List, citing its frescoes as "one of the most valued examples of the so-called Palaeologan renaissance in Byzantine painting" and "a valuable record of the life in the 14th century".

                                                        

Visoki Decani Monastery

The Patriarchate of Pec

The Monastery of the Patriarchate of Pec is located at the very entrance of the Rugova gorge near Pec. The complex of the Pec churches is the spiritual seat and mausoleum of Serbian archbishops and patriarchs.There are four churches within the monastery, built one against the other such that they now form a single whole. The oldest is the Church of the Holy Apostles, raised in the 13thcentury, its benefactor the second Serbian archbishopArsenije I.The Patriarchate of Peć monastery has been entered into the UNESCO World Heritage List under the common name of Mediaeval Monuments in Kosovo (Serbia). As of 2006 it has also been entered into the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger because of the unstable security situation currently prevailing in Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, which is currently under the administration of UNMIK (the UN Interim Administration Mission) The monastery can only be visited under the military escort of KFOR troops.

                                                      

The Patriarchate of Pec

The Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren

Bogorodica Ljeviska Cathedral is the main official diocesan church of Prizren Orthodox Serb Bishops and is considered by Orthodox Serbs as a pride of the royal city of Prizren. With its sublime architecture and fresco art it remains a living witness of the centuries old Serb Christian Orthodox presence in the city of Prizren.Remains of the older church buildings are under the foundations of the present church.The original church was destroyed at the end of the 12th century, when Stefan Nemanja occupied Prizren.

                                       The Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren    

Religious tourism in Serbia

Monastery Krusedol

Religious tourism in Serbia in recent years is becoming increasingly popular among domestic tourists, but still not enough known to potential visitors from abroad. Statistics shows that of all branches of tourism only a religious not show declined in recent years but rather increase, as people around the world are increasingly deciding to servants of the trip. Serbia with an extremely richcultural heritage, religious monuments, but also the richness of the different religious has a chance to be among the world's leading countries when it comes to this type of tourism.

Religious tourism in Serbia has significant potential primarily due to cultural and religious monuments that were left here from the period of the Serbian Empire. Period of Nemanjic dynasty was the most prolific when it comes to the Orthodox cultural - historical monuments. Representatives of the dynasty, one of the most important in our history began with the construction of endowments across the country, many of which are preserved to this day, so we have in various parts of the Orthodox monuments of medieval Serbia.

Monasteries of Serbian Orthodox Church are divided by dioceses and each is significant for a historical period. So in Vojvodina worth exploring, among other Fruska Gora monasteries, western Serbia has monasteries in Ovcar-Kablar gorge, while Kosovo with a rich cultural - historical heritage buildings which has been under the protection of UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. Valley of the Kings is part of Central Serbia, which also preserves the rich heritage when it comes to monasteries that are definitely worth a visit.

Religious tourism in Serbia has one great advantage, namely the demographic diversity that is the history behind left monuments of different cultures and religions.In Serbia there are over:

• 700 Orthodox monasteries
• 30 Roman Catholic churches
• 15 mosques and 3 synagogues

Religious tourism in spite of all these resources and benefits has been stagnating. As experts say the number of foreign tourists coming to Serbia for the sake of religious tourism has not changed for 10 years. While in previous years the highest number of any of tourists comes from Italy, now leading tourists comes from Canada and the United States.

Monastery Gracanica