Bishop's Palace consecrated in Kraljevo

On the fourth Sunday following Easter, on May 2/15 2011, on the feast day of St. Athanasius the Great, the Diocese of Zica was visited by His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch. The motive of the visit was a consecration of the newly built Bishop's Palace in Kraljevo.

His Holiness arrived in Holy Zica, the seat of the first Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava and his successor St. Arsenije Sremac, on Saturday, where he was welcomed by His Grace Bishop Hrizostom of Zica with sisterhood of the monastery. Next day, His Holiness served the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in a new church of St. Sava the Serbian in Kraljevo, and upon the invitation of Bishop Hrizostom he was concelebrated with Their Graces Bishops: Jovan of Sumadija, Irinej of Australia-New Zealand and Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, as well as archimandrite Tihon, heugomen of Studenica monastery; archimandrite Arsenije, brother of Studenica monastery and many other priests.

During the Holy Liturgy Bishop Hrizostom of Zica welcomed Serbian Patriarch, wishing him welcome to the Diocese of Zica, in which His Holiness himself was born and raised, pointing out the great significance of the Diocese of Zica since the very beginning of the history of the Serbian Church and Serbian state. Patriarch thanked for the warm welcome, expressing that he also partly feels as a member of the Diocese of St. Sava. 

After the Holy Liturgy Patriarch Irinej consecrated the newly built Bishop's Palace in the court yard of the church of St. Sava the Serbian, on which compound there is also court's side chapel devoted to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. Until now Bishop of Zica had his seat in the residence in the Zica monastery, built by St. Nikolaj of Zica, while the administration of the Diocese was in Kraljevo, in the building raised by Bishop Vasilije of blessed repose, and in which the offices of the Church municipality are located, which proved to be insufficient. In the new Bishop's Palace both the seat of the Bishop and administration of the Diocese will be. 

Source: Diocese of Zica