HEROES OF THE FAITH - HEROES OF THE HISTORY, exhibition opened in the PROGRES Gallery

An exhibition of icons, frescoes, mosaics, rosettes and calligraphy, created by the Academy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for arts and conservation, was opened at the PROGRES gallery yesterday evening. The title of the exhibition is HEROES OF THE FAITH - HEROES OF THE HISTORY. The hagiographies were created in Todor Mitrovic`s (Mth), Goran Janicijevic`s and Rajko Blazic`s class and calligraphy was done by Dragan Bosnic, Mth.The exhibition was opened by Dean of the Academy of SOC archpriest-staurophor dr Radomir Popovic opened the exhibition.

During his speech, Dean led the visitors through history of the early Christian Church on territories of Gaul and Moesia, on which are nowadays France and Serbia.

He specially thanked the patron of the exhibition, Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Serbia, and its representatives - secretary of state Mr. Dragan Curovic and Mr. Dragan Novakovic. In the end , Dean gave word to His Grace Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno, the vicar of His Holiness, in order to bless and open the exhibition.

His Grace Vicar Bishop conveyed the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, and then he thanked professors and students who displayed the strong bond and conciliarity in Church of Christ everywhere. Opening of the exhibition was attended by Their Graces Bishop Hrizostom of Zicha and Bishop Jovan of Diokleia. The exhibition is opened until November, 30.

The symbolic feature of the hagiography and the portrait of Saint Constantin the Great could be used as an introduction, a concept and a leitmotif of this exhibition. He was born on the territory which belongs nowadays to Serbia, he began his rule on the territory of future France and he is remembered for what he did and that is his most important and greatest deed of all.

Saint Helen of Anjou, serbian queen and french princess is the second person over which are historically overlapping these two territories separated and far from each other. She ruled the Serbian kingdom, gave birth to the greatest serbian rulers, and like Constantin the Great - she was mainly remembered for its Christian works, and for Monastery of Gradac. She died as a nun.

The third and the last part of this visual presentation of courses of Christian history is represented by the event which symbolically can unify the decline of Jelena`s (serbian) and Constantin`s state.

A belief that on Kosovo victory was won, was as impractical as Constantin`s trust in a vision that he will win under the sign of cross. ‘'Only'' faith remained of all his victories and all serbian victories. When the bells of the Notre Dame de Paris went , at the end of june 1389, the French obviously had no idea who had won. They did not care about it, therefore they rang for their faith, their hope.

The goal of this exhibition of icons, frescoes, mosaics and rosettes is to showcase in a new way strong relations between Serbia and France, which do not originate from the twentieth century and from the First World War, but actually from the Middle Ages. Hence, in the showcased hagiographies will be presented saints, who lived or who have any connection with territories that nowadays belong to Serbia and France. In this way, the public will get to know the enlighteners and the first baptized kings, the greatest saints, kings and patron saints of the cities - Paris and Belgrade. Above all, this exhibition should show the Christian values and spirituality which is shared by all European nations and that Christianity and kindly word of Jesus Christ should connect all nations that are and those that will be in the united Europe.

Unfortunately, the representatives of the French Embassy and the French Cultural Centre were not present, although they had been invited to come.