Patron Saint of the Chapel of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher celebrated
The Patron Saint-day of the chapel of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher in the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade was celebrated with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in prayerful presence of His Grace Bishop Lavrentije of Sabac on 26 February 2020.
The Holy Liturgy was celebrated by Archimandrite Serafim (Kuzic), protopresbyter-staurophors Mirko Vilotic, Slobodan Milunovic, Miroslav Milenkovic and Stojadin Pavlovic, presbyters Dimitrije Veljkovic and Igor Gracun, protodeacon Radomir Percevic and deacon Aleksandar Sekulic.
The choir of the First Belgrade Choral Society sang responses.
The court chapel of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher, the Patriarchate Chapel in Belgrade, celebrated its 84th temple feast since the consecration in 1936. in the then newly built building of the Serbian Patriarchate upon the place of the old Metropolitanate of Belgrade, designed by Russian architect Viktor Lukomski.
Namely, in the old building of the Metropolitanate there was a court chapel dedicated to Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Gusher as well, but in today’s building of the Patriarchate, on the external side of the altar’s apse, there is a mosaic of Saint John the Baptist, the Patron Saint of then Serbian Patriarch Varnava.
The court chapel has been always under direct supervision and administration of the Serbian Patriarch, and the care and management of the chapel and the treasury is entrusted to the most responsible persons in a priestly or a monastic rank.
Consequently, the former Serbian Patriarch German appointed Stevan Rapajic, clerk intern of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac, at first as an assistant treasurer of the Patriarchal Chapel and soon, in 1979, - after retirement of then head of the Office of the Patriarch and treasurer of the chapel protodeacon Djordje Zunic, - ordained him a deacon and promoted to a principal of the chapel. This responsible task protodeacon Stevan Rapajic has been performing for 40 years with great love and sacrifice. Hence, protodeacon Stevan Rapajic accepted also this year to be a host of the slava of the court chapel.
