Patron Saint's Day of Republic of Srpska

On the occasion of the feast day of the Holy Archdeacon and Protomartyr Stephen, Patron Saint's Day of the Republic of Srpska, His Grace Bishop Jefrem of Banja Luka served the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior in Banja Luka.

The service was attended by the President of the RS Rajko Kuzmanovic, and also by representatives of legislative, executive and judicial authorities of the RS and the representatives of Srpska in the joint institutions of BiH,  Prince Alexander II Karadjordjevic, Princess Katherine and Prince Philip.

The Formal Academy was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik and officials of Srpska, the President of Serbia Boris Tadic and the Karadjordjevic family.

The Republic of Srpska was established on January 9, 1992, when the Assembly of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the declaration on the proclamation of the Serbian Republic of BiH, by which the RS became the subject, at first the internal and later international law. It received the first constitution on February 28, 1992 and it changed its name officially to of the Republic of Srpska on  August 12, 1992. The international recognition the RS  received November 21, 1995, with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which determined that the RS includes 49 percent of the territory of BiH.

Source: RTVRS