NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
May 17, 2002

CONSECRATION OF THE MONASTERY LODGINGS AT LIPOVAC

On Sunday, May 19, 2002, the feast of Myrrhbearers, recently finished lodgings of the Monastery of Saint Stephen at Lipovac (endowment of Prince Stefan Lazarevic) will be consecrated, many Orthodox Bishops participating in this act. The management of the Monastery invites friends, pilgrims, and acquaintances to attend this prayerful gathering and to add to this solemn act. People can reach the Monastery from two directions: from north - over Aleksinac, and from south - over Nis.

The Saint Stephen Monastery was built after the battle in Kosovo, more precisely in 1399. The Monastery Church was built in architectural style of the Morava School. It was painted with highly valuable icons, but the frescoes (except for those in the dome) were destroyed in the fire which the Turks set in the middle of XV century. During XX century, in the period between the two world wars, the Church was again limned and new frescoes were painted.

The Monastery had an important role in the lives of people of this region. Hidden at the foot of Ozren mountain, far away from roads, it was spiritual and prayerful oasis not only for monastics but also for other pious souls. After the World War I, the Monastery was first the sanctuary for the blind children and later on for the parentless children. Nuns took care of them. After the World War II the Monastery was greatly depleted and nuns abandoned it.

The new authorities confiscated the Monastery land by the agrarian reform and left only 10 ha with forest and scarce grazing to the Monastery, so that it did not have sufficient means to be maintained. The Monastery lodgings (built in the 19th century), the very Church and the facilities were completely neglected. This situation lasted till 1974, when hieromonk Dionisije (Pantelic) was appointed the head the Monastery. He, together with nuns, made continuous efforts and renovated the buildings and the Church whose renovation was helped by the Institute for the Monuments Protection.

Since father Dionisije became the head of the Monastery, services and the Holy Liturgy have been served daily. The crown of the renovation of the Saint Stephan's Monastery was the construction of the new lodgings with a great hall at the ground floor, monastic cells and the great chapel in the attic. The lodgings were built in the same style as the Monastery buildings with lots of light and windows. Architect Aleksandar Radovic, Director of the Institute for the Monuments Protection in Nis, designed the lodging project. Apart from father Dionisije, nuns, numerous benefactors, contributors, friends and pilgrims of the sisterhood of the Saint Stephan Monastery helped the construction of the new lodgings.