NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
January 23, 2002

CELEBRATION OF SAINT SAVA'S FEAST IN ALL SERBIAN CHURCHES:

PATRIARCH PAVLE SERVES THE HOLY LITURGY
IN THE CHAPEL AT THE THEOLOGICAL FACULTY,
THE HOLY LITURGY AND FESTIVE OBSERVANCE TO BE HELD
IN SAINT SAVA'S MEMORIAL TEMPLE AT VRACAR

On Monday, the feast of Saint Sava, His Holiness Pavle Serbian Patriarch, is serving the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the St. John the Theologian's Chapel at the Faculty of Theology of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade. After the Liturgy, a performance dedicated to Saint Sava will be held in the lecture theatre of the Faculty. Later during the day, Patriarch Pavle will visit great number of public institutions and schools which celebrate Saint Sava's feast, where he will cut the Slava cake, express gratitude to the Lord for the gifts and congratulate the celebrants.

The St. Sava's feast on Monday, January 27, will be marked by the Holy Liturgy and numerous observances dedicated to this Saint in all the churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In the eve of this great feast, i.e. on Sunday, January 26, festive vigils will be held in the Saint Sava's Memorial Temple at Vracar, with the accompaniment of choirs of the Saint Sava's Temple. Next day, on Monday, January 27, His Grace Atanasije (Rakita), Bishop of Hvosno and Auxiliary Bishop of His Holiness Patriarch Pavle, is going to serve the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the Saint Sava's Memorial Temple at Vracar. After the Liturgy, a festive performance dedicated to Saint Sava is to be held. The choirs of the Saint Sava's Temple Mokranjac, Rastko and Stefan will together sing the hymn to Saint Sava. Other choirs too will participate in this performance, choirs of Music Schools Josif Marinkovic, Kornelije Stankovic and Josip Slavenski and of other primary and secondary schools. The pupils who won the literary competition will be awarded and their works will be read. In addition, the pupils who attend religious education in primary schools Dusan Dugalic and Vladislav Ribnikar will recite the verses dedicated to Saint Sava. For the first time after the World War II, teachers who lecture and pupils who attend the Orthodox catechesis will attend this festive performance.

The first Serbian enlightener is celebrated as the patron of pupils and education, a school slava. Judging by numerous stories relating to Saint Sava, it is obvious that he has been one of the most popular and loved persons among the Serbs. Saint Sava was born around 1175 as Rastko Nemanjic, the third and the youngest son of Stefan Nemanja (who governed the then tribal state as the Great Zupan) and Ana. He was very widely educated "on the basis of Old-Slavic and Byzantine literatures". Being inclined to spiritual life, he went to Mount Athos. First to the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, and then to the Greek Monastery of Vatopedi, where he took monastic vows and changed his name to Sava, after Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified of Jerusalem.

Together with his father, who joined him at the Mount Athos as monastic Symeon, he founded the Monastery of Chilandar, the fourth one in the hierarchy of the monasteries at the Mount Athos and one of the most significant spiritual and cultural seats of the Serbian people. Apart from being the founder of monasteries and churches, he is considered to be the first Serbian medieval writer "who with the Serbian literature actually started", and for almost 30 years he participated in the running of the Serbian internal and external policy.

In 1207, Saint Sava reconciled his elder brothers Vukan and Stefan, who were quarreling over inheritance of the throne. He successfully terminated talks with Byzantine Emperor and Ecumenical Patriarch in Nicaea on the autocephaly of the Serbian Church. He crowned and advised three kings - Stefan the First-Crowned, Radoslav and Vladislav, and in their names he talked with foreign rulers and church heads. The history names him a great prelate of the Church and a great statesman. He died on January 13 (Julian calendar), 1236 in Trnovo where he was buried in the Church of Forty Martyrs. King Vladislav translated his relics to the Monastery of Mileseva. Sinan-Pasha ordered that his relics be translated to Belgrade and incinerated at Vracar on April 27 (old calendar) 1595. The Church decided that Saint Sava met all the conditions to be revered as saint: he lived a holy life, made miracles both during his life and after death, and after death his body remained intact. His biography was composed right after he had died by Domentian and Theodosius, as well as the church services when he started to be celebrated as a saint.