Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
July 28, 2004

ORDER OF ST SAVA AWARDED TO ITALIAN TROOPS

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church has decided to award the Italian Folgore Parachute Brigade with the Order of St. Sava of the Second Degree for its special contribution to the protection of Serbian holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija.

His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, His Grace Bishop Teodosije of Lipljan and Hieromonk Jovan (Culibrk) departed on July 28, 2004 for Italy.

Metropolitan Amfilohije will present the award on July 29, 2004 in Livorno in the presence of General Getan Romeo, the commander of the First Command of the Italian Armed Forces, to the Brigade for its special contribution.

KRAGUJEVAC CATHEDRAL TO BE PAINTED
SAME COLOR AS ZICA MONASTERY

Thanks to the efforts of His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija the Kragujevac Cathedral is undergoing renovation. Under the close supervision of the experts of the Sumadija Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Kragujevac and Dr. Ljubivoje Dragicevic the cathedral is being restored to its original appearance 120 years ago. This is especially apparent from the exterior of the church. The ochre color has been replaced by a combination of light ochre and red. The exterior of the cathedral, which also serves as the residence of Bishop Jovan of Sumadija, was once painted imperial red, representing the color of martyrs.

The restoration of the facade of the cathedral began in October 2001. The old plaster was removed and the walls were stripped down. Work on the dome is currently in progress. The red roof has been recovered in copper from the Sevojno mill. This is to be followed by the reconstruction of the bell-tower in the same style as the church, and the installation of floor heating. According to Protopresbyter Radovan Cancarevic, the church priest, so far about eight million dinars have been spent. Funding came primarily from the state union budget, and the Kragujevac Municipal Assembly provided one million dinars. The Zastava automobile factory manufactured 11 crosses of stainless steel free of charge. Despite many donors additional funds are still necessary. The lighting of candles will be relocated to the interior part of the bell-tower. As well, a wheelchair ramp will be installed. These are the first serious improvements to the cathedral in four decades. Work is expected to finish by the end of the year; it could be completed earlier but everything depends on funding availability. Consequently, an appeal goes out to the faithful and all citizens of Kragujevac and Sumadija to contribute to the extent of their ability.

WAGES FOR CHILANDAR

Exactly 365 employees of the Veterinary Institute in Zemun have decided to donate a part of their wages toward the restoration of the monastery of Chilandar, which was seriously damaged by fire earlier this year. A total of approximately 281,000 dinars was collected in this fashion. General director Dusan Petrovic said that the donation was made last week and that they plan to repeat the campaign before the end of the year.

TWO CHURCHES UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN NOVA PAZOVA

In Nova Pazova, which until 15 years ago had only one small church inadequate for a town of 25,000 inhabitants, construction has begun on the church of St. Paraskeva, at the same time that frescoes are being painted in the church of the Holy Trinity. Work on the construction of St. Paraskeva is proceeding according to schedule, said Protonamesnik Mile Jokic, who has been entrusted by His Grace Bishop Vasilije of Srem with overseeing the building of the church. Construction is being financed from the budget of the local community and a total of one million dinars has been collected through donations and voluntary contributions of the faithful. The bell-tower of the church will be 42.5 meters high to the cross of 2.5 meters in height. The cupola will be 29 meters with a cross of 31.5 meters. The walls themselves will be 7.6 meters high. The building of the church of the Holy Trinity began a decade ago and His Grace Bishop Vasilije of Srem consecrated the site in 1989. Regular holy liturgy has been served in the church since 1994.

[Serbian Translation Services]