Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 26, 2005

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING AUCTION BY SERBIAN PAINTERS FOR ST SAVA MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING AUCTION BY SERBIAN PAINTERS
FOR ST SAVA MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL

A fundraising auction of paintings for the completion of interior work and decoration of St. Sava Memorial Cathedral in Vracar (Belgrade) was held today in the Serbian National Museum in Belgrade.

The auction was opened by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, who emphasized the importance of St. Sava Cathedral and expressed his thanks to the members of Serbia Association of Fine Arts, Serbian Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers, and the Republika Srpska Association of Fine Arts who donated their works for the auction, as well as those purchasing the works. Thanks to their generosity, said Metropolitan Amfilohije, the donors have become a part of the mosaic of people who built this holy shrine.

The auction was facilitated by Mr. Nikola Kusovac, whose expert commentary was especially helpful at this philanthropic event. A total of 82 paintings were offered for sale and more than 70 percent of these were sold. This is certainly one of the most successful auctions held in recent years in Serbia.

A total of 1,480,000 dinars was collected for St. Sava Cathedral. The biggest donors were the Karic Foundation, Mona, Energoprojekt, DDOR Novi Sad, Ernst and Young, Hotel Moscow Belgrade, Radionica Duse Gallery, Aviogeneks, Novosadska Bank, Karic Brothers Art Academy, the Gallery of Fine Arts, Nacionalna Stedionica, the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Commerce and Tourist, Markiza Gallery and others. The largest single donation was that of Mr. Mihailo Ljubojevic, who purchased the painting “Dama sa Hermelinom” (Lady with an Ermine) by Olja Ivanjicki.

[Serbian Translation Services]