Scientific meeting in Felix Romuliana Ends
3/5/2011
At the late antique site of Felix Romuliana near Zajecar (IV century), which is on the UNESCO list of the World Cultural Heritage, the three-day scientific meeting entitled “Christian heritage of Romuliana – Towards the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan” has ended.
Within Saturday’s morning discussion participants of this meeting spoke about the significance of “The Edict of Toleration of Serdica” which was issued in 311, two years before the Edict of Milan, by Roman Tetrach Galerius, the builder of the imperial palace of Felix Romuliana near Zajecar, until then the greatest persecutor of Christians. With this edict Galerius admitted Christianity before he died.
His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch while opening the scientific meeting at the late antique site Felix Romuliana, said that this meeting represented a preparation for marking the great anniversary of 1700 years since the Edict of Milan in 2013 in Nis.
In the work of the scientific meeting participated: retired Bishop Dr Atanasije (Jevtic), Monastery Tvrdos, Trebinje: Edict of Galerius on toleration and his context and range; Dr Zarko Petkovic, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade: Auctoritas maiorum and the Edict of Galerius; Dr Misa Rakocija, Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute, Nis: Regarding church circumstances and the spread of architectural forms of old Christian Romuliana and Naissus; Goran Janicijevic, Academy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for arts and conservation, Belgrade: Late Antique – Early Christian art 1700 years after (analysis of the style based on representative sample of Felix Romuliana); Elena Vasic Petrovic, Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute, Nis: Late Antique heritage in the framework of modern Nis; Mr Maja Zivic, National Museum, Zajecar: Early Byzantine Gamzigrad (outline theme); Dr Radomir Popovic, Academy of the SOC for arts and conservation, Belgrade: Presentation of the new edition of the work of Lactantius “On the Deaths of the Persecutors”; Mr Velibor Dzombic, Metropolitanate of Montenegro and teh Littoral, Cetinje: Religious tolerance: from the Edict of Milan to the European Convention on Human Rights; Bora Dimitrijevic, National Museum of Zajecar: Lactantius as the source for the history of tetrarchy.
During the Saturday afternoon there was a round table on the theme ” From Roman tolerance until European understanding”, theologist fr. Vukasin Milicevic from the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac gave a foreword.
On St. Thomas Sunday, on May 1, 2011 on the central celebration at the Late antique site Felix Romuliana near Zajecar on the remains of Christian church from 6th century, dedicated to St. Thomas the Apostle, the Divine Liturgy was serve by His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, with the concelebration of His Eminence Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral; Their Graces Bishops Justin of Timok, Joanikije of Budimlje-Niksic, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren and retired Atanasije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina; archimandrite Hilarion, heugomen of Bukovo monastery; protopresbyter-staurophor Petar Stojiljkovic and a great number of priests.
At this great church and people’s gathering, despite the rain, there more than hundreds of people. The Liturgy was attended by Minister of Culture of the Republic of Serbia Mr Predrag Markovic, Prof. Dr Bogoljub Sijakovic, State Secretary of the Ministry of Faith and Diaspora and Mladjen Djordjevic, Adviser to the President of Serbia.
