Central Celebration Of The Jubilee Of 800th Anniversary of the Autocephaly Of The Serbian Orthodox Church

Church of Serbia – 10/10/2019

This year we were greeted by the light of a great event that encircles eight centuries of the autocephaly of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

 Photo gallery by deacon Dragan Tanasijevic:

The celebration of the jubilee in Zica Monastery through the lens of deacon Dragan Tanasijevic

On this occasion, the central jubilee celebration was held at the Zica Monastery on October 6, 2019. The ancient endowment (foundation) of our illustrious ancestors Nemanjics welcomed this event in an unbearable beauty that hasn’t been put out by flames and bombs of invaders who have been trying for centuries to extinguish the candle of faith that was lit in the soul of a Serb by our god-father Sava eight centuries ago.

His Holiness Irinej, the Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the concelebration of the host, Diocesan Bishop of Zica, His Grace Bishop Justin, Their Eminences: Jovan Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje; Metropolitans: Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, Hrizostom of Dabar-Bosna and Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana; Their Graces Bishops: Vasilije of Srem, Lukijan of Budim, Nikanor of Banat, Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, Mitrophan of Canada, Irinej of Backa, Dositej of Britania-Scandinavia, Pahomije of Vranje, Jovan of Sumadija, Ignjatije of Branicevo, Fotije of Zvornik-Tuzla, Atanasije of Mileshevo, Joanikije of Budimlje-Niksic, Grigorije of Dusseldorf and Germany, Milutin of Valjevo, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, Maxim of Western America, Irinej of Eastern America, David of Krusevac, Jovan of Slavonia, Sergije of Bihac-Petrovac, Ilarion of Timok, Arsenije of Nis, Siluan of Australia-New Zealand, Kiril of Buenos Aires and South-Central America, Nikodim of Dalmatia, Heruvim of Osijek-Polje and Baranja, Dimitrije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina, Joakim of Polog-Kumanovo, Marko of Bregalnica, David of Stobi, Antonije of Moravica, Stefan of Remesiana, Isihije of Mohacs, Metodije of Dioclea as well as retired Atanasije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina.

Their Graces Bishops Lavrentije of Sabac and retired Bishop Jovan of Nis prayerfully attended the celebration.

Hierarchs were concelebrated by Archimandrites:Dr. Tihon (Rakicevic) of Studenica, Jovan (Radosavljevic) and abbot of Sopocani Teoktist; protopresbyters-staurophors Savo Jovic, Milutin Timotijevic, Dragi Veskovac, Slavko Zorica, Zoran Krstic, Ljubinko Kostic and Vladislav Topalovic; protopresbyters Jovan Milanovic and Ljubomir Prijovic, protodeacons Stevan Rapajic, Damjan Bozic and Aleksandar Grujovic, as well as hierodeacon Siluan of Chilandar.

Monastery courtyard was small to receive many faithful who came that day to Zica, a source of our spirituality. Among attendees there were His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexandar and Princess Katherine Karadjordjevic, General Secretary of the President of the Republic of Serbia Mr. Nikola Selakovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ivica Dacic, Minister of Culture and Information Mr. Vladan Vukosavljevic and Minister of Innovation and Technological Development Mr. Nenad Popovic, representatives of Churches and Religious communities, mayors, representatives of the Serbian Armed Forces, the Police, Gendarmerie, cultural and educational institutions.

His Holiness Patriarch Irinej held a speech, after which Bishop Arsenije of Nis read the Epistle of our holy Church addressed to the clergy, monastics and faithful on the occasion of this jubilee anniversary.

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