PRINCE OF WALES CONTRIBUTING TO THE RESTORATION OF HILANDAR MONASTERY

6/8/2011

The Friends of Mount Athos is a charitable and educational society founded in England and dedicated to supporting the well-being of the monasteries of Mount Athos – the Holy Mountain, a monastic state situated in the territory of Greece and a home to 20 Eastern Orthodox Monasteries. The society recently organized a fundraising event marking the third phase of the Hilandar Appeal – dedicated to the restoration of the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Hilandar. Hilandar is a Holy Mountain monastery founded in 1198 by the First Serbian Archbishop St Sava and his father, the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja. On March 4, 2004, a catastrophic fire struck this monastery. At the personal invitation of the Prince of Wales, who is an honorary member of The Friends of Mount Athos society, Archimandrite Methodios, the abbot of Hilandar Monastery, together with two monks, attended a fundraising reception in the Highgrove House, the official family home of the Prince of Wales, on 28 July 2011. More from Ljiljana Sinđelić Nikolić.

Both Prince Charles and his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, are years-long honorary members of The Friends of Mount Athos society. In 2003, the Prince visited the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Chilandar and was captivated with its beauty and cultural and spiritual legacy, which has been treasured for centuries. After the catastrophic fire in 2004, the Prince sent a message of support to the brotherhood of the Hilandar Monastery, saying he was deeply shocked and saddened. The father of the Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on the Greek island of Corfu, to the Greek royal family, is of Christian Orthodox origin and maintains very personal relations with Mt. Athos. He has passed on his love of Orthodox spirituality and Mt. Athos to Prince Charles as well, with whom he visits the monastic republic in Greece on a regular basis every year. Together with other members of The Friends of Mount Athos they have contributed with significant donations for the Hilandar Appeal.

The recent fundraising event at Highgrove, organized by the Prince of Wales, gathered some one hundred guests from Great Britain, Europe and the USA, including several distinguished members of the Serbian diaspora. The raised funds will be used for the preparation of a room for the conservation of icons and manuscripts for which Hilandar is world famous. At the Highgrove reception, in talks with Archimandrite Methodios, Prince Charles expressed an interest in the progress of the reconstruction works, in the influence of the economic crisis on the restoration works and in the importance of fundraising events. He said that the spiritual and cultural value of the Holy Mountain and the Hilandar Monastery surpassed the local limits and significance, which is why it is very important to organize fundraising activities. He insisted on the preservation of the heritage and spirit of the Hilandar Monastery and on the harmonization of modern and traditional elements. Being highly dedicated to sustainable development and organic growing as well, the Prince also asked about the Hilandar vineyards, which, together with the olive orchards, have been renovated by the monks in the past months, in cooperation with agricultural experts.

The Hilandar Appeal, organized by The Friends of Mount Athos, has already undergone three phases. The funds raised in the first phase were spent on the building of a new bakery for the Monastery, the old one having been completely destroyed in the fire. The second phase was inaugurated with a reception at Bridgewater House, the Latsis family residence, in May 2008 and the funds that were raised were used for the refurbishment of the Monastery’s library.

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