UNMIK ON AIR

Serb monks returned to St. Archangel Monastery

July 30, 2004

By Zoran CULAFIC

 

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During the March riots in Kosovo some 30 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were burned down or destroyed. St Archangel’s Monastery, some five kilometers from the southern part of Prizren [in Western Kosovo] was among those that suffered the most damage – Kosovo Protection Force [KFOR] soldiers evacuated some eight Serb monks just before the mob rushed in and burned down this cultural and historical monument dating back to the 14. Century.

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During the March riots in Kosovo at least 30 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were burned down or destroyed. The 14th Century St Archangel’s Monastery, some five kilometers from the southern part of Prizren in Western Kosovo, was among those that suffered the most damage.

 

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ATMOS OF RIOTS…

 

One of the major promises made by Kosovo’s Government soon after the March unrest was a damage assessment of religious and cultural sites throughout Kosovo.  Among the sites visited by the assessment team was St. Archangel’s Monastery.

 

But for the six Serb monks who returned soon after March to reconstruct the burnt remains of the monastery buildings, the damage assessments could not adequately factor in the human cost of piecing together a new life.

 

Iguman German, chief monk of St. Archangel’s Monastery told UNMIK On-Air - he is very happy to have been given the opportunity to return, and is hopeful for the Monastery’s future.

 

Currently, the monastery’s caretakers are living in temporary containers, and the top priority for them is to rebuild a solid shelter before the winter starts. But for German, the most important thing is that they have indeed return to this historic site:

 

Iguman German: “Thank God, personally the thing I was most afraid of was that they would not allow us to Return as happened in Zociste Monastery, and many other monasteries and villages in Kosovo … people would like to return to Zociste but it has not happened yet.”

 

Last weekend the St. Archangel’s Monastery celebrated its Slava – the monastery feast that glorifies Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The celebration was set under a mammoth tent, which accommodated those who gathered to remember when, in times past, the monastery hosted thousands of visitors who came from all over Kosovo.

 

On this day as on past occasions, the church-bell ringing was heard, but this time on an open field, amongst the stones and ruined walls of the church.

 

[bell ringing at the distance …..]

 

Milutin Timotijevic, head of the former Theology University in Prizren, greeted all the guests before the launching of the day’s festivities. Some 200 Serbs were present, as well as two high-ranking Kosovo Protection Force regional commanders from the German and Italian battalions.

 

Welcoming the guests, Milutin Timotijevic sent a massage to all the citizens of Kosovo that mankind had a responsibility to treat people with respect and dignity, no matter what their ethnic origin or perceived racial difference.

 

Timotijevic: “And my last word and my testament is – always do as much good as you can, and in this you can accomplish much. Every day when you wake up say – “God help us and bless this day.” “God bless me, and my neighbors too.” “Bless all those who love us, and all those who hate us too” … “God, be merciful to them and to us”… And be sure then that God will hear your voice and will bless us all.”

 

Serb King Dusan built the St. Archangel's Monastery in 1352, and it has weathered a tumultuous Balkan history. St. Archangel's was the place where the Serb and Byzantine Orthodox Churches solved mutual disputes, some 40 years after the Serb Church proclaimed its autonomy.

 

The first joint Serb and Byzantine sermon took place at this monastery in the early 14th century - an event that ended an era of religious difference between the two branches of Orthodoxy - and a point in history that suggested the possibility of modern reconciliation in Kosovo.

 

[liturgical music]

 

In the early 17th Century the monastery was demolished and up until 1998 there were no monks permanently living on the site.

 

Head Monk German says that today, almost no Serbs live in Prizren, although a few dozen Serb families do still live in surrounding villages.

 

German was happy to see such a large turnout to the week's feast - but he acknowledged a hint of sadness because the process of reconstruction had not yet begun.

 

German: “There are a lot of promises, but nothing has been done thus far. You can see yourself that in the four months since the March events, nothing has been done… Because of our personal initiatives we have managed to prepare for the upcoming winter, but from an institutional perspective – the Kosovo Government, UNMIK and even from Serbia, there are no concrete solutions nor plans for reconstruction of what was demolished and burned down here.”

 

Stevan Balosevic is a renowned Serb doctor, well known among all ethnic communities in Kosovo as an expert in medical science. Before the conflict he was head of Pristina Hospital, and now he is working in the northern part of the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in Northern Kosovo.

 

Doctor Balosevic was born in the Prizren area and last week was among the visitors to the monastery. He fondly remembers a time when he lived with fellow Albanians and made pilgrimages to the monastery some decades ago.

 

Balosevic: “I keep all my memories from childhood - it reminds me of a time when it was free for us to live here … but today, when I see what has happened … unfortunately … Prizren and its surroundings have seen much better days … but I believe, maybe next year we will meet here in better circumstances.”

 

After the afternoon sermon on the open field, the Serb orthodox bishop of Lipljan, Teodosije, told those gathered that the international community is indeed making efforts to help with the reconstruction of the monastery.

 

Bishop Teodosije told UNMIK On-Air, that he hopes St. Archangel’s Monastery will be reconstructed as soon as possible.

 

Bishop Teodosije: “We all are unanimously in favor of any help we can offered…and we welcome the KFOR representatives, Italian general Ericko and German colonel Builer - who assured us that they are going to do their best to help with the reconstruction of this sacred place. It is a priority that this happens before the winter to provide solid shelter for the six monks who have returned here, and who are currently living in containers units. Later on, God willing we hope to rebuild the historical Big Konak – a monastery palace or shelter for monks to live in, and all the others who would like to visit …”

 

That’s all, and thanks for listening to this edition of UNMIK On-Air.