Day Fourteen: Doxology Service with Four Patriarchs at Serbian Patriarchal Cathedral; Tour of Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade Fortress - 10/05/13
For the last twelve months, the Orthodox Church of Serbia had been celebrating the Edict of Milan of 313 A.D., one of the most important documents in the history of mankind. With it, St. Emperor Constantine the Great legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire so that, for the first time, the worshippers of the one true God could glorify Him freely and without persecution. Like St. Sava and his holy, royal family, St. Constantine holds a special place in the hearts of Serbians because he was born in Nish, Serbia in about 272 A.D. On the last weekend of the pilgrimage, Sayidna JOSEPH and the delegation were most blessed to join in the climax of the 1700th anniversary celebration of this local saint and his impact on the world… and the whole world gathered starting in Belgrade.
The delegation arrived early at Holy Archangel Michael Cathedral to ensure it could stand inside; part of the crowd of more than 2,000 clergy and laity had spilled outside. At about 9:30 a.m. a throng of seminarians—teens and adults—formed a pathway across the street from the Cathedral to the Patriarchal Headquarters to stop traffic. Suddenly, bells tolled loudly and deeply, and His Holiness, Patriarch IRINEJ emerged with the Holy Assembly of Serbian Bishops, including our host earlier in the week, His Grace, Bishop JOVAN. They crossed the street in between them and waited for all of the dignitaries to arrive. News media jockeyed for the best possible spots to capture the arrival on video and in photos.
After several minutes, police cars with lights flashing pulled up to the Cathedral. They had escorted about two dozen black Mercedes-Benzes. Bodyguards then stepped out of the crowd to secure the location. Each car carried an Orthodox Christian primate or representative, plus an assistant. When they emerged, cameras clicked rapidly as the people, including the media, easily recognized the famous passengers. They were:
• Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW I of Constantinople
• Patriarch THEOPHILOS III of Jerusalem
• Patriarch KIRILL I of Moscow
• Archbishop CHRYSOSTOM II of Cyprus
• Archbishop IERONYMOS II of Athens
• Archbishop ANASTASIOS I of Albania
• Metropolitan SAWA I of Poland
• Archbishop SIMEON, Locum Tenens of the Czech Lands and Slovakia
• Metropolitan BASILIOS of Akkar, representing the Patriarchate of Antioch
• Bishop DEMETRIOS of Safita, representing the Patriarchate of Antioch
Joining them, according to the Serbian Patriarchate, were Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergam (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Metropolitan Emanuel of France (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Metropolitan George of Conakry and Guinea (Alexandrian Patriarchate), Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantia (Jerusalemite Patriarchate), Archbishop Macarios (Jerusalemite Patriarchate), Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (Moscow Patriarchate), Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk (Moscow Patriarchate), Metropolitan Domentianos of Vidin (Bulgarian Patriarchate), Bishop Sioni of Velick (Bulgarian Patriarchate), Metropolitan Gerasimos of Zugdid (Georgian Patriarchate), Bishop Nectarios of Arsinoi (Church of Cyprus), Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia (Church of Greece), Bishop Astios of Vilid (Church of Albania), Vicar Bishop George (Church of Poland), and the retired Archbishop Christopher of Prague. These hierarchs would convene the next day in Nish for the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy (more on that under “Day Fifteen.”)
Once everyone crammed inside the Cathedral, His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW blessed the beginning of the Doxology Service. The choir sang beautiful hymns in thanksgiving to God for bringing everyone together for this joyous and historic celebration.
Following the short service, two of the Patriarchs addressed the gathering in Serbian and in Greek. According to reports published in English, Patriarch IRINEJ said that the Edict of Milan is the foundation of the civilization as we know it. He hailed it an opportunity to find a new way to overcome many of the modern-day problems in the life of the Christian community. Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW then expressed his wish that Serbia and its people may recover from the persecution and suffering of the past, and pursue their lives in the Christian spirit, adding that the first signs of spiritual rejuvenation in Serbia are already noticeable.
The delegation left the crowded Cathedral for a much more open afternoon excursion in Kalemegdan Park. It is one of the most important and historic areas in Belgrade, sitting just above the Sava and Danube Rivers. “Kalemegdan” is formed from two Turkish words that mean “open field.” The park overlooks the Austrian and French embassies, and it includes a monument built in gratitude to France for its support of Serbia in World War I. Crafted in 1930, it shows the Roman god of victory, Nike. The inscription reads, “We love France like she loved us.” Kalemegdan Park is also home to Belgrade Fortress which dates to the third century B.C. It is the oldest core section of Belgrade and has been home to Celts, Romans and other ancient civilizations which lived strictly within its walls.
The Park and Fortress now house two houses of God: one in honor of the Nativity of the Theotokos; the other in honor of St. Paraskeva the Serbian. The first church has chandeliers made of bullets and other metals used in World War I. It also has fresco iconography on the ceiling of Serbian kings carrying churches as endowments back to God for His blessings upon them. The second church has a spring well that runs underneath and, as a result, hosts many baptisms. Mosaic icons adorn this church.
The delegation finished its last Saturday early, as it braced for a very early morning and long, yet historic, Sunday ahead.