R. Lukić
PRIESTS AND FOR THE SINGER: Theologian Milan Jeremic, Father Milutin Maric, Father Sinisa Vujasinovic and Archbishop Branislav Cortanovacki
The temple celebration dedicated to the memory of May 10, 1594, when the Turkish pasha Sinan burned the relics of Saint Sava in Vracar, was an exceptional spiritual event in Hanover this year, despite the crown, and the priests who arrived in the capital of Lower Saxony from more other places.
The liturgy in the church dedicated to the first Serbian archbishop, as the oldest, was led by Archpriest Staurophorus Bogdan Smiljic, parish priest of Bielefeld, and co-served by Archpriest Sasa Momirovic from Bremen, Archpriest Sinisa Vujasinovic and Priest Milutin Maric from Hamburg, Archpriest Marko Radmior from Kassel Cortanovacki and proto-deputy Aleksandar Perkovic. Readers Matthias Burherd and Johannes Wolf also served, and the priest’s choir was enriched by the theologian Milan Jeremić from Lona near Bielefeld with his likable baritone. The liturgy ended with the song “Christ is risen from the dead”, and then the verses of the Saint Sava’s hymn echoed from the voices of all those present, filled with pride – “Let us exclaim with love to Saint Sava“ “
After the liturgy, the feast cake was consecrated, and it was broken by Father Smiljić and the godmother of the feast, Popadija Jovana Perković. Branka Vignjevic has already applied to host the next celebration at an earlier liturgy, but considering that she was prevented from coming on Monday due to work, her mother Velinka Lukanovic, originally from Prnjavor in Republika Srpska, took part of the celebration cake. Among the first to congratulate her was her compatriot Milica Kaleder, a native of Krupa na Vrbasu.
Father Bogdan Smiljić and the host, Father Aleksandar Perković, addressed the guests and believers.
– I am glad that I had the opportunity to pray here with you to the protector of this temple, who has always protected Serbs and who prays for us before God. Glory is a beautiful custom and no one has it except us Serbs. It is the most beautiful symbolic gathering of love, blessings and happiness, if we lost our glory, we would also disappear. We celebrated this year and next year, we always had someone and something to celebrate with – Father Smiljić was in the mood.
– Thank you all for coming and to you priests who served or sang for the choir and the faithful and the singer, theologian Milan, when I listened for the first time. It is always nice when priests and believers gather, especially today when we remember Saint Sava and everything he did for the Serbian Church and people – the host, Father Perković, emphasized.
The glory of the temple was the most beautiful spiritual event among the Serbs in Hanover after the outbreak of the pandemic, so almost everyone went home in an optimistic mood. At the counter in front of the kitchen of the godfather of the celebration, Popadija Jovana accompanied them with a blessing and snacks of the celebration cake.
Steward Banislav Kapetanović did not have a difficult task, because the believers are already used to adhering to the prescribed measures and the protocol of entry and exit.
The Turks were afraid of him even dead
Saint Sava, the first archbishop of the Serbian Church and educator, was the youngest son of the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, and his christened name was Rastko. He was born in 1175 in the village of Miščići near Novi Pazar, and died on his return from a pilgrimage from Jerusalem on January 12, 1236 in Trnovo, Bulgaria. In 1237, King Vladislav transferred him and buried him in the Mileseva monastery. Saint Sava enjoyed a great reputation among the people, so his grave became the most important place of pilgrimage for the Serbian people. Fearing a major popular revolt, the Turkish pasha Sinan brought his relics to Vracar in 1594, where he burned them. Today, many schools and temples around the world bear the name of Saint Sava.
The patriarchs consecrated the place of worship
Danko Slavuljica, who was the president of the Construction Committee throughout the construction of the temple in Hanover, once again recalled important dates in the erection of the Serbian place of worship, which together with the Greek church makes Europe the only Orthodox center in Europe.
The Assembly of the Church Municipality in Hanover, with the blessing of the Bishop of Central Europe Lawrence, in 1988 made the decision to build a Serbian temple dedicated to Saint Sava in Hanover. The project was made in 1990 by the famous Belgrade architect prof. Dr. Predrag Ristic, who designed and renovated more than 50 temples in the motherland and abroad. On May 2, 1993, the cornerstone was consecrated, and a year later, on May 12, 1994, a charter was laid in the foundation of the future temple. On October 3, 1994, a cross was erected. On May 7, 1995, the Bishop of Nis, Irinej (later Patriarch), performed a small consecration, and on June 1, 2000, Patriarch Pavle performed a large consecration of the temple.
The construction was led by B.Sc. ing. Zoran Veličković, and the main operative was Danko Slavuljica. The temple was painted from 1997 to 2000 by Belgrade artists Danica Kokanović-Mladenović and Milosav Miša Mladenović.
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