Recently we came back from the trip across the sanctuaries of Serbia. And we would like to tell you about our impres-sions. This pilgrimage we carried out together with our con-fessor father prot. Ioann Mironov. In twelve days we visited more then forty monasteries in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Serbia and in Kosovo-Metohia district, where a lot of Serbian blood was spilled. All of this is the land of ancient Serbia. The modern world politics want to divide it into small independent parts. (Independent from each other, but very dependent from the world politic). Somebody wants, this division will be car-ried out at church level and at the entire religion level, which would results in schisms and international contradic-tions. We had to cross new borders many times and everywhere, except of Serbia-Horvatia border, our under-cassocks became our permission. We began our pilgrimage from St. Marina con-vent in Bosnia. We finished it in this convent after we drove more than 2,5 thousand kilometers, visited most important sanctuaries, celebrated many divine liturgies, talked with many great bishops, priests, nuns, monks and laymen of Serbia church. We will try to tell you the most interesting things in our publications.
THREE MEETINGS
Right in the airport Sheremetevo 2 we met one middle age Serb - Perovich. The conversation with him helped us to under-stand Serbian piety. Perovich told us about his grandmother Vasilia. She prayed and fasted a lot: on Wednesday and Friday she ate just some bread and water. Her husband was killed in World War I. At that time she was pregnant with her eighth child. Vasilia was able to bring up and educate in faith all her eight children. She had 48 grandchildren. She died very old at the age of 112. One of her children - Perovich father - was a priest. He had a degree in theology, literature and classic languages. So, this good root gave a lot of fruits: father was a warrior, who gave his live for faith and mother-land. And a young widow, who's faith didn't shake.
Another meeting helped us to understand modern life in Serbia. Russian woman Nadezda flied with us to Belgrade. She has lived in Serbia already 30 years. She married Serb and teach in the Serbian secondary school Russian. Nadezda told us, that she believe in God and try to bring orthodox faith to school children. But there are a lot of difficulties on this way - modern TV brings great evil in children souls. Children become invalids without war and catastrophe.
Third meeting took place in Belgrade airport. We waited for check in to the flight to capital of Bosnia. A young Serb came to batushka. His name was Mark. He gave batushka wood ro-sary as a present. He tucked up T-shirt sleeves and showed us big tattoos on both of his shoulders. On each shoulder was a big cross embraced with flowers. Certainly, batushka didn't like these tattoos, even though these were christian symbols. He made the disapproving sign with his hand. We don't now, if Mark understand it or not. He smiled and went away. We stayed and thought about difficult binding of virtue and sin in human soul: he believes in God, but his self-conceit is very high, he make tattoos that all people will see, in order to attract attention. But true Orthodoxy is always designate to presence of humility.
Not far from us we saw special troops with submachine guns and police. It is the evidence of difficult time, that Serbian people have now. The airplane flied up and directed to Bosnia capital - Bana-Luku. Our trip over Serbia had to start from there.
SERBIAN HOSITALITY
On the way we worried, because we forgot to call Serbs, who invited us, before the flight. We were calm down already in the airport. Serbs, with their head, the master of convent regular priest Vasilij welcomed us with hospitality: "All Serbia and Chernogoria are waiting for you!"
Small but very comfortable St. Marina convent became our native home after several days, that we were there - in the beginning and at the end of our stay in Serbia. Young monks Vasilij and Veniamin and novice Zelko impatiently waited for us and were very glad about our arrival. There is a custom in Serbia: the host don't sit at the table when he receive guests. Father Vasilij went around the table when we ate and checked, if all have enough and served all guests. After sleep we went to lord Chrisostom.
We must say, that in Serbia, as in Greece the church dis-tricts are much smaller, as ours. Lord Chrisostom district has just a little bit more than 30 priests, as much as we have in every Petersburg church district. It has its own good sides: bishop knows his people better, it easy for him to see what happens in every church, therefore the relations between bishop and priests and laymen are easy. Lord Chrisostom went with us to ancient convent Rimna. In Serbia exists the custom: to dedicate churches or convents or valuable deposits to re-membrance of soul. Rimna - is the name of ancient deposit, that one of the grant duchess gave to convent construction in honor of her son - Herman. The name Herman in folk tradition was read as Rimna. The land is very beautiful with a small wa-terfall. In small convent live several monks, their master is now a student of St-Petersburg Ecclesiastical Academy. The church were orthodox services take place is remarkable, be-cause about 10 Bosnian metropolitans were buried there.
Regular priests Mefodii and Kirill (ZINKOVSKIE)