Why the day of remembrance of the Royal martyrs is celebrated in Serbia and how significant are these saints for Serbs, says Jovan Cvetkovic, a resident of Pasjane in the Kosovo Pomoravlje.
Monument to the Tsar-Martyr in Belgrade
- Two sisters: Serbia and Russia
- Life in the Grave (Kosovo)
- The Royal family cannot become the banner of political struggle
- To go to Serbia to learn to love Russia
- In Serbia commemorated the Royal family
Jovan Cvetkovic
Jovan – the religious teacher of the Law of God in high Beslanskoy school. Students, he said, less and less: from Kosovo and Metohija Serbs or leave themselves, or they very much help to do it. Leaving adults and students: if before the war in normal rural school more than four children, now 167. And not all of them will live in his native Kosovo.
– A lot of you know, the Serbs of the Holy Tsar and his family?
– All I have to say it is difficult to say about themselves. Until recently, I knew about them enough. But one day, when I was in the Seminary, after the Liturgy in the Church of St. Sava on Vracar in Belgrade, I was at the opening of the exhibition devoted to chetyrehsotletney of the house of Romanov – this was two years ago in the crypt of the Cathedral dedicated to Saint Prince Lazar and the Kosovo martyrs.
I must say that thanks to this show I, and many of my friends, learned much more about the Holy Russian Tsar – not all you could read about it in books published in the Serbian language before.
– The date for the celebration of the Holy Tsar Nicholas II and his family you have in Serbia the same as in Russia?
– Yes, exactly. Our Church calendars coincide here. And people in the services are many. Especially in Niksic, in Montenegro, where the endowment of Nicholas II – the temple was built at the expense of the Imperial family and dedicated to our great Saint – St. Basil of Ostrog.
– If to speak about the attitude of the Serbs to the last Russian Tsar, how can it be described?
– I think the best answer was given by Saint Nicholas (Velimirovich) in 1932: “…Our conscience causes us to cry when Russians cry, and rejoice when the Russians happy. Great is our debt to Russia. It must be the man. But people can be to people. The debt of Serbia to Russia for assistance to Serbs in the war in 1914 is huge: all future generations for many centuries will not be able to reimburse him. It is the duty of love, without hesitation going to die, saving the middle. For there is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends, is the words of Christ.
Russian Tsar and Russian people, entered the war in defense of Serbia, as it is not prepared, knew that they were going to certain death. The Russian love for their Serbian brothers did not fear death, will not yield to it.”
But almost to the beginning of this century, at least until the end of the twentieth century, the memory of the Holy Tsar-Martyr, the patron and protector of the Serbian people, celebrated, worshiped only in narrow circles of Christians, so to say, not publicly.
– What is the reason?
Is that what you have in Russia: communism.
Until then, while in the twentieth century we have to power the Communists came and everything connected with them, words of St. Nicholas, spoken to them in 1914, remembered and honored: “All my efforts will be directed towards the dignity of Serbia. In any case Russia will not remain indifferent to the fate of Serbia” – he wrote of the Serbian king Alexander Karadjordjevic.
After the terrible war for Russia and the revolution, Serbia is not only met with the love and compassion of Russian refugees: as a bequest of Nikola Pasic, our great ruler of the Serbian people was to erect a monument to Nicholas II in a sign of fraternal gratitude and appreciation.
However, the money for the monument was going slowly, his erection prevented the Second world war, and after it came communism, which disappeared not only raised funds, but also opportunities to talk about the Russian Tsar, the Holy, the Martyr, by which Serbia was saved from complete destruction, in a positive context – to tell you only bad things. However, for the Russian is also not news.
And only a couple of years ago a monument was erected in the Park in the center of Belgrade.
– Even earlier, if I am not mistaken, put a small monument in Banja Luka, capital of Republika Srpska.
– Yes, but such large – only in Belgrade.
– How honored the memory of the Holy family in the days of oblivion and mockery of the faith?
– Any good word about the Holy king of communism (you call it “Soviet time”) was strictly forbidden. And not only about the king: we have forgotten their glorious, and sometimes of saints, ancestors, kings worthy, selfless leaders. And about your friends and brothers. I must admit: it was. Thank God, not all eroded from the hearts.
The monument to Emperor Nicholas in Banja Luka
Thanks, I guess, can’t disappear – not least because it is one of the signs of a Christian. Now gradually increases the veneration of those whose life is for many of us an example of Christ – among them one of the first, of course – St. Nicholas II.
Many believe, and rightly so, in my opinion that life (and death) of the King-Martyr, we see the manifestation of the gospel of love, the most important Christian quality.
– What spiritual connection you, the Serbs, see with the family of Nicholas II?
– I don’t think you need to “Refine” the existing spiritual links, spiritual life – not the anatomy. Tell better about that example, which gives us all a king’s life. An example of this – other warming – far and near – Evangelical love that knows no selfishness, really believe his soul for his friends.
– What prayers are treated the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to Nicholas II?
Any Christian knows that the Holy martyrs have boldness in prayer to Christ. What we ask? Yes, our life here, as you know, suggests a reason for prayer: the relief of suffering and pain, about the world mravi. Logically, I’m sure, to ask about this and Holy king, who defended the Serbian people. I hope very much hope that the prayers of the earthly sovereign to be heard at the throne of the Heavenly King.
Neka bi Dao God of molitvama porodice of Romanovich, Blagodat Bozhia ispuni Ruski Srpski and people! The prayers of the Saint of the Romanov family may the grace of God will fill the Russian and Serbian peoples!
Interviewed By Peter Davidoff