Pilgrimage to Mount Athos
In the period from October 9th to 13th 2022, a group of parishioners of the Church of St. Sava from London, went on a pilgrimage to the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos. The group was led by Archpriest Dragan Lazić. This trip, like the previous one in 2019, had a devotional character. The pilgrims got acquainted with the spiritual wealth, shrines, and cultural-historical heritage of the Serbian people on this peninsula. In addition to Mount Athos, pilgrims also saw a couple of sights of the city of Thessaloniki.
After arriving at the Thessaloniki airport on October 9th, the pilgims first visited the Serbian military cemetery "Zejtinlik" in Thessaloniki. About 8,000 Serbian soldiers are buried in that cemetery. Together with them rest thousands of allied soldiers who died in the First World War. At the cemetery, the curator on duty welcomed them and introduced them to the history and importance of this Serbian cemetery. In the cemetery chapel of St. George, Fr. Dragan held a memorial service for the Serbian soldiers who were buried here, and then the group visited the memorial ossuary, which contains the remains of about five and a half thousand Serbian soldiers. This is the largest Serbian military cemetery outside our Motherland. It was created in the period after the First World War, and all the material for the construction of the cemetery was delivered from Serbia. After that, the pilgrims headed towards the famous church of St. Demetrius, the patron of the city of Thessaloniki. There, devotees kissed his holy relics, which have been kept for centuries in this most famous church in Thessaloniki.
The next day, on October 10th, pilgrims travelled from Thessaloniki to Ouranopolis, from where they continued their journey by boat to Mount Athos. The first destination was Hilandar monastery, the holiest place of the Serbian people. In the Hilandar monastery, pilgrims first adored the miracle-working icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and the grave of St. Simeon Mirotočivi (Stefan Nemanja, founder of the monastery and father of St. Sava). Then they saw the vine of St. Simeon which miraculously emerged from his grave. It is known that grapes from this oldest vine in the world help childless spouses to have offspring. They also had the opportunity to drink water from the monastery well from the time of St. Sava, and then tour the entire monastery complex. The climb to St. Sava's tower and the view of the monastery from the highest point in the monastery complex was a special attraction. In the evening, they attended the evening service and shared dinner in the renovated monastery dining hall. There are currently about fifty monks in the Hilandar monastery, and services are held every day, just as was left by Saint Sava.
The next day, at 3:00 a.m., devotees attended the morning service and the Holy Liturgy. The harmonious chanting of the monks by candlelight in the monastery church was a special spiritual experience. After lunch in the monastery dining hall, the devotees continued their tour of important places outside the monastery itself: the tower of King Milutin, the cross of Emperor Dušan, the monastery ossuary, the church of St. Basil on the monastery pier by the sea, etc... In the evening, they again attended the evening service and dinner, and then visited the monastery library.
On the fourth day of the trip, after morning worship and St. Liturgy, the group left the Hilandar monastery and boarded a ship at the Jovanjica monastery pier that took them to the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon. There they visited the monastery church and adored the miraculous icon of St. Panteleimon, which is kept in this monastery. The entire complex of this monastery looks magnificent and leaves a great impression on every visitor. In the old church of this monastery, which is located outside the monastery complex, Serbian prince Rastko Nemanjić became a monk, receiving the name Sava. The pilgrims then returned by boat to Ouranopolis, and then headed for Thessaloniki. On the way, they visited the Kakovo monastery, the metoch of the Hilandar monastery, which is located near Ierisos. This property was gifted to Hilandar in the 16th century by the Pasha of Thessaloniki, who had a son using grapes from the miraculous vine of St. Simeon.
After visiting the Kakovo monastery, the devotees arrived in Thessaloniki in the evening. The next day they returned back to London, taking with them unforgettable impressions and the desire to visit Mount Athos again.
V. Rev. Dragan Lazic, London
