On the occasion of the feast of the Church of Saint George the Great Martyr in Knjaževac, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia visited this picturesque town in the Timok Valley—named after the illustrious Serbian ruler Prince Miloš—on May 6, 2025.
In the magnificent church, erected 190 years ago by order of Miloš the Great, Patriarch Porfirije presided over the Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by Metropolitan Ilarion of Timok and Metropolitan Arsenije of Niš.
In his heartfelt words of welcome to the Patriarch, Metropolitan Ilarion recalled that, moved by his paternal love and pastoral care for the Church of Christ and the people of Saint Sava, Patriarch Porfirije once again responded to the invitation of the faithful of the Diocese of Timok to celebrate together the feast day and the 190th anniversary of the Cathedral of Saint George the Great Martyr in Knjaževac.
During his homily, Patriarch Porfirije stated:
“Brothers and sisters, what has brought us together here today is the faith of Saint George—our own faith, faith in Christ, the Orthodox faith. It is this faith that has preserved our people through the centuries, wherever we may have lived and under whatever circumstances. More than just preserving us, it has shaped and uplifted us. Through this faith, we became creative and successful. Through this faith, we became victors. Through it, we came to understand that Christ’s word—His word of love—is the very meaning of life. Through this faith, we knew that we truly exist only when we love Christ with our whole being and, as difficult as that may be—as we all know—when we strive with all our hearts to love one another. Let us always keep this faith in mind and know that nothing of true value in our nation exists without bearing the seal of Orthodox faith, the seal of the Gospel, the seal of Christ. Let us understand that we are not—and could never be—what we are without this faith, faith in Christ.”
Patriarch Porfirije addressed these words to the faithful who had filled the Church of Saint George in Knjaževac.
With the prayerful participation of a multitude of devout believers from Knjaževac and the surrounding areas, the Divine Liturgy was also concelebrated by Archimandrite Kosmas, Protosyncelli Enoch and Zacharias, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Igor Ivković, Protopresbyters Zoran Golubović, Marijan Krečulj, and Radoje Mijović, Protonamesnik Nemanja Tobić, Archdeacon Ilija, Protodeacon Dragan Radić, and Deacons Nikola Eraković and Vasilije Perić.
