Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia presided over the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, 6 September 2026, at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Three Hands, located beneath Mount Avala, in the hamlet of Drobnjaci near Ripanj.
During the service, the Patriarch of Serbia performed the rite of the Great Consecration of the monastery church, one of the most beautiful log churches of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
“Brothers and sisters, we have gathered for prayer, and prayer is always also the presence of God’s grace. We have gathered in a place where God dwells and where His grace is present,” Patriarch Porfirije said.
He referred to the veneration of the Three-Handed Theotokos, emphasising that every person who turns to Her in prayer receives Her protection and maternal care. Patriarch Porfirije also expressed the hope that the church would become “a beehive”—a place of gathering and prayer for the abbess and sisterhood, for the faithful and for Orthodox Serbs throughout the world.
He added that prayers offered at the monastery should extend to the whole world, asking God to grant humanity “the peace of God and the peace of Christ.”
Following the prayer from the ambo, the Patriarch elevated the monastery’s superior, Mother Zlata, to the rank of abbess.
The monastery is a relatively young holy site, but it has already become deeply rooted in the prayerful life of the faithful. It was established in honour of the wonderworking icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Three Hands. A faithful copy of the icon is kept in the monastery church.
The foundations of the church were consecrated in 2015 by the then Patriarchal Vicar, His Grace Bishop Arsenije of Toplica, now Metropolitan of Niš. Mother Zlata and the sisterhood have worked for years to preserve the monastery’s prayerful life and welcome those seeking spiritual renewal at this spiritual oasis near Belgrade.
Source: Serbian Orthodox Church
