Yesterday, October 29, 2025, after the regular sessions of the Holy Archiepiscopal Synod and the Patriarchal Administrative Council, which were presided over at the Patriarchal Palace in Sremski Karlovci, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, inaugurated an exhibition of archival documents under the thematic title: “Documents of Serbian Zion: Signatures and Seals of Serbian Patriarchs and Metropolitans in Sremski Karlovci, 1690–1913.”
Organized by the Archives of the Orthodox Church of Serbia in the Honorary Hall of the Patriarchal Palace, the exhibition covers an important period in the spiritual and cultural history of Sremski Karlovci as a national and ecclesiastical center. Based on primary historical sources, it presents the administrative functioning of the church offices of twenty metropolitans and patriarchs who were based in Sremski Karlovci. Along with reproductions of portraits of the Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Karlovci, the exhibition features 40 reproductions and 22 original documents.
Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia inaugurated the exhibition with inspiring and paternal words, emphasizing:
“With this celebration of the spirit, the Archives of the Orthodox Church of Serbia present centuries of systematic, dedicated, and regular documentation that bears witness to the consciousness and perseverance of those who came before us to preserve memory and hope.” This spirit of perseverance and diligence—working to develop a culture of memory and a methodology of recording—paralleled the development of Sremski Karlovci as the center of spiritual life in the Serbian Church during the 17th and 18th centuries. It also shaped and grew the Serbian urban class. This approach must continue to inspire us today so that we care for the archives, keep records, and enable both present and future generations to remember and know.”
