“Christian memory is illuminated by love. It transforms the sacrifice of our ancestors into gratitude, and their work into an invitation for us, too, to become better people, people of peace. The Lord says: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9). The peacemakers are those who unite those who are divided, heal wounds, extend a hand to their brother, and through their lives bear witness that love and embrace are stronger than every division.”
These words were emphasized on the evening of 28 July 2026 by Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia during the magnificent academy held in the courtyard of the Cathedral Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Nikšić, on the occasion of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Vučji Do.
Read the address of Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia:
Your Eminence Metropolitan, our beloved brother in Christ and gracious host of this blessed gathering, distinguished representatives of state and social institutions, brothers and sisters, beloved children of these honourable and heroic lands,
Today we have gathered in the courtyard of the Cathedral Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Nikšić, under the prayerful protection of this great saint who pleased God for his glory and grace, to honour the one hundred and fifty years since the Battle of Vučji Do, one of the great and decisive events in Serbian history.
From this holy place, with our thoughts and prayers, we turn towards Vučji Do, where our ancestors, rooted in the Orthodox faith and in the Gospel of Christ, defending their homes, their faith, their honour, and their freedom, left behind a testimony of courage, unity, and sacrificial love for their people. And they could have, for the sake of earthly comfort, as many others did, denied themselves and their heritage.
We have gathered to give thanks to God and, in prayerful remembrance, to commemorate the military leaders, the soldiers, and all the known and unknown people whose struggle and martyrdom became part of the freedom that later generations received as a precious gift. Their sacrifice is the fulfilment of the words of the Lord:
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
History, the memory of the people, and song bear witness to what happened at Vučji Do. At that place, Serbs from different tribes and brotherhoods stood shoulder to shoulder: Montenegrins, inhabitants of the mountainous regions, and Herzegovinians, children of the same Saint Sava tradition of faith and heirs of the legacy of Saint Lazarus, led by Prince Nikola, the voivodes, the serdars, and the standard-bearers.
At a time of great trial, they stood beside one another, knowing that freedom is gained and preserved through unity, faith, and readiness for sacrifice.
Vučji Do remains an eternal testimony of faith, hope, and love, but also of the strength of unity and community. It confirms to us that, by living for our brother and our neighbour, we transcend the limits of our own abilities and become capable of a work that surpasses the individual.
In this way, the words of the Holy Apostle Paul are fulfilled within us: that we are members of one another and one body, and that the joy and suffering of each one of us concern the entire community:
“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26–27)
With this conviction, our ancestors went into battle to defend their homes, their children, their holy places, and their right to live as free people. Their struggle reveals that freedom also has a profound spiritual dimension; that it begins within our hearts, with our ability to live in truth, to serve our neighbour, and to free ourselves from hatred, envy, pride, and selfishness.
The Lord calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves and even more; He calls us to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, and to do good to those who hate us (Luke 6:27–28). Of course, it is not easy for a person to love his enemies; however, I fear, brothers and sisters, that we are approaching the point where we completely distort the words of God and declare that it is right, and almost pleasing to God, to hate even our own brother.
Following the Holy Apostle Paul, Saint Justin Popović of Ćelije teaches us that what we cannot accomplish by ourselves, we can achieve through the grace, love, and power of God, and he says:
“Just as the moon cannot shine without the sun, so man cannot love man without God.”
Love for our neighbour springs from the love of God. When the heart is turned towards Christ, in the other person we recognise our brother, the image of God, and the one for whom the Lord shed His blood.
Then love towards every human being, and ultimately towards our own people, becomes pure, sacrificial, and evangelical, because it leads us to the service of our neighbour, to the preservation of the unity of the community, and to respect for every human life.
The Lord Jesus Christ and His Church must occupy the first place, because then, and only then, does everything else fall into its proper place.
When the folk poet says:
“The earthly kingdom is only for a little while, while the Heavenly Kingdom is forever and eternal,”
he does not call us to despise earthly life, but rather to fill it with eternal meaning. Everything earthly receives its fullness only when it is rooted in Christ, only when it possesses its own heavenly dimension.
Then both the personal struggle and the history of a people serve truth, justice, goodness, and love, and become a path towards the Kingdom of God.
The words:
“For the honourable Cross and the golden freedom” can only be properly understood in the light of the Gospel.
The Cross is the symbol of Christ’s sacrificial love, a love that does not seek the death of another, but is ready to offer itself for the life of one’s neighbour.
Freedom is golden when it is permeated by responsibility, truth, and goodness; when it becomes a space in which a person can do what is good and serve another.
And today’s gathering glorifies life, love, and sacrifice. It glorifies the courage of the person who protects the weak, cares for his neighbour, and is ready to offer himself for the common good.
Through the grace of God and the kindness of Metropolitan Methodius, we have gathered to draw from the past lessons and guidance for the crossroads at which we stand today, as well as strength for peace, reconciliation, and mutual understanding; to realise that we cannot exist without one another and that we need one another.
Christian memory is illuminated by love. It transforms the sacrifice of our ancestors into gratitude and their work into an invitation for us also to become better people, people of peace.
The Lord says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
The peacemakers are those who unite the divided, heal wounds, extend their hand to their brother, and through their lives bear witness that love and embrace are stronger than every division.
This means that we are called to place temporary, partial, political, ideological, and all other individual interests beneath the common good, always keeping in mind that in Christ we are members of one another, that we constitute one people, and that each person has been given a gift with which to offer himself for the building of the unity of the Church.
Among us there are different gifts, experiences, and opinions, and precisely this diversity, when filled with love and humility, makes us richer within unity.
For this reason, today the words of the Holy Apostle Paul resound powerfully:
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
These words are an invitation to one-mindedness in Christ, to mutual trust, and to brotherly love. Therefore, we must not allow our differences to become a reason for separation, for building walls, for mutual suspicion, and for discord, especially because today, as in the past, there are those who seek to use our divisions for their own purposes, contrary to our common good.
Therefore, today, gathered before the Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog, turning our thoughts towards Vučji Do, with one mouth and one heart, with the same Orthodox faith, as one Orthodox Church of Christ, we raise our prayers for peace and understanding among peoples, for harmony within families, among neighbours, friends, and relatives.
May the memory of our ancestors live within us through faith, unity, responsibility, and practical love.
May the memory of all the military leaders and soldiers who fought at Vučji Do and gave their lives for the honourable Cross and the golden freedom be eternal.
May the Lord, through the prayers of Saint Basil of Ostrog, grant all of us wisdom, so that we may remember the past with gratitude, live the present with peace and integrity, and build the future with brotherly love.
May the blessing of the Lord be upon all of you.
Amen.
Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia arrived in Podgorica in the afternoon hours of 28 July 2026.
The Patriarch of Serbia and his delegation were welcomed at Podgorica Airport by Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral and Metropolitan Methodius of Budimlja and Nikšić.
Afterwards, the Patriarch of Serbia travelled to Nikšić, where he was solemnly received at the Cathedral Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog.
The hierarchs present at the Vespers service and the official doxology included Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral and Metropolitan Methodius of Budimlja and Nikšić, who addressed words of welcome to the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, emphasising that the faithful people, upon his arrival, recognise Christ Himself and the successor of Saint Sava:
“Today this martyred Serbian land, and this holy church have become a tangible part of the Heavenly Jerusalem, because in your person we receive the Lord Christ Himself and the successor of the throne of Saint Sava.
Your arrival in the Diocese of Budimlja and Nikšić is an expression of the complete Saint Sava unity.
May today’s Saint Sava gathering remove every human division.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
On this solemn occasion, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia stated: “I come as one of you, so that together we may pray to God for peace, unity, harmony, and mutual understanding.”
During the evening hours, in the courtyard of the Cathedral Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog in Nikšić, the festive academy was held on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Vučji Do. It was organised by grateful descendants in honour of their glorious and heroic ancestors.
Welcoming Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, who had come to bless the ecclesiastical and nationwide commemorative celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the victory at Vučji Do, the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral stated: “The souls of the knights of Vučji Do rejoice in Heaven, because you have come to commemorate them before the Living God and His people, at the place which they watered with their heroic blood.
This is the first time that a Serbian Patriarch has visited Vučji Do and celebrated the Divine Liturgy at this place of sacrifice.
This represents the greatest recognition for the heroes of Vučji Do, but also for us, their descendants!”
Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia will preside on 29 July 2026, on the feast day of Saint Athenogenes, over the Divine Liturgy at the church dedicated to this hieromartyr and great saint who pleased God, at Vučji Do, with the participation of many hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The Divine Liturgy will begin at 9:00 a.m.
The victory at Vučji Do has remained recorded in the history of the Serbian people in letters of gold, as one of the brightest examples of unity and devotion, humanity and heroism, courage and perseverance in the struggle for freedom.
