Taking advantage of a brief respite from his daily responsibilities, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia visited the Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, accompanied by his associates.
There, the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church has organised an exhibition under the title “Saint Sava”. The exhibition is part of the commemorations marking the 850th anniversary of the birth of the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church — a saint and national enlightener of unparalleled significance in Serbian history.
The Patriarch was guided through the exhibition by art historian Natalia Stokanović. He showed a particular interest in the icons of Christ Pantocrator and the Most Holy Theotokos with the Divine Child, which are among the most sacred relics of the original 13th-century Hilandar Monastery iconostasis.
He listened with great satisfaction to the news that the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, presented at the monumental 1997 Thessaloniki exhibition “The Treasures of Mount Athos”, was widely considered the most beautiful icon in Byzantine art history.
During his conversation with his associates, the Patriarch noted that, for the present generation — especially women, who are not permitted to enter the monasteries of Mount Athos according to the Athonite monastic rule — this exhibition offered a unique opportunity to see and venerate the most important relics of the Hilandar Monastery before they were returned to Mount Athos.
The Patriarch also venerated the 12th-century mosaic icon of the Virgin Hodegetria, before which, as Saint Sava himself recorded, his father, Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming, had reposed.
He examined the abbot’s staff from the Hilandar Monastery and that of Saint Sava the Sanctified with great attention, as well as the other ecclesiastical and artistic relics on display. He also praised the biographical icon of Saint Sava, created with his blessing and inspiration by Jelena Hinić for the Lavra of the Holy Archangels in Kovilj.
Expressing his gratitude to the gallery’s administration for their hospitality in hosting the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church’s exhibition, Patriarch Porfirije emphasised that he intended to visit repeatedly until July 19, when it closes, to once again admire the most important spiritual and cultural treasures of the Serbian people, all gathered in one place.
