850th anniversary of St Sava's birth marked in Dezeva

BELGRADE - Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church lead a holy liturgy at the Temple of St Sava in Dezeva, southwestern Serbia, on Friday to mark the 850th anniversary of the birth of St Sava, the first Serbian archbishop.

The faithful, members of the clergy, monks and local officials gathered in Dezeva, the birthplace of St Sava, for prayers in a spiritual atmosphere.

In an address, Patriarch Porfirije spoke about St Sava's greatness, work and significance for the Serbs as a spiritual father, enlightener and the builder of the Serbian church and identity.

"St Sava was born here 850 years ago - this is his anniversary, as well as ours. It is here that he began to grow to became a true man, a spiritual giant. He travelled to all sides of the world, to Egypt, Baghdad, he went to the West, and established brotherly and friendly relations with all. In that sense, too, he demonstrated that love is the essence of any existence and that, sooner or later, it wins its battle and triumphs, and that it must be prepared to suffer belittlement and persecution and bear a cross, because a cross is crucifixion, and in a cross, as the crucifixion of Christ, is contained his victory," he said.

Dezeva is where St Sava was born and all faithful who were born here need to be proud of that, the patriarch said.

"You are blessed, because all of us - all Orthodox Serbs - were born here," he said.

After the liturgy, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church held a session at the nearby Djurdjevi stupovi monastery.