OLD TO SPIN: One of the oldest shrines in the Serbian church celebrates 950 years of existence.

The history of the monastery dates back to 1070, when the Byzantine emperor Roman Diogenes built a small church, dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, on the walls of which the relics of Saint Prohor Pčinjski were placed with myrrh.

According to legend, it was this saint who prophesied to the Roman Diogenes that he would become emperor.

Since then, myrrh has been constantly flowing from the saint’s relics and, believers say, many sick people are cured by it. The monastery remained within the Byzantine state until the end of the 12th century, when, after the conquest of these areas by the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, it became part of Serbia.

King Milutin was of immeasurable importance to this Orthodox shrine, during whose reign 40 churches and monasteries were built or renovated, including the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery. Karlovac’s genealogy states that King Milutin, among other donations, “built the church of Pcinski Prohor”, which is confirmed by the brick on the north facade of the old church with the name of SAVA, in shallow relief, revealing the immediate care of the then Archbishop Sava III for the renovation of the temple.

The monastery has great historical significance, given that, among other things, part of the Serbian army received communion before leaving for the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, and during the First Serbian Uprising it served as a place for the preparation of the liberation movement.

In a short time, the brother of the Monastery was also the Venerable Justin (Popović), a native of Vranje, who was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2010 and proclaimed Venerable Justin of Celje and Vranje, reports “Istorijski zabavnik”.

This year in 2020, as one of the oldest shrines of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Monastery celebrates 950 years of existence.

rs.sputniknews.com