Residents of the Mostar settlement Raštani found this morning the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Procopius, which they built two years ago, in the local Orthodox cemetery, vandalized.
Priest Nebojša Radić says that the church was desecrated, that the frescoes were destroyed and that the people in this place are very sad today because of this scene.
“It’s a terrible feeling. The locals built this church two years ago, with their own money, hard work and commitment. The church has just been painted. The frescoes are desecrating. As the lapmas were torn, so were the frescoes of the saints washed away. The butchered lapmas, the gospel, the lamp were taken. They also took the money,” says priest Radić.
He hopes that this is not directed against believers and Serbs as a people in this place and in Mostar.
“I hope this is not directed against us, that these are not messages, but that these are petty thieves. Although I wonder what anyone would want with a gospel or a lamp that they stole,” says Radić. He expects the police to find the perpetrators and dispel any suspicions that it was a matter of religious or national hatred.
Saša Kiner, a resident of Raštan, says that this morning they came to the cemetery and opened the church, only to find a terrible scene.
“When we entered, we found everything scattered, desecrated. Oil from the lamp was spilled, icons were on the floor. A window was broken and someone entered through the window. What we could see was that the gospel, two lamps, lamps, money had been taken away. It was a terrible feeling,” says Kiner.
Branislav Savić from Raštan came to the cemetery this morning to light candles, and was unpleasantly surprised by this act of vandalism.
“It is pitiful and sad that this is happening in our time, in addition to all the hardships that have befallen all three peoples in the Neretva Valley. We hope that this was not done out of hatred and directed against Serbs, but rather out of selfishness. We expect the police to find and punish the perpetrators,” Savić said.
Police also arrived at the scene and conducted an investigation.
Orthodox churches in Mostar are very often targeted by vandals. The police have solved several cases of theft, but a large number of cases remain unsolved to this day, Srna writes.
Photo: Srna
