Charity show for restoration of Banjska Monastery

BERLIN - On the occasion of seven centuries of existence of the Banjska Monastery in Kosovo-Metohija, the ensemble of the Serbian National Theatre from Pristina staged a play entitled "Banjsko zlato" (the Gold of Banjska) at the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) in Dusseldorf.

Funds were raised for the reconstruction of the Banjska Monastery at the foot of Mt. Rogozna near Zvecan, north of Serbia's southern province.

The play featured famous Serbian actors from Belgrade Vojin Cetkovic, Nebojsa Dugalic and Jasmina Stojiljkovic, along with folk musicians and singers.

Prior to the play, a liturgy was served by Bishop Sergey of Central Europe and Bishop Teodosije of Raska-Prizren.

The event was organized by the SPC with support of the Serbian Consulate in Dusseldorf.

The monastery, along with the Church of St. Stephen, was built between 1313 and 1317 as the endowment of Serbian King Milutin, one of the most powerful rulers of the Nemanjic dynasty.

The monastery started to decay already in early 15th century and was left deserted in the second half of 15th century. After 520 years, the reconstruction started in 2003.