Serbian Orthodox church of Sts

Serbian Orthodox church of Sts. Peter and Paul in Gornja Brnjica, near Pristina, desecrated

"The spectacle I found was horrible," the Pristina parish priest told the ERP KIM Info Service. "The vandals had scattered the holy chalice, the Holy Scriptures, the candle holders and icons on the floor of the church. After a detailed examination, I discovered that two silver candle holders were missing from the holy altar table, one icon lamp and all the money from sold candles and donations," said Fr. Miroslav

ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, January 6, 2004

Pristina parish priest Fr. Miroslav Popadic informed the Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija that during his visit on Monday to the village of Gornja Brnjica, five kilometers north of Pristina, he found that the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, built in 1975, had been desecrated.

"Unknown assailants probably tried to break down the metal doors which remained stuck so they then cut through three metal bars on the window, broke the window and entered the church," stated Fr. Miroslav. The priest and parishioners were consequently unable to enter the church through the door and immediately called members of the Kosovo Police Service, who checked the church to make sure it was not mined. Finally a Serb member of the KPS entered the church through the window and opened the door for the priest and the gathered villagers so they could inspect the church.

"The spectacle I found was horrible," the Pristina parish priest told the ERP KIM Info Service. "The vandals had scattered the holy chalice, the Holy Scriptures, the candle holders and icons on the floor of the church. After a detailed examination, I discovered that two silver candle holders were missing from the holy altar table, one icon lamp and all the money from sold candles and donations," said Fr. Miroslav.

Forty days ago unknown persons broke into the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul through the bell tower, climbing down the rope of the bell. On that occasion only the money was stolen but the objects within the church were not disturbed.

In the mixed village of Gornja Brnjica there is a total of 47 Serb families with 187 members. After June 1999 eight Serb families left their homes in the Albanian part of the village and for the past more than four years have been unable to return their homes for fear of attacks.

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul is located at some distance from the village, in the woods next to the Orthodox cemetery. It is possible to get to the church completely unobserved from the direction of the neighboring Albanian village of Sinji Do, from where local residents believe the vandals probably came. The present-day church was built in 1975 on the ruins of the medieval Church of St. Nicholas, destroyed during the Turkish occupation.

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija most vehemently condemns this latest case of desecration of Orthodox holy shrines in Kosovo and Metohija. Only a few days after an attempt by Pristina municipal authorities to usurp the church property on which the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Pristina has been built at the urging of the University of Pristina and the Kosovo Ministry of Education, a second "Christmas present" from Albanian extremists followed.

Although the police has launched an investigation in this most recent case of church desecration, it appears that this case of attack on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church is as unlikely to be resolved as any of the others.