SERBIAN CHURCH IN DUBROVNIK

In 1877, the glorious and grand Serbian church in Dubrovnik, dedicated to the Annunciation, was consecrated, while before it the church in Boninovo was built in 1837. The first church, dedicated to Saint George, was consecrated back in 1800 in Posat. Serbian rulers stood by the city of Dubrovnik for centuries. Records of visits by Serbian dignitaries to the Republic of Dubrovnik have been preserved. Many people from Dubrovnik at that time were enthusiastic about Serbian monasteries. Nikola, the father of Ruđer Bošković, as an excellent connoisseur of Serbian lands, was a great expert on the life and work of Saint Sava. The diplomat Jakov Palmotić, in an epic, sings of a touching reception at the Mileševa Monastery, after the devastating earthquake of 1667 that struck Dubrovnik. We remember the brilliant and great historical role of the Dubrovnik Church Community. Prota and later Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia Georgije (Nikolajević) is one of those offspring, spiritually nurtured by the Dubrovnik parish, who now rests in the picturesque Sarajevo locality of Blažuj – Vrelo Bosne. The wonderful Annunciation temple, built on the site of magnificent noble mansions, is a pearl of the entire multi-religious and culturally enigmatic city of Ragusa, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Until 1691, the Metropolitans of Dabar-Bosnia (Avksentije, Teodor, etc.) had jurisdiction over Orthodox Serbs in Dalmatia, after which they remained titulary: "Exarch of Dalmatia". Besides them, the greatest responsibility until the arrival of Austria-Hungary was also held by the Metropolitans of Zeta, but not directly, but through their "vicars", i.e., archimandrites they sent. During the administration in Dalmatia and Boka of Bishop Stefan Knežević (1853–1890), in 1870 the Kotor and Dubrovnik districts received a special bishop, and until that year they were served by deputies – vicars – archimandrites. The turbulent history under Turkish, Venetian, and Napoleonic rule complicated the already difficult position of Serbs in this area. Only in 1804 was it allowed for an Orthodox priest to reside permanently in the city. Saint Nikodim Milaš, Father Ivan Stojanović and Lujo Vojinović speak about Dubrovnik and the Orthodox life in it. The jubilees and liturgical celebrations that remained striking in the consciousness of Dubrovnik Serbs are rare but great, considering the spiritual grandeur of the people of Dubrovnik and their small number. One such event is certainly the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the Annunciation temple in 1977. The Holy Liturgy was served by the Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia Vladislav (Mitrović), with the concelebration of the clergy of the Dabar-Bosnia Eparchy (today: Dabar-Bosnia, Mileševa, Zahumlje-Herzegovina). Deacon Božidar Vasiljević