On Thursday, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia attended a Holy Liturgy officiated by His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch Irinej. The Holy Liturgy was held in Lazarica church in Krusevac, as well as a wreath-laying ceremony and memorial service at the monument for the Kosovo heroes in the city centre. Patriarch Irinej, Bishop David and clergy of Diocese of Krusevac were also present.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess also attended a ceremony of presenting a new monument of Kneginja Milica, after which they officially delivered lift platform for students with disabilities and school furniture, a donation from Sister Anne Estate worth more than € 17,000 and toys for children, at a primary and secondary school.
“I am pleased to be with you today in Krusevac on Vidovdan and also for having the opportunity to deliver an elevator for which I believe it will make your life easier. This valuable donation worth more than € 17,000 was provided by the Lifeline organisation from Chicago, whose patron I am, as well as by the Sister Anne Estate, and I want to use this opportunity to thank them. My husband Crown Prince Alexander and I will continue to help as much as we can,“ said Crown Princess Katherine.
Crown Prince Alexander said that Vidovdan is one of the “greatest Serbian holidays and one of the most important dates in our history” and added that “we are celebrating it as a symbol of our nation’s spirit, as a jubilation of hope and faith for a better tomorrow.”
Vidovdan is a Serbian national and religious holiday celebrated on 28 June. The Serbian Church designates it as the memorial day to Saint Prince Lazar and the Serbian holy martyrs who fell during the epic Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire on 15 June 1389.
The day is also important for the Serbian Royal Family. In 1921, the Serbian King Alexander I proclaimed the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution.