On the occasion of the great Serbian religious and national holiday Vidovdan, HRH Crown Prince Alexander extended his congratulations to His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije, of Serbia, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the citizens of Serbia.
To commemorate the great holiday, a Holy Liturgy was held today in the Royal Church of Saint Andrew the First Called at the Royal Palace, as well as the commemoration service for the heroes of Kosovo battle, and it was attended by TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine, members of the Crown Council – Mr. Predrag Markovic, Prof. Bojan Sudjic, Mr. Zoran Zivanovic, Mr. Darko Spasic and Mr. Marko Bajic, and Managing Board of the Kingdom of Serbia Association.
“One more Vidovdan has come, but the feelings of the Serbian people have when this day arrives, remain the same as they were during previous centuries. In our very rich history, with many significant events and occurrences that we remember, it is hard to point out any other day that carries so much strength, symbolism, and importance for our national being as Vidovdan.
On the day when our church and all people of the faith celebrate Holy Martyr Prince Lazar and Holy Serbian Martyrs, we remember how all these heroes of our people, who defended and fought for Serbia in Kosovo battle on this day in 1389, had chosen a path of constant urging towards the high virtues of morality, honesty, and honour. They were following the footsteps of all Serbian medieval Kings and knights before them, as we are obliged to do so, by the Kosovo Covenant, that Prince Lazar and his martyrs have left to us.
Some say that after this battle the Serbian Empire fell, and that we are today celebrating defeat, but how wrong are they. We are celebrating the everlasting spirit of our nation, that kept us and led us through centuries and many temptations and challenges. And many of those challenges happened exactly on this very same day.
That is why I wish this commemoration to be spent in peace, unity, and good faith. Serbian people today must be more united than ever. Today, we remember all Serbian heroes and important historical events that took place on this day, Serbian Kosovo, and we pray for them. We must protect and love our families, our Serbia, and always mention in our prayers all the fallen heroes who gave their lives for Serbia and our ideals throughout history. Long live Serbia!”, stated HRH Crown Prince Alexander on this occasion.