For Ascension, the Belt of Theotokos to be brought to Belgrade from Mt Athos
The Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos. Photo: orthodoxia news agency
On April 7, 2026, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije announced to the faithful in Belgrade that the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos from the Athonite monastery of Vatopedi would be brought to the capital for the feast of the Lord's Ascension.
According to the Primate, the holy relic will participate in the traditional Spasov Day procession. "On Savior's Day (Ascension), God willing, we will have the blessing for the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is kept in the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos, to be present in our city," the Patriarch noted.
He emphasized the spiritual significance of bringing the holy relic for the faithful. “And this Belt will accompany us in the Savior’s cross procession with our prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, that she, girding us with her belt, may strengthen us in faith as with an impenetrable shield against all evil,” he said.
The Primate recalled the origin of the relic, noting that “this is the belt which the Most Holy Theotokos herself wove with her own hands from camel’s wool,” and that after her Dormition it was handed over to the Apostle Thomas. Subsequently, the relic followed a long path – from Jerusalem through Cappadocia, Constantinople, and Bulgaria, and at various times was also kept in Serbian lands.
As the Patriarch emphasized, Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović gave the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos together with a part of the Precious Cross to the Vatopedi monastery, where the holy relic is kept to this day.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Serbian Church honored the victims of the bombing of Yugoslavia.
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