Hilandar hegumen receives Serbian state award for monastery’s revival

The abbot of Hilandar received the Order of Sretenje, 1st Class. Photo: Orthodoxia News Agency

On June 17, 2026, Serbia’s Ambassador to Greece, Nikola Nedeljković, officially presented His Eminence Archimandrite Methodius, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Hilandar on Mount Athos, with the country’s highest state decoration – the First Class Order of the Sretenje. The ceremony took place in Thessaloniki at the premises of the charitable organization Theophilos, which operates under the monastery’s auspices, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.

By decree of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vučić, dated February 14, 2025, the order was awarded to the Holy Imperial Serbian Lavra of Hilandar "for its special contribution to the spiritual mission to the Serbian people and the architectural renovation of the monastery."

Since Abbot Methodius was unable to attend the ceremony in 2025, the award ceremony was held by the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Nikola Nedeljkovic, during the event "Serbia Calls 2026" at the premises of the Charitable Organization of the Holy Monastery of Chilandari "Theophilos" in Thessaloniki.

The ceremony was attended by: Mr. Djordje Milicevic, Minister responsible for the Coordination of Activities and Measures in the Field of Relations with the Diaspora, Ms. Jelena Vujic-Obradnovic, Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Thessaloniki and Ms. Jelena Jovanovic, Head of the Delegation of the Republika Srpska to the Greek Republic.

As part of the meeting, representatives of the monastery and Serbian officials presented the “Serbia Calls 2026” project. The program includes the creation of summer camps for children of the diaspora, as well as new educational and cultural initiatives aimed at strengthening young people’s spiritual ties with their homeland.

The ancient Hilandar Monastery has for centuries served as the main symbol of the presence of the Serbian Orthodox Church on the Holy Mountain, consistently enjoying the support of the Serbian state. As the UOJ reported, the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos commemorated its founder – Saint Sava of Serbia.

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