Kriva Palanka, North Macedonia, December 11, 2020
Some of the vandalized frescoes before they were fixed. Photo: mitropolija.com
The correct Serbian names have been restored to a number of frescoes of Serbian saints at St. Joachim of Osogovo Monastery in Kriva Palanka, North Macedonia, according to a statement from the SPONA Serbian Cultural Information Center from Skopje.
The changes to the frescoes were initially noticed by SPONA employees during a visit to the monastery.
In particular, the inscriptions above the figures of the Serbian saints Tsar Uroš, Tsar Lazar, King Milutin, Stefan of Dečani, Archbishop Nikodim of Serbia, and Stefan the First-Crowned, were changed to Sts. Prince Vladimir of Kiev, Tsar John the Merciful, Emperor Constantine the Great, Nikephoros Phokas, Constantine Cabasilas of Ochrid, and Justinian I.
SNOPA specified that only Serbian saints were renamed, sending a clear and unambiguous message from deniers of the collective historical memory of the Serbian and Macedonian peoples.
A letter from the office of President Stevo Pendarovski to SPONA states that, “in accordance with the instructions, the institutions responsible for this issue were informed, and we received a response that they are familiar with the situation and that they are taking appropriate action,” reports Politika.rs.
A statement from SPONA points out that “in the meantime, it has been confirmed that the damaged part of the frescoes of exceptional importance for both peoples in this cultural and historical monument has been restored to its original condition.”
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