Zádiel, Slovakia, June 16, 2021
Photo: pravoslavieke.eu
On Saturday, June 12, Orthodox faithful from the Slovakian city of Košice went on pilgrimage in honor of St. John (Jovan) Vladimir, one of the most beloved and venerated saints throughout the Balkans.
The pilgrimage to Zádiel Gorge, about 25 miles southwest of Košice, was led by His Eminence Archbishop Juraj Michalovce and Košice, who celebrated an open-air Divine Liturgy atop the mountains of Zádiel, reports the site of the Košice cathedral.
Photo: pravoslavieke.eu
Abp. Juraj was joined by his cathedral clergy and a number of pilgrims, mainly families with young children who carried an icon of St. John Vladimir and a portion of his precious relics that were gifted to the diocese by the late Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro, adds Romfea.
“We trust and ask God to make this pilgrimage a tradition that will continue in the years to come. May St. John Vladimir intercede before the throne of God and entreat God’s great grace,” reads the cathedral’s report.
Photo: pravoslavieke.eu
St. John Vladimir is especially venerated in Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania. His full relics are treasured at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Tirana, Albania. A portion of his relics were recently returned to the Church from a museum.
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The holy Martyr John Vladimir, a Serbian prince, was born in the 10th century. From his childhood he was raised in piety, and at maturity he wisely governed his holdings of Illyria and Dalmatia, preserving the holy faith in purity.
The noble prince was married to Kosara, a daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Samuel. Summoned for talks with the Bulgarian Tsar John-Vladislav, he was treacherously murdered by the Tsar on May 22, 1015, at the entrance to a church. Kosara, the pious spouse of the holy prince, entered a women’s monastery that she built, and where also she died, not leaving the church until the very end of her life.
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