Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, August 25, 2025
eparhija-zahumskohercegovacka.org
The relics of the newly canonized St. Ana, mother of St. Basil of Ostrog, were carried in a solemn evening procession through the streets of Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on August 19, as part of the city's Transfiguration celebrations.
The sacred relics were received that morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration during the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Transfiguration. His Eminence Metropolitan Atanasije of Mileševa presided over the hierarchical Liturgy, concelebrating with His Eminence Metropolitan Dimitrije of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and the Littoral, His Grace Bishop Maxim of Los Angeles and Western America, and His Bishop Paisije of Dioclea, along with numerous clergy from several dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Zahumlje-Herzegovina Diocese reports.
Met. Dimitrije had accompanied the relics from Mrkonjići to Trebinje with priests and monastics from his diocese.
eparhija-zahumskohercegovacka.org
Following Communion, the congregation gathered in the church courtyard where Bp. Paisije served the traditional blessing of grapes, and Bp. Maxim blessed the festal bread and wheat. Met. Atanasije then addressed the assembled faithful.
That evening, the celebrations continued with Vespers at the Cathedral, led by Bp. Paisije with the prayerful presence of Met. Dimitrije. The service was followed by the traditional Transfiguration procession through the city.
Young Herzegovinians led the procession, followed by representatives of city and state administration and numerous distinguished guests. The solemn procession moved through Trebinje’s main streets, pausing at major intersections and at Freedom Square, where memorial prayers were offered for all who have died through the ages.
At Freedom Square, Met. Dimitrije greeted the gathered faithful, followed by a sermon from Bp. Paisije. The relics were then carried back into the cathedral, where the faithful continued to venerate them late into the night.
St. Ana was canonized by the Serbian Council of Bishops in May 2025, recognizing her sanctity as the mother of one of the most beloved saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church, St. Basil of Ostrog, the 17th-century miracle-worker whose monastery in Montenegro remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Balkans.
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