The foundations of the monastery of the Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno replowed; Locals: the latest blow to Serbian returnees

The fact that Pristina does not stop in its campaign to erase the religious and cultural identity of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, fiercely attacking and seizing objects of the Serbian Orthodox Church, presenting them as their own, in plain view of the international community, which silently observes, is evidenced by a new takeover of about 50 acres of land where the foundations of the monastery of the Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno, dating back to the 6th century, are located. The remains of this sacred object are in the village of Vrelo, in the municipality of Istok, Politika writes.

As "Politika" learns, Serbian returnees were shocked when a few days ago they found, on the land of the Serbian monastery complex, where according to records the foundations of several Orthodox churches are located, an area fenced with wire, metal poles, and a sign in Albanian that reads "Monastic Complex Studenica".

Locals told Politika that in mid-September they had visited the Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno or Studenica in Hvosno, as many call it, and that upon returning to visit it this week, they had something to see.

"The land was dug up with excavators, the terrain leveled, and fenced with wire. This is the latest blow to Serbian returnees in the municipality of Istok, but also to the identity and history of our people. Now they are seizing, and appropriating Metohija's church grounds, churches, and monasteries like this one. The Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno holds a special place, not only in the Serbian Orthodox Church but also among the Serbs in Metohija. Before the war, we gathered on the foundations of this church, and upon returning, we regularly came to the seat of the sixth of the seven Serbian bishoprics, dating back to 1219. A century later, the Metropolis in Hvosno is mentioned for the first time, and after the great migration of the Serbs in 1690, the monastery was abandoned. That's when its decline began", a Serb from this part of Kosovo who wanted to remain anonymous for personal safety reasons says.

He adds that in the mid-20th century, "conservation work was carried out on the found remains during research, and a cast bell was found containing two plaques that are now in the treasury of the Patriarchate of Pec".

At the end of the last century, the Serbian Orthodox Church planned to renovate the monastery churches and the complex, but NATO aggression prevented such work.

"The entire Church, our state, and the international community must react to this. This is unheard of. Now they have turned to Metohija, the municipality of Istok, which has the highest number of returnees in Kosovo. They want to intimidate us in this way, to expel us, to erase every Serbian trace", a source says for Politika, noting that it is known that the Albanians from the villages of Vrelo, Studenica, and Kaliqan over the centuries took away stone by stone from the monastery complex, using it to build houses and mosques.

In general, little is heard about the Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno, given that this part on the slopes of Mokra Gora, 20 kilometers from Pec, is visited by only a few Serbs.
 
The last organized trip was in 2019 when a bus with pilgrims was almost attacked by the Albanians from the village of Vrelo, who threw stones at the bus and the believers. The Kosovo Police managed to rescue them only after two hours.

One of the pilgrims was Bosko Kozarski, a travel writer who says that little is known about this monastery, but according to some data, Stefan Nemanja, the progenitor of the Nemanjic dynasty and the father of Saint Sava, was originally buried here, and later his relics were transferred to Studenica.

"If it weren't for the stoning of the bus, we wouldn't have heard about this monastery complex dating back to the 6th century even then. The Chruch of the Mother of God in Hvosno is a Serbian jewel, which, I hear from you, the Albanians have appropriated", Kozarski says.

The monastery is located three kilometers from the returning village of Ljubozda, where 17 returnee houses have been built, which have recently been the target of robbery and break-ins, with the perpetrators still unknown.

From the village of Ljubozda is also Zarko Zaric, whom the Kosovo Prosecutor's Office is accusing of alleged war crimes. Like Miomir Pantic from Istok, he was arrested in July of last year and is currently in prison in Podujevo.

In the Podujevo prison, there are five more Serbs whom the Kosovo Prosecutor's Office suspects of the most serious criminal offenses, which both in Istok and Metohija are seen as "aiming to expel Serbian returnees and the Serbs who have remained here".

Politika recalls that the authorities in Pristina started seizing Serbian Orthodox sacred sites first in Novo Brdo, then in Podujevo. A few days ago, they declared the St. Anne's Church as Albanian or Catholic, even though there were never any Catholics in Gornji Strmac, where it is located. They intend to appropriate Visoki Decani, Patriarchate of Pec, Gracanica Monastery, and the Church of Our Lady of Ljevis, all of which are under the protection of UNESCO, which has not spoken out so far.

Serbian cemeteries are also under attack, with about 10,000 tombstones broken. The latest recorded case, which has been temporarily halted, is the plowing of a medieval cemetery in Kosovska Mitrovica, where the last Serb from the village of Suvi Do was buried in 1950.

On the Orthodox cemetery in South Mitrovica, more than 90 percent of tombstones have been broken, while the Muslim cemetery in the northern part of the city remains untouched.