Gornji Strmac: This church has survived many wars, it will survive Albin Kurti's regime too

The Church of St. Anne in the village of Gornji Strmac in Zubin Potok was recently placed under protection by the Ministry of Culture of Kosovo, while in some Albanian media, it was referred to as Roman Catholic, which has unsettled the locals. They emphasized to Kosovo Online that they lived in fear of further measures and provocations by Albin Kurti's regime.

This temple, belonging to the Church Municipality of Zubin Potok, is located in the village of Gornji Strmac, surrounded by dense forests and inaccessible terrain. However, this hasn't stopped the residents of Ibarski Kolasin from praying and performing religious rituals within the walls of this church for centuries.

After the Ministry of Culture in the Government of Kosovo placed the church in Gornji Strmac under protection, and some Albanian media outlets reported it as a Roman Catholic church, the Kosovo Online team visited the site and learned from the locals that they were extremely distressed by these events.

One of the residents, Aleksandar Perovic, emphasized to Kosovo Online that there was only one truth and that there could not be two truths.

"Many don't know where it is, what it means, or what solace it provides; they've just heard it is ours, so they dared to appropriate it. Albin Kurti's regime, in its campaign of persecuting Serbs, tries to appropriate Serbian Orthodox churches or declare them to be Catholic, as was the case with our church. His actions perfectly describe today's reality of how we live here. Because of the whole situation, we live in fear of what might happen next," he said.

Perovic notes that the Church of St. Anne has always opened its doors to known and unknown people, especially comforting infertile women and rejoicing them with the greatest gift from God – childbirth.

"Throughout its historical existence, we all live, primarily the residents of the village of Strmac and the entire Ibarski Kolasin. Since Serbs have known themselves, since then the bell has rung, the cross has been made, and Serbian has been spoken, that is, prayers have been addressed to God and St. Anne. Those of us who have continued to do this, to visit the sanctuary, pray for those who don't know what they are doing, who use force, not realizing that no human force can match God's. As our people would say, 'God's force doesn't pray, and God doesn't love force,'" our interlocutor adds.

No matter how difficult it is, Perovic emphasizes, they will come here because the church is the pillar of Serbian survival and identity.

In the village of Perkovac, there are no inhabitants, but the church is visited by residents from surrounding villages – Gornji Strmac, Zupce, Donje Varage, Ugljare, and the rest of Ibarski Kolasin.

"No matter how difficult it is, we see the future here, and I hope that better times will come for us to live in peace, not in fear of what they will do next, what the next provocation will be, and what measures will be taken. I would like to call on the international community to finally realize that they should deter their child from plundering because the people of Kolasin will defend theirs with all democratic means. We won't take what's others', and we won't give away what's ours," Perovic concludes.

Local resident Miljan Orlovic, who also takes care of this sanctuary, emphasizes that people are extremely upset about recent events.

"I am very affected by the current situation because Albin Kurti and his entourage want to take our sanctuary. We, as residents of Gornji Strmac, Donji Strmac, and Krligrat, often come here, visit, light candles, pray, and celebrate our patron saint – the Little Feast of the Ascension. It really hit us hard that they want to take it away from us," he says.

He says that people still come every week, including his relatives and residents of surrounding villages.

"We come often, there are quite a few of us, but lately, we've been very afraid. What will happen? Will we be arrested? Will they threaten us? Are we no longer allowed to enter the church? Will they seize it, build it, and say it's no longer ours? This church has survived many wars, it will survive Albin Kurti's regime too. I believe that our future generations will come to this church to pray and light candles," Orlovic says.