RENOVATION OF THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD BEGINS

The Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the village of Vrelo near Cazin is one of the temples that, until recently, was completely overgrown with weeds, as no Orthodox believers have lived in the village for decades.

PHOTO: RTRS

However, the will of people originating from this region has brought them together in an effort to first clean the church, so that memorial services and liturgies can once again be held there, and to allow for the traditional breaking of the Slava bread on the feast day of the church’s patron.

The church in Vrelo was built in 1880. By 1882, the village had 40 Orthodox households with 256 Orthodox Serbs, while in the broader Vrelo parish area, there were 320 households and a total of 1,889 Orthodox Serbs.

This church is one of the few that was not damaged during the Second World War, but was unfortunately set on fire during the most recent war.

The Vrelo parish is known for the prominent Bogunović priestly family, which produced many notable clergy for the Serbian Orthodox Church. The most significant among them was the hieromartyr Mile Bogunović (1856–1915), who died imprisoned in the Arad camp.

Priest Aleksandar Bjeličić emphasized that the Church of the Ascension of the Lord stands as a testament to the enduring presence of Orthodox Serbs in the Cazin area, and that its restoration is a historical debt to all those who, for centuries, bore witness to the Orthodox faith in this region.