SAINT PETKA MONASTERY: A JEWEL NEAR BIJELJINA

The Saint Petka Monastery, situated near Bijeljina, stands on the outskirts of the Pet Lakes settlement.

PHOTO: Marko Marić

PHOTO: Marko Marić

Dedicated to the Venerable Mother Paraskevi, this monumental structure with its domed architecture attracts the attention of travelers daily as they pass by the bypass road around Bijeljina, leading towards Serbia. The monastery, still under construction, is a women's monastery.

Within the monastery reside relics of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, a gift from the Russian Patriarch Alexy II. Dominating the fertile Semberian plain is a temple built in the Russian style, adorned with five golden domes.

In Russia, it is customary for a monastery to have two parts, the lower and upper church, as it is easier to heat the smaller lower church during the winter. Thus, the Saint Petka Monastery consists of two parts.

Plans are underway to construct a home and kindergarten within the monastery's courtyard, which will serve the community. There are also plans to build small chapels around the lakes near the monastery, each reflecting the architecture and style of other Orthodox nations. This initiative aims to represent the entire Orthodox world in one place, a microcosm of Orthodoxy.