The Hilandar Monastery will shine again with its old splendor by the end of the year after the reconstruction from the fire that engulfed this sacred place two decades ago, said Milivoj Ranđić, the director of the Hilandar Monastery Foundation.
Ranđić noted that workers have been engaged for a month now,
and the rough work will be completed by the end of the year. He expects that in
the next year, part of the work on the interior design of the Hegumen's
quarters, the last building undergoing reconstruction and the first one to burn
in 2004, will remain.
"Anyone who comes to Hilandar next year will not be
able to see that the monastery was engulfed in a horrific fire," said
Ranđić, adding that the impression will remain that the old appearance of the
sanctuary has been preserved.
He emphasized that the greatest contributors to the reconstruction of the sanctuary are the Serbian state and the Serbian people.
Ranđić recalled that the Prince of Wales, now King Charles
III, had sent a message after the fire, stating that anyone who sympathizes
with beauty cannot help but be affected by the suffering of Hilandar.
He denied that the current king donated one million euros to
the Serbian sanctuary, but confirmed that he personally participated in and
organized three charity events in Great Britain, without specifying the amount
of his separate contribution.
Ranđić stressed that the Serbian sanctuary has always
enjoyed the support of Russia and that there are serious associations such as
"Dedication to Mount Athos," from which significant material
assistance comes.
Regarding the assistance from Greece, Ranđić emphasized that
the state helped as much as it could, noting that this is the main task of the
Serbian state.
On the night between March 3 and 4, 2004, more than half of
the buildings of the Serbian imperial lavra disappeared in flames. The most
destructive fire in the history of this Serbian sanctuary destroyed and
significantly damaged 5,897 square meters, or nearly 55 percent of the usable
area.