HOW THE MIRACULOUS ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD WAS PRESERVED IN ČAJNIČE

The people of the Čajniče, Pljevlja and Foča regions preserved, in a miraculous way, the Čajniče Krasnica – the wonderworking icon of the Most Holy Theotokos – during the most difficult days of the Second World War. Firmly believing that by safeguarding this great holy relic they were also protecting themselves and their families, they risked their lives to keep it safe. This was emphasized during a spiritual evening held in Foča.

PHOTO: Upoznaj Srpsku

The Čajniče Krasnica was brought from Jerusalem to Serbia by King Milutin Nemanjić, who donated it to the Monastery of Banja near Priboj. After the Ottoman conquest, the icon was transferred to Čajniče, where for centuries it has spiritually strengthened the faithful and performed miraculous healings, not only among Orthodox Christians, but also among Muslims, Catholics and all those who approach it sincerely and with strong faith.

Numerous accounts of miraculous healings are linked to this icon, some of which were shared by Archpriest Dragiša Simić at the spiritual gathering organized by the Foča Center for Culture and Information. The head of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Čajniče recounted the case of a man from Pale who suffered from a serious leg condition that doctors were unable to cure. After anointing his leg with oil from the vigil lamp in front of the Čajniče Krasnica, the leg gradually returned to its normal, healthy color, and the problem was completely resolved.

The icon is also widely known for helping couples who are unable to have children. Archpriest Simić shared the testimony of a married couple from Kruševac who, after years of infertility, came to Čajniče to pray before the Krasnica. While staying overnight in the church guesthouse, the woman dreamed of two boys playing in the churchyard and heard the voice of the Mother of God telling her: “These are your children.” Later, she gave birth to twin boys, just as she had seen in her dream.

During the Second World War, after Italian occupying forces mined two churches in Čajniče on the night of April 11–12, 1943, the Krasnica miraculously remained undamaged despite the explosions. With the blessing of Archpriest Jovan Jovanović, its perilous wartime journey began. A crucial role in saving the icon was played by Vehbija Ćehajić, a Muslim from Čajniče, who warned the priest in advance that the Ustaša “Devil’s Division” was approaching and urged them to hide the icon.

Deacon of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in Čajniče, Uglješa Skoko, one of the authors of the book “The Journey of the Icon of the Čajniče Krasnica During the Second World War,” explained that the icon was hidden for three and a half years in caves and small churches across the municipalities of Čajniče, Pljevlja and Foča. He stressed that the greatest contribution to its preservation came from the Popović and Mašić brotherhoods, who were ready to sacrifice their lives to protect it.

Although there were opportunities to move the icon to Belgrade for safekeeping until the end of the war, the people of Čajniče refused. As Skoko emphasized, they always said that they did not protect the icon – rather, the icon protected them and their families. “It still protects and watches over us all today,” he said.

The icon spent the longest period hidden in the Trpinje Cave near Čajniče, where it remained for three years, until March 1946, when it was finally returned to the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Before that, in September 1943, it was sheltered in the village of Strečanje in the Pljevlja area, and later in Slatina near Foča, in the Church of Saints Constantine and Helena at Okolišta. From there it was moved to the nearby Zlataja Cave, and then to the hamlet of Bać, where it was hidden inside a large beech tree.

According to testimonies from the late Đoka and Mileva Đorđević of Bać, later shared by their daughter Fima Vilotić, a forest fire engulfed the entire area at the time, yet the tree containing the icon remained untouched. The icon was guarded by the Đorđević, Vilotić, Radović, Pljevaljčić, Mihajlović and Ivanović families.

The end of the war found the icon once again in a cave high in the cliffs above the village of Trpinje, where locals guarded it day and night in shifts. After the war, the cave fell into neglect until about a decade ago, when a group of young men from Čajniče, including Deacon Uglješa Skoko, decided to transform it into a chapel. They arranged an access path, removed large amounts of earth to allow upright passage, installed an altar and paved the floor with stone slabs.

With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Dabar-Bosnia, the cave where the Popović and Mašić brotherhoods safeguarded the Čajniče Krasnica for three years during the Second World War officially became the Chapel of the Mother of God in 2021.